The Press. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1907. 1907.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 13000, 31 December 1907, Page 6

The Press. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1907. 1907.

In tho pact ycer Imperial affairs were of more importance then in any ycer since the Soaiitli African war. The Imperial Conference, held in London in April and May, did not accomplish as much ac some ardent Imperralii&ti* wi«4hed, but a. distamct step was mode towards Imperial unity. The fact that the gathering as to be 'known as Imperial, that it was placed on a. proper boras-, n.nd that tho Prime Minister of tho- United Kingdom, and not the Colonial Secretary! » to be tlio President, would have nnarlo the Conferonce notable, if nothing else had been dor.«. The principle of mibeidiery Conferences wtas affirmed, and the desirability wa» recognised of ret a Wishing a Bfcre-tAriat-, under the direction of tihe Colonifll Secretary, to obtain infonnarion for the Conference, and attend to its resolutions. The fate of the most important question before tfo* Conference was ■% foregone conclusion, for a Government pledged to support free-toide end to resist preferential trad© «04iTd not "be expeottcd to accept the fwoal reeolntions of *he colonial Premiers, all of ivhom, %ritlr the exception of 3lr Botha, were strongly in fiTiour of preference. Tho colonial caee w-ae put with great ebility, partioulurly by Mr IVeakin, -who wwe distinctly the most prominent figure «,t the Conference, I>ut the Home Oorcrnment were compelled to enter a non poesunrae in Teply. Their handling of this defKoato queetion might hare been moro tactful. Tho Conference nnenimousfly resolvetl: —-"That all doubts should be removed as to the , right of the 6el'f-governing dependencies to make reciprocal and'preferential fiscal flßreementK with each other «nd with the United Kingdom, and, further, that such right should not be fettered by Imperial treaties or conventions without their concurrence. ,. The reform of the Colonial Office was pressed hard by slr Deakin. who wiehwl the business of the wlf-gorerning colonies detached from the Colonial Office and transferred to the control of the Prime ..MinM<t<*r. Ix>rd Efgin agreed to make a distinct division in the Colonial Office between the departments dealing •with the affairs of the selfgoverning colonies ami the Crown colonies, end we ere now under the control of whn-t ie known as the Dominion* Bejwrtmeat. Mr HaJdane gavo & very lucid end etoieainwilik© expoeitjion of tho Home. Govern ment's view* on the question of Imperial lend defence, and the Conference enpporUsd him fey affirming the principle of a General St+K for the Empire. 3lr Deakin announced that Australia

wished to cancel too naval' agreemei: ■with a view to developing « nary < Jier own, and Ix>rd TwecdmoutJi, o beholf of the Admiralty, eaid the A< nrinlty would iave no objection. 31 •Lloyd-George, representing the Boar of Trade, wee very sympathetic t< wards the proposal to make commuii , cation more rapid between Australaei: Canada end -England, and a coir nrittee. wae set up to conrader the qu« tion of a faster eervice b> , the All-Re route. A number of other question were, dealt vriih, and altogether imic useful' bueineoe was done. M Deakia wee open in expressing hi disappointment at the rejection of hi Imperialistic echemee,, but Sir Jose-p Ward, who represented New Zealan at the Conference, took

more optimistic view of whefc had been accomplished. About the same time a Navigation Conferonoe was held in London, ab which useful work was done in bringing the shipping laws of tho different parts of the Empire moro into line with each other.

The Imperial problems confronting tho Home Government just now ere numerous an<l difficult. Jndia was— and isi still, though the worst eeems

to be ever—the scene of grave unrest, with which Mr Morley has dealt with

a firm hand. British Columbians rioted against Japanese, allies of Great Britain. Canada, through Sir Wilfred Laurier, intimated that there were to be no more "pilgrimages to Washing-

ton," and indicated her growing sense

of nationality by concluding a reciprocal treaty with France. Newfoundland d<*clared that she was betrayed over the fisheries question. In South Africa depression is still driving white men from the country. The Transvaal elections resulted in a victory for the

Boers, and to tho astonishment of the

world, Mr Botha, so recently an enemy of England, l>ecame Premier. In the

Orango River Colony the victory ol

the Boers was overwhelming, and if, as is quite likely, the Bond win tho Cape elections, the Boer wiH (bo supreme through South Africa, except in Natal. Natal wae faced with the probability of another native rising, but prompt action averted the danger.

