BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. SPEECH BY SIR WALTER BULLER.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 23, 28 January 1904, Page 2

BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. SPEECH BY SIR WALTER BULLER.

(From Our Own Co-respondent.) LONDON, 19th December. An impoitant meeting of tho Council of tho British Empire League was held lout "WcrtuwKluy afternoon to recoivo tho import of tho Provincial Committee <uul to decide !u«i to further act ion. The wholo Council was mitnmuncd (to the jmmbcr of over 200), and there wm a gooU nttend-an<-e, with Lord Avebury in tlie chair. Sir Robert lJorbert (Chsiinottn of the Executive Conunitteo of tho Luiguc) gnve nn account of wlmt had been .-lu-ndy done: aftor which tho Cliairman t A* I an ttiv Wrtlt«r BnUi-r to move the imst rct'ilutioii, n» follows: "That it in dasirublo to hod a OMJcral and Tmhuslrinl Hxhibitiou of Mis Alti jelly's PcMWcf.sion.s and Protectorates (under tlic natno of the British Empire Exhibition) subject to the recommendations mndo by the provisional Executive of Ihd Council." Sir WhlUt Buller snid tlint since thp proposal to hold a British ICnipiro Kxhibilion wna (irst di.scUßvrd übou,t two year* ago, tho fiub-cojnmilU?e set-up for* that purpose hod ln*ii almast. constfliitly cngnßed in niuking enquiries nnd collecting statistics on the mibject, and lnul come unanimously to the (.-(iiicliusiuu tlmt oucli nil exhibition as tlutt proposed could not be held at v 'uoro opportune lime — that ,

,it would appeal powerfully to the im- j ngiiKition and .sciuiincnl of tho public — ami thai, if cornlucli-rl on intelligent conimcroinl liiuv*. it wuuhl prove a grt-.tt tin- ' ancial «>ucci%s>». Ncaily twi-nty yoai.s had now 4'Lip.sucl 6inre tho holding of tho d»luimil and Indian Kxhibitiim at South Keiusintrtoii, which took the public, a.s it, were, by Morn), «.% many as fivb aJiil a half million vieilors liuving parsed the tiiniMtiliM liL'tM'ecn tho months of May and t)i t(»l>i?r in 1886- This hist poruxl of twenty yc»u« had been ono of unexampli'd activity all over the Empire in tho way of expansion, and development. It had witnessed tho birth of a (peat Aie;lrala«ian Commonwealth, tho addition of ono or two small colonies and protectorates to tho Crown, and the acquiM tion by conquent of a vast territory in South Africa. It wa» only by bringing together, in friendly competition, tho various parts of tho Empire and thejr products, nnd comparing tlie present with tho past, that we could adequately understand or mcafluru the marvellous strides that had been made during the last twenty yearn in material wealth and prosperity. At no time in tho JiLstoiy of thi.i tcoun.lry hiul tho colonies attracted w murh attention and interest as at this moment. All this -went to favour the scheme of a. public exhibition, wlio.se main objects would be to demonstrate, the great natural resources and capabilities of our colonies and to' illustrate the value to the nation of extensive over-sea possessions only awaiting for their full dovolopmfiiit the necessary expenditure of British energy -and ' Capital. Tho subcommitto« believed' they wor«s justified in concluding that, if Iho Exhibition wall carried out on tho lines proposed, it would provo to bo the finest exhibition tho country had over seen — thut it would benefit alike tho Mother Country and Iho colonies; that it would tend to strengthen and cement tho bonds of union and good fellowship; «nd that it would greatly promote tho chief a.irn of tho Lcaguo, tile expansion of Iho "national trade by a closer intercourse, and tho bettor consolidation of the glorious Empire on which tho sun never sota. Tho resolution was seconded by Sir James Blyth, Bart., nnd wupported by Lord Knulsford, Mr. U. Cohen, M.P., Sir John Bramston, Sir Rivem Wilson, Sir Gerard Smith, Sir Frederick Young, and others, all of whom spoke- m favour of it. A critical discussion en.sued, and an amendment was moved by Mr. Samuel, which waft duly seconded. But Sy- Walter stood by his guns, and in the end tho amendment was withdrawn and tho resolution carried unanimously. Tho amendment was in no sense hostile to the proposal as wt forth in the oiiginal motion, but it would have had tho effect of postponing action in tho matter, and this was deemed highly inadvisable, time being all-important, as overy thine will i havo to bo done- in a period of oarely eighteen months. On tin's being made fully clear to the mover of tho amendment, ho voluntarily withdrew it, and so tho Unoa-tened loss of valuable thno wna averted. After thus 1 a strong Finance Committee. who appointed, with Lord Roth.s<;hild an Chairman, to carry through the necessary arrangements. For ehihlron's hacking cough nt night lako AiVoodb' Grout I'oppermint Curo, li 6d and 2* 6di— Advt\ / For mntitturttn>n of' Iffiri .»r« pa<j(* 7. t