COLONIAL STATESMEN IN LONDON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 17 April 1907, Page 3

COLONIAL STATESMEN IN LONDON.

lUniteb Pares Association. — Copx- .;-'-' -.'.: r./ ■';■.;. BIOHT.] ■ .'■ . " : : r f HE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE. \ :J y- T^':.PKEMIERS'.VWELCOME. -^-•Iw^-t, L0NI)() N > Tuesday, cy^; All, the Premiers, were present at the ;. ; opening. of the Imperial Conference except Sir^ Bond, of Newfoundland. j, m J.ne others present were Sir W. Lwne, of Australia; Sir- F. W. -Border of Ca- ;; nada; : Dr T. W. Smart, of Cape Colony; Mr: ; John Moriey;/ ... Mr Haldane, LordTweedmouth, Mr John ßurns, Mr Lloyd George, : Mr Churchill, Sir F. Hopwobd^ : i:. ; -.'".. ■.'l-'JGord :;Elgiip announced; that the King had :■ "At your first meeting . Lavish 'ybu would convey to the Premiers and .representatives of the colo- " nics a warm: welcome ; on my behalf -and inform them that I shall look for- ; ward with pleasure to receiving them on ■ ? y Vi.- c I nesti <>ns submitted to the. Conference, involving mattefS- of .weighty interest, not merely to theotf-' i- T iJ:'i°s}^. represented but to' the Empire, r> wiU,.-.I- am sure, .receive most careful ::i -attention/ and I am confident that': the -will tend to a closer union "? between the colonies and the Mother- :■.%> .land and in strengthening the confedr .:V; • eration of my Empire." ;-.-.- ;' > ''_■'-! •"' I .V .Sir H." C. Bannerman", 'the ':. Premier, . ..'said he had much pleasure In. sincerely v-^J. welcoming the', Premiers/ Vail • : .oi~ whom : --^- W 6re friends and most i|of : them person- •!-; : : ; air, friends :■ of ; himself -.or - other Minis- - .voters. -He: recalled Sir WiiLaurier; Mr Deakih, r'sihd- Sir -. ; Bond as past -: Conf erences, r "iand ;said that- others ap--peared .for -the first time.' A special : greeting; was, extended'- to General Botha, the of the Brpther- : hood.'V whose presence the Premiers would welcome as cordially as the British Government. The Premier of Orangia wcjuld have beeh- welcomed had the. constitution been Vertablished/ : .but : there would be no delayjah-grahtuig its ■>; Constitution. He recognised the 7 ' great inconyeniSnce and the public- and per- -;;._. spnaljsacrifices. .tiie Premiers' had made ■■'; in attending, and hoped they would have \ solid;. compensation. He emphasised __ the 'affectionate interest and pride the Motherland felt in the colonies, but said : it was 1 not necessary to indulge in . too frequent or effusive protestation of friendly attachment; and that the House 1 of Commons' solicitude was more significant in that it took this for grantif;er.".>'Glancing at the "programme, Sir ■:^lLi;G.:; Bannerman remarked that this - '/ waSriqfc" a -Conference between the -Pre- :••";-: miersyand ".ihe" Colonial Secretary, but ■■" betyireen; the: Premiers and- the British Government" under the presidency of the : : .lSecretary- of L State for' the Colonies, :'■' .-; which . wis' a very different matter. : v"The ;views sometimes taken of the pro-.-.^per ielatiqns of the colonies. to the Mo-' therland respecting expenditure on ar- : maemnts had lately been somewhat ; modified, . and it was possible to over- . .estimate the importance of the require- .": ments of the oversea dominions as a -;, 'factor in our expenditure^ But the r'cost of the naval" defence -and the re- ~: •sponsibility for the conduct' of foreign -affairs hung together. Respecting emigration, this was a matter of the 'utmost "'. moment to the colonies 'and the Moth=erlan'd. . Continuing, ? Sir; H.C. Ban- . nerman said- that Mr Jqhh. Burns would jqia the. Council, and regardmg^ lndia, Sir A. Mackay would advise. The. Minister'for'War and the First Lord of the Admiralty would also attend, and;when r - question of finance or trade* arose -Mr ; Asquith; and Mr Lloyd George would j: state .'the views of the British Government.: ■ : ; ~'-. ' Sir? H. C. Bannerman