Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY MARCH 28th 1907. THE COLONIAL CONFERENCE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 March 1907, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY MARCH 28th 1907. THE COLONIAL CONFERENCE.

If we are to judge by the attitude taken by Sir Joseph Ward, on behalf of New Zealand, or Sir William Lyne, for Australia, at the opening of the Navigation Conference, then wo must arrive at the conclusion that Australian ideas on matters affecting this part of the Empire are not going to be ignored, or set on one side. At the commencement of the proceedings of the conference, the chairman Mr Lloyd George, seems to have fully realised the difficulties of the problem before them. He incidentally admitted the correctness of Colonial j legislation by stating that the Mother! land moved slower than the colonics, yet they moved very fast,” and then/ lie set forth the real issue to be dis-( ci ssed. The work of the conference; ho thought should be confined to “the? question of the principle forming the basis of a practical solution of the issue between the Motherland and the the Colonies. Tie emphaffisdd the desirability of uniformity in shipping legislation and remarked that the only difficulty was in finding a standard embodying a. practicable arrangement acceptable to all parties.” It is just here that the crux ( f the whole difficulty lies, and Australasian representatives realising this nut forth the main lines of policy from which they were not prepared to depart. Sir Joseph Ward very clearly set forth New Zealands position when ho stated, he hoped “that the New Zealand Act would be the basis for any suggested improvements in the Imperial laws. New Zealand would accept no retrogression, but was willing to adopt any improvements.” Here at once is the colony’s ultimatum. British law must conform! to,ours is Sir Joseph’s demand. This involves white labour •,n all British ships. What the British Board of Trade will have to say to this demand is most difficult _ to foretell. It is this very barrier British owners desire to break down, and it is this same barrier that the colonies are determined to uphold at all hazards. Sir William Lyne, Australia s representative is equally emphatic witlr New Zealand. He drew pomt•;f> attention to the New Zealand act, which contained nearly all that the Comonwealth was asking. The British act went a considerable \yay though not as far as Australia intended. “Australia, was spocjally determined regarding wages, the employment of colored seamen and the improvement of the general condition of seamen.” Putting the matter in a nutshell Australia and New Zealand have fuly determined on a line of policy in keeping with modern advanced thought, Britain apparently

still lags behind. The question is will Britain in the matter advance to Ibe Australasian line? It seems very dear that Australasia will not fall back upon the old condition under which “anything was regarded as good enough for a sailor:”