Evening Post. FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1907 DRAWING NEARER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 116, 17 May 1907, Page 4

Evening Post. FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1907 DRAWING NEARER.

The Imperial Conference, after a series of sittings which spread from the 16th April till the 14th May, has closed its doors, tod it is very satisfactory to see that the business on which it was engaged at its final eitting was at once of tho highest importance, and of a kind which did hot raiso any Todical differences of policy, and enabled the British Government to assume a positive and sympathetic attitude without straining its convictions. It is impossible to forecast the measure of the benefits which the Empire might derive from a systom of all-round Imperial jweferpnee after the United Kingdom has abandoned Freetrade, and a. comparison of them with the advantages of improving the cable, mail, and passenger services of the Empire » therefore impossible except in an absolutely conjectural speculative fashion. But for tho present it may eaiely be- said that this colony is far more deeply interested in the second of these questions than in tho first) and that it heartily appioves of the entbusiacm with which Sir Joseph Ward has thrown himself into the pursuit of the practicable, instead of indulging in idle regrets for tho unattainable or still more deplorable censures of those who have from perfectly legitimate and patriotic motives prevented out attaining it. A twenty days' service between London and Auckland is not so remote a dream tin an Empire linked by fiscal preference, and though it; may prove to bo beyond 1 th© range of the immediately practicable, our Premier's sanguine advocacy is providing »h invaluable fctimulu* to » cb'Mtio lrojfrovem«nt on vr«s4nt.

arrangements. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, both by temperament and as -representing the State which must bear tho lion's share of tho financial burden of the proposed "All Red" route, is much more cautious, and a blend of the two views should result in the tatabhshmftnt >/f a truly Imperial scheme on sound and profitable lines. Sir Wilfrid Laurier's original proposals contemplated allowing four days for tho Atlantic service by the projected Newfoundland route, four days for tho crossing of Canada, and sixteen days from Vancouver to Sydney, thus bringing Sydney within twenty-four days of London. Canada, as interested in the maritime trad« of both oceans, would contribute to both shipping services, and it was hinted that she was pioparcd to subsidise new services to the extent of £250,000, of ■which some, however, would go to improve the present service from Vancouver to China and Japan. Tho Australian representatives were somewhat guarded in their approval of thr scheme on account of, its cost, as to which Sir William Lyne stated that ho believed " the last three knots would double the coal consumption." But Sir Joseph Ward's only troublo was that ho wished to supplement these last three knots with two or three more, so as to increase tho speed across the Pacific from eighteen knots to twenty or twen-ty-one. Even the lower figure of Sir Wilfrid Laurier would represent a vast improvement on the Sprockets Company's steamers, which, even on tho rare occasions when the engines did not jib, could not compass more than sixteen knots, and Sir Joseph Ward will doubtless think such an advance worth having, if he cannot get more. But he was on bedrock when he said that Now Zealand would not contribute unless she had the first port of call on this side of the world. A service that would only reach us via Sydney would obviously leave us almost as much " in the backwoods " as we aro at present in dependonce on the connection with tho Suez route via tho same port. " New Zealand," said our Premier, now provided £40,000 a year, but would give £100,000 a year towards a swift mail service bringing tho colony within twenty days of England." On behalf of tho British Government, Mr. LloydGonrgo expressed his regret that Sir Wilfrid Laurier's proposal had not been submitted in time to enable the Government to put forward its considered views. Strange as it now appears, no resolution on the mr.il servicen was tabled by any of tho colonies. Canada submitted no resolution of any kind whatever, anrl our own Government, as wo pointed out at the time, Lad its hands ti^d on Ihir matter by its engagement with tho Sprockets Company, which did not collapse till after Si* Joseph Ward had left for the conference. Everybody will agree that our Premier ha? made an 'oscellent use of the freedom which was thus providentially placed in his way, but he and his colleagues worn .".liko embarrassed by the lack of not ire. After expressing his satisfaction with Sir Jo3orh Ward's disappointment at the modesty of hi 3 proposals, Sir Wilfrid Laurier accordingly modified his resolution to a general affirmation that it is advisable to connect Great Britain with Australia and New Zealand via Canada "by the best service available within reasonable cost" ; and that all the Governments concerned should contribute. Tho willingness of the British Government to participate in this groat scheme is a happy circumstance which should go far towards removing tho misundGrstanding of its attitude to Mr. Dealdn's fiscal proposals. As we have had to express our dissent from tho unduly censorious attitude adopted by tho Australian Premier at tho Conference, it is a ploasure to add that Mr. Deakin himself in his speech at Oxford delivered as appropriate and graceful a valedictoiy for the Conference aG could •well be desired. "Prefermce had been offered and declined," ho said. / "But if that door was closed, however softly, was there no other way whereby they could attempt to attain the same ends? Unity is our chief desire. We will employ any and every means in our power. I in nowise undervalue what tho Conference has cchieved. I believo it has aehicvod moro than it appears to have dqno. Let us hope that it will deal with it in o businesslike way.V All colonists will echo that hope, and let us all mako it part of our business to appreciate tho great positive v.ark achieved by the Conference, to dwell upon points of agreement rather than difference, and übove all to lend no countenanco to tho dangerous doctrine that loyalty to the Empire is identified on either side of the globe with loyalty to any species of nscal theory.