THE NEXT COLONIAL CONFERENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 6, 7 July 1906, Page 9

THE NEXT COLONIAL CONFERENCE.

Mr. Russell Rea, M.P., writes in the "Nineteenth Century." After reviewing the work of past conferences, he cays; "The atmosphere of the next Colonial Conference will doubtless be highly charged with somewhat explosive elements. The Colonial Secretary, Lord Elgin, will have a difficult task to undo the mischief of the past three years. "The old questions, Defence' and 'Commercial Relations,' which were speculative and nebulous at former conferences, wili reappear with far more definition and precision ; differences then hinted at and avoided will have to bo faced. "On the subject of Imperial defence, Lord Elgin will find behind him the demand of tho people at home, newly awakened, but now wide awake to the heavy and unfair burden placed on their shoulders ; and before him, not, as on former occasions, the passive and instinctive resistance of the colonial Premiers to being drawn into the European military system, bub a crystallised, reasoned, formidable, and unanimous colonial public conviction, firm, in the re-, fusal of that demand. "On the subject of Imperial preferential tariffs he will have before him the representatives of the colonies who havo been flattered and misled by Mr. Chamberlain, and who aro asking themselves very seriously whether such .quixotic generosity 'as r thjy are showing is not conduct too good for this world ; and he will 'have behind the unmistakable and final decision of ■ the people of England against making ' any return for the preference we' in kind, involving, as it, would do, the protectivo taxation of the food ot our people. "What, then, should be the course of the Liberal Government? In my opinion there is one clear and only course to pursue. Let us, for the present, cease to worry and 'nag at our colonies for money, which, in tho presenb circumstances, they cannot, and will not, and, in my opinion, ought not to give. Let us leave them for a time to develop their defences in their own way, ,in co-operation with, but not by absorption into, our Home services. Doubtless their effective contribution to our military strength will bs disproportionately small, and to our naval strength minute. But silver and gold they will not pay. Why, then, should we not consent to receive, and why should they not consent to give freely, what t»ey can givt— some special share by a preferential tariff in their growing material prosperity? It can be given without afiy senses of a loss of independence on their side, and it can be received without any sense of obligation to give a return in kind on ours. "No place will be given for an unsoomly wrangle, such as that between Mr. Chamberlain and Canada, as to the 'disappointing' character of what will be free and voluntary services and concessions, freely and frankly acknowledged. Had our reception of the preference accorded Jo our goods by Canada been generous and appreciative, had it been based upon a well-understood principle of mutual help, given -in the form most convenient to each, I cannot think it would have succumbed to the first assault of the CanadianVoollen manufacturers. Let us endeavour to see both sides of the great question, so well expressed in a sentence by' Mr. Fisher Canadian Minister df Agriculture, at Montreal, 'As Free Trade is England's economic necessity, 50 freedom from militarism is ours.' " >'