The Oamaru Mail. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1909.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10104, 23 March 1909, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1909.

Without any fatal dallying, New Zealand has again made- horiian'MS off! self consjiicuous in the eyes of the world as a British dependency. Her expeditious action in times of critical necessity may he due to the vigor of her people. However that mav be, the fact remains that she never waits to reason why, but hastens to the rescue of the honor or existence of the Mother. Heading of the Government's latest startling performance naturally enough brings up reminiscences, of Kichard Seddon. His . career was marked by extraordinary situations which exactly suited hie great capaci!y. One ol these was tho struggle in So.-..h Africa. It was this sad eventuality which led to the welding of British peoples. That Britain needed help, not only sentimental, but practical—and that quickly—was obvious, and. whilst otliei-s were discussing the desirableness and the best means < f rendering it, Xew Zealand, led by Mr Seddon, took advantage of the tide which landed him safely as the greatest Imperialist of the age and vitalised the Imperial sentiment. What Sir Joseph Ward has just done would have been done by Mr Seddon bad he lived. It was iui opportunity that i.o would have been delighted to honor by such a phenomenally patriotic act. There will be differences of opinion concerning that act, botli as lo its character and the manner of its performance: but the great heart of the public is with the Government. There is no room for political jealousy or for any meanness of spirit when there is occasion to believe that the Empire's safely may be in peril. We are all made one by such national crises. Australia had its opportunity, and', we think, lost it to New Zealand. If it had led the way, New Zealand would have been pleased to follow. In the midst of a common danger there should be no jealousy within or without our Dominion. Fortunately there are not many who would rather see that which is imperative neglected than that others •should, by effecting it, win applause. New Zealand has, after all, only performed her duty in relation to the British navy. During all the years of this Dominion's existence as an appanage of Britain .protection has been granted it next to ""free of cost. It is true that the Old Country's children have been a source of wealth to her, but so has the Old Country to her children. If tho United Kingdom had not taken our produce we should have had no market for it for it was shut out of all other countries by insurmountable protective barriers. Henco our progress would have been stagnated. There would have been no chance for our enterprise and no hope for our children. And, after all, what we have bestowed upon that guardian of our existence whose- services to the whole world have been so beneficent, whoso honor is a mighty .international safeguard—what we have thus bestowed upon our Mother will never be missed by us. But it will exert an overwhelming moral force in tlu maintenance of tihe peace of the world, which is bo indispensable to commercial and social prosperity. It has again been proclaimed to the world that those who would attack Britain must be prepared to. meet the hosts and all the resources of her rdbust and irrepressible progeny. That will make for peace, which it seems, is still maintained at the cost of preparedness for war.