A bright feature of South African his-

Tory wae -tthe growth of tho federal spirit, which has advanced to the conference stage. The greatest disaster of tho year was debited to the Empire, enormous damage being caused in Jamaica by & series of earthquakes. Mention must be made of tho retirement of Lord Cromer from the post which he filled in Egypt with such dis'ti notion for so long. The phenomenal prosperity of Australia in 1906 did not continue in 1907. for drought in Victoria andi New South Wales gave it a set-back. During the year Sir John Forrest Te&igned from the Federal Ministry, and Mr Watson retired 1 from the leadership of the Labour Party. Sir William Lyne'e highly protectionist tariff caused greet dieeatiefection, both in Australia, where the consumer •was hit hard, and in England, where manufacturers) looked askance at a preference that involved an increase in duties. Parliament', however, whittled the tariff down considerably. The Government elaborated a : highly important echemo of defence, "which provided for a local navy and compulsory eervice on land. The -work of the Imperial Government was marked by some successes, but on the whole was disappointing, seeing what an enormous majority

they had behind them. Their most notable achievement was tho agreement with Russia—most of the credit for •which belongs to the King and Sir Edward Grey—by -which the spheres <J activity of the tavo Powers

in Persia and Central Asia are defined. Mr Haldano'e. army scheme, the most important for many

years, was passed, and is now in opera-

tion. The Government's nival policy and administration were severely criticised, but it was a question on which

thero -was much divergence of opinion, and tho utterances of Ministers on the subject of the command of tho sea were unimpeachable. Except for the Army Bill and the. Small Holdings Bill, a useful but unheroic measure designed to check rural depopulation,

the -work of Parliament -was barren of great policy enactments, fllr Birroll's

Irish Council Bill was strangled β-t birth by the (Nationalist Convention. Tho House of Lords, undaunted by the Radical reception of their mntilation of the Education Bill, did what they considered their duty in dealing with Government Bills, with the result that Ministerial indignation became more vehement than ever. The Prime Minister opened his campaign against the Lords by submitting a resolution to the Commons affirming that the will of the Commons must prevail, and sine© the rising of Parliament he nnd his Ministers have been busy in the constituencies preparing for tho coming fight. A most important featuro of the year at Home has been the awakening of the nation to -the growth of Socialism. Liberals and Conservatives have joined J forces against a common enemy, and tho defeat of the Progressives in the London County Council elections, and the Liberals, and Socialists in the municipal elections in other places, showed that the public had become alarmed at the spread of Socialistic ideae. Ireland was » source of much anxiety. Terrorism increased to an alarming extent, the Government had to deal with very serious riots in Belfast, and tho campaign of the Sinn Fein organisation, which, aims at complete severance from everything English, attracted much attention. The Unionist party claimed to havo obtained a definite opinion from Mr Balfour on fiscal reform, and widespread regret was felt at the con-

