SPEECH BY THE HON. J. G. WARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11537, 23 November 1900, Page 5

SPEECH BY THE HON. J. G. WARD.

ANNEXATION AND FEDERATION. TENDER FOR PACIFIC CABLE ACCEPTED. TRADE WITH SOUTH AFRICA. " [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Invercargii.l, Thursday. The Hon. J. Q. Ward was banqueted at the Bluff Drill H».ll last evening. The large building was packed, all the members for Southland and representatives of local bodies and visitors from country districts being present.

Referring to Island annexation, Mr. Ward said, had Samoa or Dutch and German New Guinea been originally the property of Australia, or New Zealand, Britain would not have attempted to wrest from her children islands that rightly belonged to them. The Islands were in the highway between New Zealand and the old world, through the Nicaraguan Canal, and in the future the islands recently acquired would be irrevocably joined to New Zealand. The movement was a natural one? and, though trade would be done, that was a small matter. At present Australia had formed a Commonwealth, out of which New Zealand had decided to stand. The annexation of the Islands and federation with Fiji would be a great lever in inducing Australia to agree to reciprocity, and would add greatly to New Zealand's power and prestige. When he proposed at the Postal Conference in 1893 that it was desirable to lay a Pacific cable, he was laughed at. That evening, however, he had received a cable from the Imperial Government stating that they had accepted a tender for the work. They saw a matter that was looked upon a few years ago as extremely socialistic now in course of accomplishment—the State was obtaining property for the use of the people. Instead of the people having to pay a high tariff of &x 6d a word (reduced from 9s some time ago) they would be able to send a message of 10 words at 2s 6d a word. These facilities would be a great boon to merchants and farmers. Regarding penny postage, there was not a country in the world that had done what New Zealand would inaugurate on the first of January, granting at one stroke universal penny postage. Mr. Ward paid a high tribute'to the Hon. John McKenzie's land administration, and its effect on the prosperity of the colony. At the present time twenty millions sterling of the people's savings were deposited in the banks of the colony, a sum almost incredible in a population of 750,000. He announced that the Government intended to invite tenders from shipowners for a twoyears' service, calling at five colonial ports, and at least three in South Africa to open up trade there. Mr. Ward was loudly cheered at the conclusion of his speech. 'Proceedings did not close till after midnight.