FAREWELL DOINGS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 17 May 1907, Page 4

FAREWELL DOINGS.

LO'NDON; .Thursday. A crowded meeting of city men field at the Baltic Mercantile Shipping Exchange gave Mr Deakin and Dr Jameson a tremendous reception. Dr Jameson said he was disappointed that the Conference had not made a decisive step forward in the direction of the consolidation of the Empire. 1 Whatever had been achieved had been ' mainly due to Mr Dcakin's energy, 1 pluck" atid eloquence. . The slibstitu; tioil of tlie word Imperial lor Colonial as a prefix to the Conference meant the emancipation of the Conference from the Colonial Office. It meant that future Conferences would be as between Governments. He regretted that effective machinery for the consolidation of the Empire Had Hoi beeil obtained, and owing to the Secretariat, the hardest fight at the Conference, remaining a department of the Colonial Office he was convinced that the present arrangement would prove such a failure that the Premiers wouid obtain efficient machinery at the next Conference. Dr Jameson argued that sentimental and material links were reI quired to cement the Empire. He complained that thc Government had not, attempted to answer the Premiers' case for preference. They had only knocked down bogies of their own*, erection. He believed that the Government was afraid to make even a little s experiment in the direction of reciprocal , trade, because it would prove such a J success. Mr Deakin emphatically denied that | the Premiers in the slightest degree attempted to embarrass thc Government , from party political motives. No reci- . procity was possible unless preference was nlutilal. Australia K*dS pfeparl'tl to . build her half of the bridge to the I; centre arch, where she must await the t Motherland's approach before the key- , stone was dropped which Would eomj plete tjie structural. . Continuing, Mr Deakin declared tiiat many of the arguments advanced to | prevent tariff reform were absolutely . contrary to Australian experience. He ridiculed the importance attached to the pharsc "immutable laws" in connection with Freetrade, and said imaginary laws was truer. He dwelt on the small success that 60 years' advocacy of Freetrade had had upon the world, and declared that foresighted foreigners already foresaw thj> advent of preference within the Empire foreigners already forsaw the advent of preference within the British Empire, and were taking measures to secure the best markets which could be found in the British colonies. If the prospect of preference did that what would not a 10 per cent, duty accomplish? Australians were freetraders to the extent of one-third of their imports, they adopting freetrade or protection according as they best paid. Mr Deakin argued that commerce needed fostering. It was impossible to apply the principle of co-operation better than in developing the resources of one's own nation. Many argued that the Empire's strength rested on her F.hir.s, (cl/onie/, and commofoe, hut j without commerce there would be neither ships nor colonies. The Empire j was not only a great armed force, n : civilising agency and a school of culture, but a gigantic business enteiprire. : which ought to be directed on business : principles. The Government's pr'nei- ; pal arm ought to be to fortifj ;-n<! . sustain commerce. If their ancc.-lri:; j fought to establish it, surely, he s,.i<l. . it was worth their while to' protect il. : The Premiers wishad to See the \\ilcla : machinery of commerce as well as of public life applied to securing unity of the Empire. Although the Conference had failed to accomplish much directly, the indirect results repaid the sacrifices that the delegates ha-? .nade to attend. When other nations found that commercial unity was so enormously valuable as a meajis of developing national life, why should Britain throw aside so potent an instrument? The colonies' hands wero still outstretched, because they recognised that at the present polite refusal of preference was only temporary. Since the Empire's whole force was employed to protect her trade in war times, surely it was justifiable to expect this country and tl,e Empire to protect tH^ir ti-.ido iu peace time? Concluding, .Mr Deakin said : "The colonies believe in yon, if even, you hav? ceased to believe in yourselves. W T e believe within this nation lies a force capable of rousing you to greater \ and more lofty heights than ever, enabling you to retain the proud position your forefathers placed you in." (Prolonged cheers. The audience singing, "For They are Jolly Good Fellows.") At the -New Zealand dinner at the Hotel Cecil, Lord Ranfurlv, Sir Gerard Smith, Dr Fitchett, Mr G. G. Stead, , Mr John Duthie, Mr James Mills, Mr Bethaem, and 200 other guests were , present. Mr Reeves, in presiding, said that New Zealand had a dozen commercial leading strings to her bow, all tending to her prosperity. Her only disadvantage was distance. Sir J. Ward voiced the policy of the Empire of the future when he appealed to the Conference to put its shrulder to the wheel and to secure a quickening and cheapening of communication. Extreme individualistic or protectioniset doctrines may object to co-operation, but the Empire was built by practical men. Sir J. Ward sympathetically referred to the illness of Mr Hall-Jones. It had been impossible for himself to subscribe to the principle deviation in naval defence owing to the great liabilities the colony would incur. He continued to say that the Premiers did not expect that their views on preference would be accepted ; they were content to lay the principle before the Mother land. They were not egotistical enough to say: "You must follow." A reduction in distance between England and New Zealand to three weeks was no dream, and it would pay New 7^.land over and over again to subsidise ui the extent of £100,000 to secure such an Australasian-Vancouver line. If Britain assists a Canada-Britain line, thereby cheapening food by bringing the producer closer to markets, other colonies woud do their part. Sir W. Percival, Mr Jenkins, and Sir Montague Nelson also spoke. Sir J. Ward , in a speech at Bristol, dwelt on the influence of colonials in rejuvenating and strengthening the Motherland in the development of an inter-Imperial trade as a means of closer union. In the House of Commons, Mr ! Winston Chnrchill, in reply to Mr Lehmann, emphatically contradicted a newspaper report that Sir R. Bond, complaining of the gross humiliatio'j [ inflicted on him and hi* rolcny, had I quitted the Conference in indignation.