AN AUSTRUALIAN ON THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7644, 22 May 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN AUSTRUALIAN ON THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Mr. J. Henmketc Heatun, M.P., has been interviewed by the Pall Mall Gazette representative, and in the course of the interview said :—"I am very much struck with the average ability of tho House. The members are a very cultivated, able sot of men. T like tho average speaking, on our »ide of the House especially, very much. But you have 110 speaker ho eloquent and witty as the lion. W. B. Dall'jy, of New South Wales, nor anyone bo elegant aud persuasive as the Hon. Georgo Higinbotlum, recently appointed a judge 111 Victoria. The fact is," said Mr. Hcaton, with patriotic enthusiasm, "tho Australians are the cleverest fellows in the world. It is the stay-at-homes who are stupid. Tho very fact of emigrating shows a man has something in him. We get the pick of every nation under the sun, and they sharpen their facilities by contact with each other." " Who do you think our bc.3t speaker, Mr. Hcaton?'' "Well, always excepting Mr. Gladstone, I should say Mr. Sexton, He appears to me '•3 have besides his unquestionable eloquence, the greatest versatility and tho greatest fertility of resource of any man in the House. In fact nothiug has surprised mo more than the Home Rule members. They are a much abler set of men than I was given to underand; they beat the Ulster men hollow. Major Saunderson is the only one who is their equal. I consider those eighty-six members formidable. I don't see how I or any other English member can act any business done until they are out of tho House. Another thing: do not give only K-C.M.G.'s to colonists and give your home officials the monopoly of the other orders. We do not want you to make colonials peers. That would offend the colonies. We have life peers practically. They have the title of honourable, and sit for life in an Upper House. We kick them upstairs just in the same way too. We kicked two members upstairs in New South Wales the other day. They did not like it any better than Sir Stafford did, but it had to be done. But whatever you do, treat Englishmen in tho colonies like Englishmen at home. Let them mix. Whenever I get hold of a man from Australia I put him up for one of the London clubs and prevent him joining a colonial one. Then do get a man at the Colonial Oflice who at least understands the geography of the colonies. If Lord Derby had known the geogiaphy of the colonies he miyht have avoided giving great offence to Melbourne and Adelaide last year. He refused their offer to send troops to Suakirn simply because he did not know that they were nearer Suakim than Sydney, and that the same ship that took the Sydney contingent could have picked up the others on her way to the Soudan.? fAs it was, the offer of Sydney was accepted and those of Melbourne and Adelaide refused."