THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1902. MR. SEDDON'S DISAPPOINTMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12068, 11 September 1902, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1902. MR. SEDDON'S DISAPPOINTMENT.

The farewell speech delivered by Mr. Seddon at Plymouth must have impressed his hearers with a profound admiration for the versatility and oooksuredness of our Premier. He adhered strictly to his role of adviser-in-general to the Empire and seems to have left very little unsaid, whether of wise or otherwise. But we must leave Queensland to take notice of his advice to grow cotton, hoping that such an authority will encourage it to renew its past unpleasant experiences with the cheap-labour-needing cotton-bush; and the new Fijian Governor to justify his anticipations of "improvement" in the conditions of the natives and the post office authorities to consider the franking of British and colonial newspapers throughout the Empire—which would be a veritable somersault from the present extortionate rates imposed by this colony upon oversea newspaper packets; and the '•'combines'' to consider what would happen if "war" were declared against them, regardless of the inevitableness of organisation in the industrial as in the Imperial domain. We must confine our attention to what is the nominal purpose of our Premier's visit to London—the Imperial Conference of Premiers which was set down to follow after the deferred Coronationday of June. Upon this it is particularly interesting to know what Mr. Seddon has to say, since hereon he can speak for himself, and upon his own impressions, experiences and conclusions, matters totally lacking when be wanders garru- : lously off to cotton-growing in Queensland and native-wrongs in Fiji.

As far as can be gathered from his speech, previous indications that Mr. Seddon has been somewhat disappointed at the results of the Conference are confirmed- He informs Us, by way of his Plymouth audience, that it was "fairly satisfactory,'' and then goes on to tell us what ought to be donewhich was not done. He advocates "a permanent consultative colonial council on the lines of the Indian Council," and, unless conjecture is valueless, must have advocated this very strongly at the Conference. Possibly wo may have here the substratum of truth which, as there is truth in all rumours, must have underlain the persistent and recurrent report which ascribes to Mr. Seddon the intention not to return j to New Zealand. For he is by no means the first of prominent colo- | nial politicians who has seen in ImI perial fields wider opportunity for l their particular talents, and it is ! hardly possible to think that ho I would have refused a, position upon i '"'a permanent consultative colonial council" had such a body been instituted and such a post been offered to him. His hopeful advocacy may reasonably be assumed to have had such a possibility in view, so that there is here not merely an explanation of the numerous abovementioned but of the somewhat strange disappointment which he has manifested at the failure of the Conference to adopt his views. As he puts it, it exhibited "strange nervousness and 'great, objection to make progress with regard to any question." But it was not every Premier 'who left behind him a colony which was not only thoroughly in accord with all legitimate Imperialistic plans, but sufficiently disciplined politically to accept without a murmur the establishment of its delegate in London as a " permanent consultative colonial councillor." We were unable to sympathise fully with Mr. Seddon's disappointment. Now that we have an indication of the nature of it we must confess that we sympathise still less. For when personal ambitions enter into patriotic movements either one or the other has continually to be sacrificed. As for the Indian Council, as the type upon which a Colonial Council should be modelled, by the time it had been modified to meet reasonable democratic criticism, there would be very little Indian Council left. This Indian Council consists ordinarily of six members, who are appointed by the Crown for a period of five years, as is the GovernorGeneral himself. They preside over six departments—Finance and Commerce, Home Affairs, Revenue and Agriculture, Military Administration, Legislation and Public Works. The Governor-General can over-rule his Council in all cases of emergency, but is usually supposed to act under their advice. For legislative purposes sixteen additional members are nominated to the Council by the Governor-General. This system is excellent for India, which is ruled autocratically by a benign Administration. But there is literally nothing in the system which appeals to Anglo-Saxon countries, and we can only assume that Mr. Seddon's notorious lack of originality induced him to suggest the only scheme he could hear of which seemed to offer a start to Imperial organisation. Appointment by the Crown of colonial councillors is out of the question, but still more so is appointment of anybody by anybodyCrown," Cabinet or Parliament — a fixed term of years. Were he in opposition Mr. Seddon would seize upon this vital flaw and ruthlessly satirise any such suggestion. And as for departments, until the colonies are prepared to share the burdens of Empire it is absurd for us

to set tip a mimic Government having little purpose but to feed the \ vanity of colonial politicians, & ! permanent Imperial Council will come, but in the fulness of time, not .prematurely born. And the first step towards v. permanent council which to be influential must be not Q only continually representative but daily responsible to its constituents 's undoubtedly a regularly recurring lonference of Premiers, or equally ' epresentative men, which confer % aces Mr. Seddon, in his disappoint ent, seems inclined to despise.