ABIDING AFFECTION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7851, 13 July 1911, Page 1

ABIDING AFFECTION

LIBERALS AND THE EMPIRE SIB JOSEPH WARD'S RESPONSE TO AIR LLOYD GEORGE. FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT LONDON, June 2. Tho Eighty Club’s luncheon last Saturday was in its way tho welcome of ‘ tho Lib" Os of tho Mother Country to tho I'rimo Ministers of the Dominions beyond tho seas. Mr Lloyd George, the greatest asset that the British Liberal party possess, is tho president of the Eighty Club, and bo took the chair on this occasion and welcomed Sir Joseph Ward and his fellow Premiers in a notable speech. Mr Lloyd George expressed in eloquent terms "tho real warmth and affection with which Liberalism regarded the freo communities which arc their brethren. Liberalism in England regarded the selfgoverning Dominions with special pride, Tho conferring of self-government on great communities within,, tho Empire was tho greatest of all the achievements of Liberalism; and Liberals saw with pride how they had grown in strength, in influence, in power, and, above all, in tho arts of self-government. Tho Liberal party felt that it could share in tho triumphant vindication of democratic government which they present to the civilised world. There was' no greater mistake in statesmanship than to imagine that the narrower patriotism excludes the wider one. As Liberals, too, tney studied and watched with admiration and with a spirit of emulation the boid social experiments of the daughterstates. It was an education to see flow their enterprise and courage inspired tno effort that was extricating humanity from tho undergrowth in which it is entangled; and at last, he had no doubt, a wav would bo cut for humanity to march through to the light. ‘‘This is an old country" he said —"not done uitn yet." Ho" referred to trade returns and to census returns, to the present political struggle, to show that Britain s great ness was not yet at an end. There; were still thrilling chapters to bo written; and the country which had provided the greatest Empire the world bad ever seen meant to prove that it can rid itself ol tho social evils that undermine its strength and-dim its lustre. The younger dominions, however, were only at the beginning of their greatness, ahoy _had an unlimited fiituro before them. They would outgrow Britain -in strength, population, power, position. incy would never outgrow their ,affection tor the Old Countrv—"there;arc shrines’ in Britain that they can. never, forget. However they'may grow,' ‘thesis; things would draw them to tho-; Old Country with an increasing, affection until we shall ono day indeed bo ; one people, mighty one in purpose, one in ideals, one in devotion to the service of God and men.

SIR JOSEPH WARD’S REPIA. After Mr Jtisuer had responded foi Austraua. Sir Joseph spoko lor iNew Aea- ■ **i also desire,” he said, “to express my (Jumna to mr L-oyu Ueorgo lor the houty welcome he nas extended to us. VVc nave to tread wanly here, and when we-ieavo our own countries wo have to leave behind us the. lact that wo are party loaners and party politicians i euoutd like to add .that l nave never had a more dimeuit task in my iue, (daughter.) When I read of what goes on in tlie House of. Commons I see the ring, i see tuo combatants receiving and giving blows, and 1 recall that in New Zealand wo have'gone through similar experiences. And yet all the tune my friends and I have to observe strict neutrality. _ . . ~ . “Let me say that I recognise tho truth of Mr Lioyd George's lofty speech. Wo recognise, as you do, that the oversea dominions arc young, and that they have comparatively small populations. -they have not yet attained the position of strength'and power which, in tho future, they must inevitably obtain. (Hear, hear.) lam animated by what I believe to be a reasonable desire to co-operate with tho British Government in laying foundations that will ensure Dio growth of tho oversea dominions. Wo must see that nothing is done, now or in the future, that will in any way lead to the separation-even in the ordinary sense of the term —of any of them from tho Old Country itself. (Cheers.) In my opinion, when they have attained their scores of millions of people they will be attached to the Old Land by those ties of affection which we have ever remembered from our infancy. (Cheers.) “Can it bo assumed for a moment that this Old Country has come to the end of its career? Why a short time ago it did something which no other country in tho world would have dared to try. I mean the conferring of self-government upon the scattered portions of South Africa. (Cheers.) . A people who can rise to a high level of that sort in dealing with the complex and difficult questions that arose there need havo no anxiety as to the future. $ T believe that the ideals suggested by Mr Lloyd George permeate the people in this country and in the overseas dominions. We ought to have one purpose and one ideal, and do our best for humanitv in our respective portions of tho British Empire. Then will wo be in the truest sense working in the service of God and uian." (Cheers.) Two male sympathisers of the woman suffrage movement who tried to question Mr Lloyd George were ejected from the luncheon and this led to an amusing mistake. When General Botha, responding for South .Africa, had spoken his first sentence in Dutch, the interpreter, who was bv his side, proceeded to translate his speech. The gorgeously-arrayed toastmaster, apparently • thinking that this was another suffragist interrupter, caught the interpreter by the shoulder and was about to remove him from the room, amid the general laughter of the company, when Mr Lloyd George explained tho real position to him. The roar of laughter lasted for some time, Mr Lloyd George. General Botha 'and the other Dominion Premiers taking part in the hilarity. When tho laughter died down the toastmaster expressed his regret at having fallen into an error, and General Botha continued his speech.