THE H.B. TRIBUNE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 33, 21 January 1911, Page 5

THE H.B. TRIBUNE.

SATURDAY. -’AX. . L-'-l. IMPERIAL FEDERATION. A VEFY .i“n uin« ;n one rFrh shoul-.l mate c«»nsi<h rablr ir.tcrt' 4. in sit’•!••<•< in N<w Zealand. w.is delivered at Balclntha on Tuesday r.igLt by Mr. A. S. Ma? ■point, M.l*. for Chit ha. on Imperial Federation. Mr. Malcolm began by asking if the British Empire was worth maintaining, and ’n answering that question in the aflir mative. he said it was not because of its wealth, size, amt the vastness of its population tha’ it was the envy of the world, bar Because o; the whole it made for liberty and freedom, for righteon.^m-ss. for the ■good government of its people, and, in later years, for the peace of the ■world. Discussing the qu. whether Federation would svit N\ Zealand, he that it v aabsolutely nec-e-sgry. becne'-e our whole prosperity t . pended upo our exports • ■!' oroduee. whi'-h :r 1909 amounted to £2 ! .oi:•>.•"■ ». reaching their rmr’ cts safely ami

speedily. Whi'e • were under the British Flag we were safe. If we s’O“ t l alone we would be in danger «i losing not only ov.r trade and our daily employment, hut our liberties and our very existence as a State. The idea that we could defend ourselves was a pure illu . ■sinn. In emphasising this fact he ■referred to a very remarkable book which had lately been written by an American officer who held that people were fearless and careless simply because they were ignorant. l Be showed how easily even a great State that was unprepared could be defeated by a State that was pre-. pared. Mr. Malcolm is not an alarmist as regards the danger of invasion of Australasia by Japan, f but he is not very optimistic regarding the intentions of Germany, who. he declared, was determined in her desire to make herself mis- ‘ tress of the seas and all that that,

connoted. He referred to the steady preparation Germany had made for her wars with Denmark. Austria, and France, and each time victory and the desired results were hers. He believed that Germany was now steadily preparing to attack Great Britain, and the necessity for preparing for defence was one of the greatest reasons for maintaining the British Empire. “I nited we stand, divided we fall.” If we separated from one another we were almost bound to fight amongst ourselves, and he believed the‘for mat ion of the Commonwealth had prevented actual war between Victoria and New South Wales. But how was the Empire to be federal ed ? In the simplest of ways, in a wav in kerning with British tradi tions and with the evolution of the British State namely, by forming an Imperial Parliament, to which representatives from all the self

governing States of the Empire will be summoned. Engl.nml. Scotland. Ireland, Wales. Canada. South Africa, Australia. New Zealand would all st ml representatives to this great Parliament, while still kerp ing their own independent Parliaments and legislative and administrative powers. An Imperial Parliament would control oar defence and foreign affairs, in which the colonies would then have a say. It would, in fact, make peace or war and would properly control the hundred-aud-one things that the present Imperial Conferences vainly endeavour to provide for. Mr.: Malcolm pointed out that one of our chief difficulties was to maintain the ourity of our race, and he truthfully stated that it would soon become impossible for us to do that alone, whereas it would be possible for un Imperial Parliament to set its foot down firmly on the subject. The very fact that oui own Prime Minister had to go a’ most vearly to London to delibeiate on matters concerning the welfare of the whole Empire was in itself sufficient evidence that there was plenty of work for an Imperial Parliament to do. The lecturer objects to the Prime Minister of the Dominion absenting himself fc»t long periods in oidtr to attend th*

conference'. and < ontend* <1 that we could not afford io allow o’li t<> »»• neglected for the ; of Empire It was quite enough for am one man to properly and « i fectively lead the Parliament of his own country. All outside of that was special work, and must I undertaken bv some form of nit ministrative hotly specially th r_t < with the duty. Ami one •< " acknowledged that Imperial < ferences were su important th. t they must be atter■»'.» »l • d. .< {Kates from the Oversea lh> then the case for an lnipei-;n I <•»! erated Parliament was made ou< The majority of New Zea landers are so fully occupied with their own local concerns that they ha*« . but little time to think Imperially, and to them Mr. Malcolm’s endeavour* to arouse interest in so big a

subject may appear a-; the work, oi a visionary. TL'w. i-m-vir. wh< •io ilii'.ik an •_•• Un i.’ « r'-T. foi a'.ii.T-gh ar F. ?• ’•’i I’. r ..f th<. nat.=- • ! » 1 Jhh-h I f'y » years, v.e shrill t..'.ve n»rg ~ wait h> :ve we !••■-> aa Imp'r: Coitm ii ‘t - d. Ti.e ’i'.V'cri to be ?”• • • ."t the *>)ti coiifi»■- • ~i-'-i - i-’ itpiy f i!' tier. piop‘'->al wi'i take o crete fo< :, t before the I’n’liii'i' i turn tv tin ir rispecti»e Dominion