TOO BIG FOR PARTY INTERESTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1159, 21 June 1911, Page 7

TOO BIG FOR PARTY INTERESTS.

SIR JOSEPH WARD ON TEE FUTURE; London, June 19. Speaking at tie lunchaon in honour of the Overseas Prime Ministers at the Constitutional- Club, Sir Joseph Ward said that,, though he belonged to a particular party, when he left Now Zealand he represented every party in the Dominion, and while he was in' London he wd his' colleagues at the Imperial Conference wore non-party politicians. Sir Joseph Ward declared that he, too, cherished Mr Balfour's dream in'Tegard to the Empire of the future. He recognised that in peace timo the Motherland did not require .the assistance of the Overseas Dominions, but in timo of trouble they all must stand together. The Dominions were less dependant than formerly on the material assistance of the Motherland. At the same time there was a possibility 'of great danger in years to come unless they had some system of giving the Dominion a more direct voice in tho. direction of Imperial concerns. As an outcome of the interchange of views at the Imperial Conference, however, some good ought to be achieved. Continuing, Sir Joseph Ward said he heartily agreed with Mr. Balfour's statement that there ought, in great overriding Imperial affairs, to ,be no such thing as party interests. The responsibilities were too big. If they expected to do something for the general good, they must ■■educate their people Imperially, and get them to act Imperially. From that standpoint ho believed that tho visit-of the men from tho Overseas Dominions to .the Motherland could not fail to make for the advantage of their Common Empire.