tinned illness of Mr Chamberlain. A very serious railway strike was averted

by the tact and energy of Mr LloyJGeorge, whose vigorous administration of the Board of Trade also pained him much credit. On the Continent the most important event was perhaps the second Peace Conference at The Hague, the proceedings at which only emphasised the futility of a weak policy of national defence. The Conference wan really one of war, and not of penoo. It passed several resolutions relating to the conduct of war, one of which set- up an International Prize Court. Great Britain seemed to be the only Power at the Conference prepared lo make i» sacrifice in tho cause of peace, and even the British Government recognised, when the Conference was ovi-j. the hopelessness of the campaign foi the limitation of armaments, by pushing on their building programme. The beginning of the year witnessed a triumph for tho Kaiser over the Socialists, and tho end of the year a grave scandal which exposed the Camarilla at the Imperial Court. German naval ambitions were strongly in evidence, and the Pan-Germans as bellicose as ever. Towards the end of the year the Kaiser visited England, whero ho was received with «nthu&Uism, and aa a result of his visit tho tone of the German Press was more, friendly towards England. In France the Government had thoir hands full with a serious anti-European, outbreak in Morocco, with the complication of a revolt against the Sultan, and riots in the south of France by dissatisfied winegrowers. Franco, Spain, and England agreed to a. triangular treaty tending to safeguard the status quo in the Mediterranean, and France signed c treaty with Japan relating to the status quo in the Far East. The relations between Austria and Hungary wero set on a moro eatisfactory footing, but tho Emperor's illness caused great anxiety. In Russia it was hard to perceive any material advance towards freedom. Duma the second went tho -wey of the first, and Duma tho third was elected under a reactionary electoral law. Reform was promised, but tyranny was practised, and terrorism took a hoavy toll. The mortality from famine was very heavy. In tho Far East the most important events were Japan's intervention in Korea, whero the Emperor was replaced by his son and a rebellion suppressed, and tho Chinese edict granting a. Constitution on Western lines. In the Middle Bast the first yeer of parliamentary government in Persia was stormy, and! it is still doubtful whether the* Constitution will live. The United States went through a serious financial crisis owing to the over-trading of the past few years of great prosperity. The -anti-Japanese riots in California, strained relations with Japan, and President Roosevelt took the immensely important step of despatching the Atlantic fleet to the Pacific. The campaign against the Trusts was continued with unabated vigonr, ami an enormous fino was inflicted on the Standard Oil Trust, tho most powerful of the great corporations, and regarded as the worst offender. Great interest was taken in the coming Presidential campaign, and it was persistently stated that President Roosevelt would be obliged to seek re-election. Of the scientific achievements of tho year, two in particular deserve mention, tho progress made in France, England and Germany in aerial navigation and the institution of a system of cdm'mercial wireless telegraphy across the Atlantic. In this division of activity may also be placed the success of tho now Cunarders, which have re~won for Groat Britain the speed supremacy of the Atlantic. The obituary list of tho year includes King Oscar of Sweden., Lord Goschen, Lord Kelvin, tho most eminent physicist of hie time, M. Berthelot and M. Mendeleof, famous French and Russian chemists respectively, Sir William Perkin, the discoverer of aniline dyes, Sir Michael Foster, physiologist, (Sir Benjamin Baker, engineer, Sir William Broadbent, physician, Sully Prudhomme (France), Lewis Morris, Gerald Maeeey (Britain), and Oa.rducci (Italy), poets, len. Meelere-n, Grieg, the Norwegian composer, Sir John Ardagh, an eminent soldier, Baron, Brampton, the wellknown judge, M. Pobiedonostzeff, Russian statesman, tho Baroness BurdettCoutta, Sir Spencor Walpole, public servant and author, Sir W. H. Russell, war correspondent, Karl Blind, revolutionist, Dowie, of Zion City, Dr. Paton, veteran missionary, Sir John Sec, ex-Premier of New Sonth Wales, Dr. Fison, ethnologist and missionary, and Dr. Murphs*, tho Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart. The year will be notable in our records., for it saw the last oP New Zealand as a colony, Parliament agreeing to the proposal of the Premier that wo should henceforth assume that greater dignity of a Dominion. Politically, the year ha* been a busy one, for Parliament had to deal with three Land Bills, a new tariff, ft Pure Food Bill, end a Gaming Bi'a which gives a legal standing to the bookmaker, besides a large quantity of lere noteworthy measures. Tho session was the longest on record, and in come ways, particularly as regards the land legislation, the most important that has been held for many years. The labours of the Ministry were increased by the absence of Mr Hall-Jowe, the Minister for Public Worksand Railways, who having taken over Sir Joseph Wards dntire while the latter attended the Imperial Conference in London, subsequently broke down in health. Mr Hall-Jones left New Zealand very shortly after the Premier's return on a prolonged trip to England, and is understood to have received great benefit from the rest and change. The only bye-election of