continued to say .that preference must hold a prominent.iposition. The Governent wa» fully -prepared to recognise the friendly action taken by some of the colonies, and to, discuss 'the subject in the fullest and frankest manner. "I hope," he "- said, "the agreement may be arrived at on many points, . and if, on others, we are compelled to differ,' we- shall differ, not merely in a perfectly frienldy way, but with mutual respects for the grounds and motives whereon the d.if- • ferences may be based. ■ .If the Conference is unable to arrive at binding decisions it" most consult the wishes anß, intentions of. the .respective countries and parliaments, Hut, subject to 'that ; limitation, firmly believe 'thero will* re; ; main" matters of great m'onicDt, where i ..there is room for arrangemeritJ'and 1 adr '■ vances, and I hone the Conference will - be able to find a method ", of continuing between conferences the definite communications -which the conferences make v necessary ; but anything . militating against freee'dom of 'action and independence of "the 1 individual states was undesirable " and wholly contrary to ■'■ the genius bf^our race "and our political ideals, and. sooner or later would be ";' disastrous. "v He. Mr Ghamber-,-lain's-eulogy of 1 a sentimental and al'ihostV invisible' link of "union which •vwould^prbve- stronger. than a chain gal-vlfag-in'-i incidence. ' Freedom did not. necessarily mean letting things drift. ■■"•; He fajonfed auxiliary conferences like the Navigation Conference, and said - the -Premiers would find exhibited a mutual spirit of .friendship and a-de- , sire to stretch every 'point that* was ■=• Btretchable 'in order to; -meet the views of each' part of the Empire and desire tb^avbid in the interest of each other.' Above all they wbnld be icbmmbh' pride; in. the and:,bene--ficent-'mission whi':h the British. peo ; ' Jple were- destined to fulfil in all parts the' world.. . ' ■ ..Sir -Wilfrid Laurier declared that the King's message -constituted an excellentcommencement of this , Conference between the Government and the governments; not - between theVPfemiers and Lord Elgin.- The Conference would, be '-"able to agree on-jnany t things, and nn- • able, at present, _tq. agree on many, -but all were moving towards the same coal, and if the principle was always iecoehised that every conimunity knows ■; best what is good for itself , they could ' iot go wrong and theirs ' deliberations m S Deato^id that Sir k^Bannerman's wtse and mighty words were o most fitfirig opening, ,bis, ™™ T ™£. sentences recognising, the Principle they, were anxious, to uphold;, but the Con-. ;■■'■ ference was. between . governments anj "govirhments, due recognition . betag : paid to the seniority and 6^**"^ , ;governents.-> >. Millions, in Anstraha would uphold arid gladly read Sir'.H.. utterances He emphar siied-the importance of publicity to enJ.able the full educational influence ,of the Conference to.be felt oversea, that ""strict conficfence should be. ■observed. : 'He considered" the suggestion for supsiS diary -conferences extremely pwg 113 . 11 *' '- : - bnt-he almost wished the Conference, ;;^had^enjSeld out pi thejiqndon^seaiZ'tk when- Parliament ■wasynot sitting, S^-Wuig Imperial Mimster?,^^; #-«ii"rp : :"and the public attention iess oc--;=^ed^ Hexlminded. the ..Conference i:-:^t~tsvcolonial' representetives repre-&^d-great eounteiesland g«at^m'^mnm^ies^ whose, future, -possibihties, ?S:eqnally vwith:;lheipresent, .must M.fc. 2Vbk^ into account/ ited^ C that own sakes,esually;with Great BrlV '' tain's, to<be' knit^closer ; in smutual 5 mutual unV derstanding/; -:",: He>r recaUed-,^he late -"Granville's references to . of and silt at the: t Conference, in - th^^erl^some very^ ;great i ;d'ffeiei.res r> opinion ~- some, fluesuon^l^ he »aid that r the conference i with V***.j£r -■ Sen^^^^A^gH^re^qve^jffij ■^IS^^MS^nn^sa ' ," •■':'■■ _; - ' ■•■... _ .__•-_