DINNER BY THE PILGRIMS' CLUB.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 22 April 1907, Page 4

DINNER BY THE PILGRIMS' CLUB.

A BRILLIANT GATHERING. LONDON, Saturday. Lord Roberts presided at the banquet in honour of the colonial Premiers given by the Pilgrims' Club. It was a brilliant gathering, there being 350 present .including the Dukes or Ar-jyle, Devonshire, and Sutherland, the Marquis of Salisbury, Earls Cawdor, Crewe, Carrington and Elgin. Amongst others present were the American Ambassador, Mr W. P. Reeves, and Lord Strathcona. The American Pilgrims telegraphed their good wishes to the colonial Premiers, who were not the least shining lights of the Empire. Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Minister, in proposing the toast of the Premiers, said the greatest glory of the Emipre

consisted in the relations between the Motherland and the self-governing colonies: The word colony meant ficsOont ft*H4 Empire meant loyal affection. Our future dfe-ftehded en our being true to ourselves and 16 tach other. Formerly it had been bclievea that freedom and union were incompatible; but now it was shown that they were not only compatible but inseparable. Mr Doakin (Australia) m reply, regarded the Conference as tho germ oi an association which would enable the colonial Premiers to speak in their Mother's house without bated breath, because they wero members of the same family. He believed that Great Britain would become the greatest Britain during the present century. Hitherto the Empire had. been able to stand sustained by mutual affection, but he feared that its sea power would riftt remain unchallenged. Australia, in undertaking the task of. self-develop-ment, hoped to accomplish for the Empire in the Southern Seas the certainty of support, security for . commerce, coasting stations for warships, aiiu food supplies for Imperial squadrons. They had some near European neighbours in the South Seas within striking distance who would not have been there if the British Government had listened to the early warning of Australia. Mr Deakin continued to say that when approached with being sensitive and alarmed Australia was unable to regret ; that was not her fault that strangers held citadels so near her own. Australians refused to believe that Australian interests could be separated from those of the whole empire. Could Australia lose or gain anything that the Empire did not lose or gain if they were really, as they believed, one people, with one policy, one flag, one throne. There were no Australian interests which wore not Imperial interests, and the Premiers desired to stand back to back against the common enemies of the Empire. Sir Joseph Ward (N.Z.) stated that New Zealand to a large extent reechoed Mr Deakin's sentiments, though in some details they did not see eye to eye. They preferred that New Zealand's efforts should be to render every man able to assist lo defend their hearths and homes. Having a smaller coast line than Australia. New Zealand,ers were convinced that their policy was, instead of establishing an independent navy, to make material contributions, in "money and men ,to the British navy, because they knew tbat should trouble arise their country's future would depend, not upon any settlement by the guns of the warships at j the mouths of their own rivers, but ; upon events happening thousands of . miles away. (Applause.) i Lord Roberts, responding to the ' toast of his health, declared that the vast majority of the nation earnestly hoped tiiat the Conference would promote Imperial unity.