. J tho y«ar occurred at New Plymouth, i ! the death of Mr E. M". Smith, who had i represented the constituency for a number of years as a strong Governt ment supporter, being followed by the > election of Mr H. Okey, an equally - strong Oppositionist. The session had > . hardly closed when the Parliament I j Buildings, with the fortunate exception of the library, were destroyed by fire. The disaster will afford a good oppoVfcunity for erecting a Parliament House worbhy of frhe Dominion, but rebuilding it. delayed until Parliament has decided whether the site of Government House shall be taken for the purpose. The International Exhibition in Christchurch, which was opene<l on November Ist, 1906, closed on April 15th after a career which in ppite of some regrettable defects must be considered successful. Close upon two million people passed through the gates while it was open, and though the financial returns showed a deficit of some £80,000, it is reckoned that this was more than balanced by tho increased revenue ucrived by the Railways nnd Customs Departments—to say nothing of the local expenditure by visitors from other parts. The features of tho Exhibition that will live longest in the public memory are the art. gallery, tho orchestral concerts L the British and Canadian Courts, and the visit of the Bossos o' th' Barn Band. Science has occupied more attention than usual during tho year. An expedition of scientists, arranged by the Canterbury Philosophical Institute, and assisted by the Government, Bpenfc a week or two investigating the- problems presented by the su'b-Antaretio islands of tho Auckland and Campbell groups. During their visit they brought off from Disappointment Island tho survivors from the wreck of the barque Dundonald, who had been living for several months on the island. Once more. Lyttetton has become the base from which an Antarctic- expedition has finally fitted out before venturing into the southern world of ice..' Lieutenant Shackloton, who won hie spurs in the famous Discovery expedition, sails to-morrow at, the head of a band of, scientists in the ex-eoalinj; ship Nimrod for King, Edward VII. Land, whence he hopes to reach tho South Pole. The Carnegie Institution's ship Galilee, engaged on magnetic research in tho Pacific Ocean, is also in. Lyttelton Harbour. A party of five young New Zealand scientists have left for the Kermadec Islands, where they propose to stay for a year making scientific investigations. In legal circles tho year has been marked by the creation for the first time of a number of King's Counsel, ten leading barristers receiving this distinction. Labour has had a prosperous year, but a strike of slaughtermen in the various Canterbury freezing works in February, and the present trouble at the Denniston mine, Westport, indicate weaknesses in the. system, of compulsory arbitration •wihWh iney yet prove fa to I to it. The chief public work initiated during the year has been tho Otira tunnel, five and a quarter miles long, on tho Midland Railway connecting Canterbury and) Westland, the contract for which was secured by a New Zealand firm. The price will be practically £600,000, and the work will extend over iivo years. The principal incidence in t!he fairming year hare been n remarkable rise in the price of wheat, which touched 6s per bushel, and a drop in the price of "wool, which it is hoped is only temporary, being duo in .part to the financial crisis in America. Now Zealand is so closely concerned in shipping that the addition to tho Union Company's fleet of the new tinbine ferry steamer Maori, which has reduced the passage between Lyttelton and Wellington to less than nine hours, and the'fino intercolonial steamer Marama, aro events of no small consequence, while the knighthood conferred on Sir James Mills, tho managing director of the company, has been recognised as a well-deserved distinction. Tho year has witnessed the passing of many valuable colonists. Chief among *liom was the votersn statesman. Sir

John Hall, who died full of years and honour amid universal regrot. others that must bo mentioned are Sir James Hector, for many years Government Geologist, and a scientist of wido and varied knowledge; the Hon. W. Johnston, an ex-Minister in the Atkinson Government; the Hons. W. M. Bolt, L. Wnlker, and W. Kelly, M.L.C.'c, and Mr E. M. Smith, M.H.R.; Archdeacon Williams, of Hawke's Bay, the Keys. Dr. Elmelie and J. Orchard, and Dr. R. Lamb, formerly a medical missionary in the Now Hebrides; Tohu and To Whitf, the Maori leaders at Parihaka; Mr W. Gray, Secretary of the Pest Office, and Mr Jas. Mickey, secretary of the Labour Department; and, among others, sneli -well-know n colonists es Messrs Charles Clark, J. C. Wilkin, John Tinline, Alan McLean, H. Redwood, J. T. Smith, C. E. Fooks, J. S. Gibson, T. I. Joynt, H. M. Lee, P. Duncan, W. Holley, P. C. Threlkeld, M. Friedlander, C. E. Calcutt, Moss Jonas, J. S. Gibsoit, G. Manchester, P. Krppenberger, W. H. Gundry, Jae. iStringfdlow, T. McDonald, H. Btackett, John Holmes, ami J. Waller.