PEACE KITES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 36, 10 February 1917, Page 11

PEACE KITES.

- KB MASSEYS VIEWS. CLOSER TJSIOS. '■ (From Our Special Correspondent.) LOXDOX. January 1. TOale there is no gainsaying it that fie calling of the Imperial War Conference has been an inconvenience—if that ie & strong enough word to use —to the Xew Zealand Government in the way it lias happened, it has its compensate, for Mr. llaseey as the only Do minion Prime Minister on the spot, has tea ahle to give full publicity in the ftese here to New Zealand's aims and aspirations, and to explain authorita-ti-ely 2»ew Zealand's share —so much greater than the public takes time to eaaader clearly in times like these when so nracli io happening—in upholding the finpire. ilr. llaesey has been widely inter-■riewid-hy the English Press, and all tliP serious weekly reviews devoted a very large" part of their space on Saturday to ffiscnaring it, and the German peace kites "irimk -have -fallen so n»nominiously_.flat. On thk latter point and the VSJL flutter the Prime Minister has no halftone Hem. To. agree to the suggestion? which have been made at the present moment varW , he say 6. " not result in -a Sennanent settlement; it wcrald only give Germany the opportunity oi regainier strength, and preparing for another 'attempt when possibly Britain SJSrlLibe without allies. To agree to $eae« imdfir the conditions which now erist would he to cheat our Army and Xavy opt of the victory to which they *r» so justly entitled. Tiose Powers vnho a,re appa-rently «rnons* to interfere must clearfv be pvetf'to understand that the Allies infeni to carry on rhe war until t!ie laciii-oat blow has been given to the to the conferenr-i-- itee'i and its he "I think the conlerence now caiied i= a p-roner thing. It S.a loig way the most important step ."at sas yet been taken in regard to «nperM relations that the Government «f should have ?nmmoned ttejDofflniion-'s Premier and the Swret*ry "of State -for India to meet the War GstTOet at a purely war conference. Xew &ii?nd people. I am confident, will Telesae.jt, for i± will be a very great contnbntia? towards tiie unity of the £mffee. It v the turning over of a new fell in Imperial affairs, which will lead .te a cfaser n\.''°n and a better underit between the different countries ?«4jct. make up tns Empire. Personally, I look, upon- what a being done as of >xamotmt importanw. and welcome it J believe the Imperial grow and deveK ,D circum and condition* requ>i" e unll ' ,l wtat it ought to be- a reall - r 1 * governms factor in the aJfarrs ? ™*,Empire. The colonies have They must now be V" aa partnens in a arm. even if they places a≤ junior partners, principle that taxation and reFSsntation must 20 together is right— it is—;t follows that when ts K pi the form of the «" , t&« t ° ar popolatiop. to say nothing iggl™ 3 *^!'liabilities that'are being i^^^ , *^ c oase '" r representation stronger. Uo=er union and the g2**ation of the Dominions will be woenefit oi the Empire as a whole.

" I plead guilty to being ambitious for the Empire. I want to think that if not now. certainly in the not-far distant future, the British Empire will be suprme on. land, sea, and air, ana I am confident that with a certain amount of foresight and a proper exercise of statesmanship the idea can tie realised and the Empire became a blessing, not only to its own citizens, but to all the nations of the earth. " Although the conference ia termed a Special War Conference of the Empire.' and T* called essentially for war purposes, probably opportunity will be taken of the presence of the Dominion Ministers in London to discuss matters in which the Dominions are particularly concerned- For example, there are tho problem of their Closer Union and representation, Empire trade, and migration." With regard to these the Prime Minister has been at pains to remind the British public that capital for Xew Zealand public works and development had. previous- to the war, been obtained from Great Britain, but now the Dominion has raised loan capital itself, and will raise more if need be. As to wool and meat supplies, the whole supply of which has been placed at the command of the Home Government and our Allies, he has made it equally clear io the public. here that Jvew Zealand is playing ite part with no " arrieTe pensee."' ?vew Zealand, 'he said, being a producing country, has forwarded quantities of supplies to the Imperial Board of Trade, and I am proud to think that our producers are more in-i tent on assisting the Empire in this j terrible war than in making the best i possible bargains for themselves in their negotiations with thte representatives oi the Mother Country. As to migration within the Empire, ho is ever ready to proclaim the Dominion's' welcome to the British-born. Xew Zealand, he tells them, will be glad of people from the Motherland who wish to settle, and if it be difficult to find land for afl there will be alternative openings in industry. The whole position at the moment has, of course, re-opened the floodgates of discussion—When will the war end? On this point Mr. Massey is uncurably optimistic; more so. he says, than he was I two months ago -, and he is most so as to j the quality of the £nLshr—-it will end [gloriously for Britain and her allie?. This morning's publication of the Allies' reply and its characterisation of the German peace offer as a "sham proposal," a "war manoeuvre," gives, of course, the official hall-mark to general feeling here. The unanimity of the Press and' people is the more wonderful, in view of the infinite complexity and detail which must arise. And although the refusal to consider Germany's allesed offer is definitive, discussion is in full tide of the meaning in detail which we intend *o give to "reparation" and "guarantees." The "Saturday Review-" admits that if '-'Germany so far abated its preposterous claims to territory of the Allies in Europe which it now occupies, will she not prefer a claim for retention of some colonial territory—the very sphere in wiiich she has been most conspicuously beaten." Just how fai the Allies are to go in pursuit of the '^nock-out" —that is, of course, preeminently the qnestion, and to that decision ftL'e "imperial War Conference justly calls itf 5 aid of the D°™i niolis -