THE CORONATION,

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 951, 19 October 1910, Page 6

THE CORONATION.

The question of the: representation of New .Zealand ; at the; Coronation: of KlNa-GEpEQE callsifor attention just. ndw'on account-of: the" effort which , ; if being; made- to i create v; the' impression \ that; it is necessary ;, to, senda'Parliamentary party of: eightt6:Londbn;in v ordef'to.ensure v that;the Dominion shall be .adequately repreT, sented. j/No.ohe .would, des'ireVto. see' :Hew. Zealand .lagging .behind;its ter v Dominions, . on' ■, any,: : occasion which; called for : a demonstratipn' of; loyalty to the Throne ; and.',Empire,' No one would/wish; that'(New- 21ealahd'.'should r miss any opportunity of ■strengthening! the-; ties-, of Empire. ■ ■But-'the ideathat''adequate" : repre-; sentation ■■ at the';; Coronation Vcere<mpnies : - can ,;be; : ensured:;"; only ::byd ■ eight -. members of; ;;;;6ur'/; Parliament,.;;-;with /Va, consequential.., dislocation . -of:...the| ■whole ■ ;pf;. ; ,the: ■ business ■;-of- -the' cbuntryi', ;appears;:v V:t0.,,..-:us.;> ;.so. far-fetcned '-.-and .; .absurd '~that we'■'.cannot ■. understand - : .it- ;being; seripusly; entertained •; >for ;ao single moment.' : When the .inatteris , looked: ' •we .think this" will be-'nthe; opinion;; of both ; Parliament. aha , .' the, country.: We -. have V .al- ; ways- held, .the 'opinion :. that .the. .Prime Minister has .acquitted him:! self with; credit in general; atti-j tude , . towards Imperial;issues:.;' Mβ' has always been'studiously, careful, to, observe the. proper relations ". which" should;; exist;. ;botween:. the 1 Mother ; Oounti'y; : and -a : . self-governing;;Do-., minion., V He. has! ; studiously .avoided' beirjg; drawn.-.into aiiy of. the c'ontro-. : . versial questions;,;.which-Vdivide'-ppli-; tical parties in the; Motherland, and' he has, on - "-if : not all; occasions displayed a : prop i er;,,discretion. in ex-, pressing the views of'this Dominion: on','lmperial ■ issues..' Sik ■ Joseph' .WAED'icah be, relied ;oh';tp.represent, New. ;ZealandVat *the .cele- : brations quite as /adequately as he" has represente'datin London on pre^ ; vious occasions;'•;• It is now suggested,: apparently,;;:that the .'Prime- ;■ Min-,; iSTEß's : preseßce; will;; be: inadequate, to ensure a properdemonstratipn of New'•'Zealand's, loyalty.., ; -We?-;must confess 'to , being;: greatly at this \ suggestion; but still .more so ■at; the 'proposed remedy.:, -If:' the" Prime -Minister^ solus' is inadequate,where does inadequacy end ;and'fitness.; begihl : At eighti;.oi\ eighteenl' or...eighty representatives;?/ ;;;;;-: •■';• .: .From the r point ■'■■'pi-i-i viewjfcof 1 .Great;;■: it' :;; _-is,:;'; of, course, -quite ■ .immaterial--'..-':■ whe-.; ther. the..-.-, Prime or the whole,: ParJiament -'goes; .Home. Th'e' ; :one.is..quite 'as ."adequate''; as' the :6ther. : v v ' We ,do : 'not 'think 'the; crowd— af few " millions—will notice' how rnahy;-New-Zealand;M. ; P;'s;are "demonstrating" in the naine/of;•theEmpire.;, we do feel,-.perfectly. I veer-: tain that New 'Zealanders. will not of-Empirei-canvbe strengthened' by giving.;.the . Prime. Minister: a bodyguard! of local M.P.'s. But:perhaps,the measure of. adequacy is the ; sacrifice that; we. make. The more the Conference and; Coronation .cost New Zealand, we. suppose, and the" greater the inconvenience and the disturbance of our arrangements, the more i real is our homage: to the King and the Empire, the ; more "adequate" our, representation.. Is that the "argument? How it would appeal to our business'-; like King! Thetruth..of.'.the■'mat-' ter is that there is no., call whatever for the particular?form,of -.display suggested and no reason whatever, for the dislocation : of the .country's affairs. If numbers are required to make the. representation impressive the Prime Minister has already had offers from 300 members of the Defence Forces anxious to go to England for the Coronation . celebra : tions ; and these officers and men are prepared to pay their.own expenses. Sir Joseph Ward ,would > certainly make a more impressive display with such a bodyguard of New Zealand troops, than with eight members of .Parliament. ,It has been suggested as a reason why tho eight members of Parliament should go, that theiioutlook on Imperial affairs would bo broadened by No.doubt this is true, but it is a4ittle unfortunate that the trip should be made on the eve of a general, election which might rob Parliament of the b'enefitß"oi tho broadened yiewav.of'

at ■ least some of the party. That, howevor, n is , quite a minor point. The real'issue is whether, in order to secure adequate representation at the Coronation, it is necessary to dislocate the affairs of the country in the manner involved by the proposition under It must bo plain to everyone, we think, that it is not.' The Prime , Minister who would in a'ny case play the principal role can ■; be relied on to keep New Zealand in the forefront, and to give proper expression to.its loyalty to ■'Throne- and : Empire. Should he think it advisable, as Mr Seddon did on one occasion, to have a bodyguard ..representing, the Defence Forces of the there would be no trouble in choosing it from the men who have already proffered their services. The Hon. James Carroll has already shown his- ability to-safeguard the'political interests of the Government in the- absence of the Prime Minister. and the of the country could go .on as usual until SiE Joseph Waed's-. return. We can really see no reason ■at 'all why, in the circumstances stated above, there should be the least difficulty in having New. Zealand quite fittingly represented at' the Coronation without i the least interference with our own business .here. ; . : . : ' '.■ :