Evening Post. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1911. THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 48, 27 February 1911, Page 6

Evening Post. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1911. THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

The Premier concluded his Southern, tour on Saturday with a meeting at' Christchurclij which appears to . have been of the most friendly and enthusiastic character. It is not as party leader, but as the Premier of New Zealand and its representative at the Imperial Conference, to take part in which , he leaves Wellington on Friday, that Sir Joseph Ward has been honoured with euch flattering demonstrations both in Dunedin and in Christchorch, and will, we trust, be similarly treated by the. citizens of Auckland and Wellington. ,■ Party differences are properly gbr&a. a.' rest on such occasions. as these, when* the* issues to bo considered by the Imperial Conference, and the hopes and fears forthe Empire which is our common ■ slierrfcage, are properly giv-en precedence. The gamine enthusiasm displayed at; f-iiiese meetings, their represenfcstnsex -character, - and the superiority- .to paiiy,* ties displayed by some of . the leading ' men ■ who- .have taken part in them, are a grattifyingjproof that, though inceesant | eeerru to be of the vary essence ot politics, there really is behind all'

these differences the common tie of nationality which brings broader and deeper considerations into play. This is no new discovery, and yet it is satisfactory to have an emphatic reminder of it, especially at a time when the politicians have been behaving as though the fundamental fact upon which the v«ry existence of the people of New Zealand as a free and white community appears ta depend — their associationwith the British Empire — were a matter undeserving of the consideration of practical men and to be carefully with--drawn from the pubEc attention. Thatt i all the grave issues which ought to en— • gage the attention of the Imperial Conference, and which may be settled for' good or for evil without its aid by the. rude march of events if it dallies with the task much longer, should bo • studiously screened from discussion by 'Parliament and the people, i.s surely one of the most outrageously antiImperial ideas that ever entered into the mind of any friend of the Empire. The Premier can surely see now that ha 9 made a colossal mistake. The ■enthusiasm with which tihe people have assembled whenever the chance has been ..given them to speed him on has Imperial mission.' must have convinced him what ijia' magnificent opening tihe&a gatherings • would liave afforded foa 1 tihe education of t3ie public mind on tih« .essentials of Imperial unity if he had mot deliberately determined to neglect it. Tfre protgramme of the Imperial Conference was ■withiheld from the oonside-naiion. of Parliament for trie reason, among others, .tha* Sir Joseph Ward did not want to phave his hands tied at *be Confetrenoet' •by a resoltitian of the. House or by the inabSity of the House to arrive at a 'resolution. It has been excluded from -Tiis public speeches because lie considered tbat to discuss with tho people* of New Zealand what is primarily their own ■business would bo unfair to the other .members of the Conference. The per- ' Tensity 'of thus 'incredible- ireasoning must be obvious to the Premier now. If he had come forward in Parliament with some definite ideas on tihe work of the Conference, if he had in this way contributed' something to the education of Parliament and .the- public, end had in torn profited by the ideas which the discussion brought forth, and if h'e-ihad affcea--wairds oomtdmied the discuss&m on the .platform, two of tthe conditions neces,sary Ho the success of his work at the •Conference would have been supplied — viz., a well-inroirmed Pmnier and a well- - informed public behind him. But, as matters stand, what 'has all the entJiusi..asm of his. farewell meetings provided 'by way of lifting power for ■the Conference? The Imperial sentiment of the people is proved to be alert and intense, but as for Imperial ideas, tlie tactics of the Premier have excluded tliem almost entirely from consdderaJtion. On one subject we gladly recognise that he has done excellent service at these meetings. That, despite the improvement of the local defence forces which is now fairly under way, the country is still primarily and mainly dependent upon the British Navy for its safety, is a truth that Sir Joseph I Ward has impressed upon his audiences with great force, though he hae not driven the argument home as we should have liked. When he next deals with* this subject, we trust that he will tako i the opportunity to dissociate it from the , question of Imperial preference with which such eminent authorities as Mr. Balfour and The Times persist in mixing it up. At the last Imperial Conference Sir Joseph Ward's attitude to the fiscal question was as' correct as the most exacting critic could have desired. New Zealand would, of course, like to have preference.- for her produce in the Home market, but she makes no demand forit, and recognises that the British tariff is, in the first instance, entirely a matfter for the British elector. On behalf of the Commonwealth, Mr. Andrew Fisher has disclaimed any desire to press any policy which might have the effect of increasing the price of food in the Old Country. Sir Joseph Ward "-holds the same opinion, and it would, •carry great weight if he gave emphatic expression to it now. The expression -would carry still moro weight if at the.same time he repudiated the association l of the defence question with this issue, just as he did nearly two years ago •■when Mr. Balfonr was endeavouring to use New Zealand's Dreadnought as a "weapon in the Tariff Reform controversy of the United Kingdom.