“COLONIAL IDEALS.”

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1666, 3 February 1904, Page 49

“COLONIAL IDEALS.”

Few men,who have been absent; for fully a decade "from active participation in colonial ilife, have kept as closely tn touch with public opinion, thought and aspiration throughout the self-governing possessions of the Empire as the Horn W. P. Reeves, Agent-General for Now Zealand. In a lengthy paper on “Colonial Ideals,” which appears in the “Independent Review” for December, Mr Pteeves displays a fine appreciation of colonial public life and work. At a time like the present, when there is being manifested an inclination to obfuscate colonial opinion on Imperial subjects, to confuse the issues on public questions raised in this and other parts of the Empire, and to create misgiv ngs in the minds of the people, of Great Britain as to the ultimate aim and result of much of our so-called socialistic .legislation, the publication c<£ Air Reeves’s “Colonial Ideals” will prove alike opportune and reassuring. With a few strokes of a facile pen he outlines the constitutional creation of “the chief white colonies,” which have been governing themselves for terms varying from about forty to about sixty years. Although their autonomy is not absolute, the Mother Country interferes With them very little. They are work ng out their own well-being, proud of their own existence. They have democratised the institutions that Great Britain established ; and while the statesmen of the old land view their political progress with something ak n to fear and trembling, the colonies have been after all more of a support than a menace to the integrity and stability of the Empire. This is not exact ly what Mr Reeves says about the colonies and 1 their people, yet that is the thought h, s strong, commonsense article will insp re -in all who peruse it. He almost goes as far as to predict that some of the experiments of the self-governing colonies will he attempted in England, but he dees no-t forget to observe that many of these are of a character which Great Br.tain is quite {unlikely to imitate. When considering the various shattes of public opinion, and the different nomenclatures of the respective pel fi-cal parties both at Home and in the selfgoverning parts of the Empire, it is remarkable to observe that the most progressive parties abroad are in accord with the great body of the Tory party in Great Britain on the larger Imperial questions, while, on the other hand, it is the least progressive- party at Home that regards the soci.aliistic-rad.eal legislation of the colonies with most apprehension. For the.most part, the people in these over-sea portions of the Empire, “inscribe either ‘Liberal’ or ‘Labour’ on their flags,”and their opponents, as Mr Reeves observes, resemble very closely both in feeling and argument the party of resistance to municipalism in cities like London and Glasgow. Yet neither a single State of Australia nor New Zealand itsellf is entirely dominated by Liberal or Labour parties. Even the Liberal party in this country has checked the aggressive, and to it seemingly destructive, acts of labour leaders. Our Liberal Premier has had occasion to restrain the impetuosity and assertiveness of the trades-unionists, and to curb the ambitions of the more advanced type of labour leader. Tho policy of the Liberal Governments throughout the colonies is not to destroy, but to build up, that glaring inequalities shall be removed, and freer scope given to every willing worker to carve out a home for himself in the wilderness of the Dominion or the bush of New Zealand The experimental legislation of tills country is fairly dealt with by . Mr Reeves, who cheerfully concedes that even “eight years’ trial is not a long enough test to try thoroughly aji experiment soi novel, so earn pi ex and so far-reaching;”; It is, he believes,, quite within the bounds of possibility that our Industrial Arbitration Act “may yet meet with unexpected checks.” Many business man in this country will endorse Mr 'Reeves’s view, and some of the more far-seeing ones are ready to express the opinion that the restricted production of gold in South Africa will so contract capital and business expansion that wages will be materially affected and lowered beyond the power of Conciliation Board or Arbitration Court to restrain.

When dealing with the legislation of the colonies by which restrictions are placed upon immigration, Mr Reeves maintains tlie’.colonial idea-1 of notf lowering the general standard by the ad-

mission of undesirable- aliens 1 , or those of our own race likely to become a pub* lio charge., = At the same tim©> the' Agent-General makes a. point against the “open ‘door?’ policy of' Great Britain in.' this respect, and almost implies that the Mother Country would do well to copy the example of her daughter States and place seme restriction upon the many undesirables who ar6 now flooding the slum quarters of her larger cities,and becoming a menace to her social and industrial well-being. From out . the mass of conflicting interests, shift- . ing laws and debatable experiments,; • twe things stand, pre-eminently together _ as the leading ideals of colanval lifeattachment to the Empire, and a desire - to advance the material prosperity of the country in which colonists have taken up their abode. We think Mr Reeves,has, not emphasised the former, as n\U©h as he ought. Indeeflj he scarcelyi touches upon the subject of colonial loyalty, and does not mention.' even how much all classes of colon sts realise their indebtedness to the Mother Country for the prestige and honour they possess under the Union Jack, and for the protection that flag affords. The idea of severance is inconceivable, ; and the notion of “a passive loyalty” t to the Imperial cause is scarcely poss r ble in the present condition of colonial public opinion, and Mr'Reeves has not given expression to that “colonial ideal” which has in recent years entered into the minds of our more prominent leaders of public opinion of sharing with Great Britain the responsibilities of Empire. He has, however, dealt adequately with our domestic and local ideals, and concludes by demonstrating that, notwithstanding all our experimental legislation, our people are dominated by, one inspiring aim—the colony must- progress, and Air Reeves has incontestably, shown that all other considerations are subordinate to the attainment of that ideal.