REPRESENTING NEW ZEALAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15558, 7 March 1911, Page 6

REPRESENTING NEW ZEALAND.

Sir JosErii Ward and Dr Findlay, who started yesterday on their journey to London, cannot bo said to have left the cares of office behind them. They will represent the dominion at the Coronation ceremonies and at tho Imperial Conference, as well as at a host of minor engagements, and they will be very busy men during the whole period of their stay in the Mother Country. The work to bo undertaken by the Conference has not yet been fully disclosed, but tho deliberations in regard to defence and immigration nlono cannot fail to be of enormous importance. It is a matter for regret that arrangements could not be made for a party of our legislators to accompany tlio two Ministers. Tho invitation from the members of the Imperial legislature was received at the eleventh hour, but it offered an exceptional opportunity to bring some of the dominion’s public men into close touch with British statesmen and

affairs. Tho educational value of the visit would have b,een very great indeed and at tho jamo time New Zealand would havo been given an excellent advertisement. Few members of the New Zealand Parliament, however, are able to devote three or four months of their time and a sum of £2OO or £250 to a journey round the world, and Sir Joseph Ward found that a representative party could not ho formed in tho time available. Had Parliament been in session it might have considered whether a small grant should not bo made towards tho expenses of tho party. An arrangement of that kind would havo met tho difficulty and would have been open to no very serious objection, but wo need not fear that under tho present conditions Now Zealand will suffer in comparison' with any of tho sister States of the Empire. Its representation is in very suro hands.