MR SEDDON IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12393, 1 July 1902, Page 3

MR SEDDON IN SOUTH AFRICA.

SPEECHES AT JOHANNESBURG,

The Johtunesburs Stai o't May 22, containing the reports of llio speeches of 51r Seddon after they had passed the Censor, is now to lnud. 'l'he reports arc in the first person, hut it is ovideut that some portions must have been omitted.

We gave particulars yesterday of the reoptions given Io Jlr Seddon in Johannesburg. Replying tn an address presented by the Chairman of the -Municipality, Mr Seddon, alter referring to his visit lo the Natal battlefields, went on to refer to the term? of settlement, declaring that nothing but unconditional surrender would provu satisfactory. There should bo an admission ftat the Boers hail been beaten. ; Mr Sedilmi then went on to refer to the Confcreneo of Colonial Premiers in London, and taiil:— " I will undertake to say—antl you have given tho greatest proof possible in what ha? been douo during the struggle in South Africa—tlwt the viows of the colonics and the views of our kindred at Home are one—the same ideals, the same aspirations. This being £o. there 'need Iks no hesitation in consulting, the colonies with vespcct to great ■que'e-. tions — (Cheers.) As to whether in tho near future it may result in tho representation of; the colonies in the Parliament of Great Britain is a question that time {rill solve. It is not well to press too closely. Any mpvn.ent Ehould, ). think, eomo from the colonies themselves, and there will be in the conference thai is to take'place an opportunity for discussing this . question. Put I say, presuming that the colonics made

Suoh :i demand, all are aware who have history that when the colonies of S)iain. assisted tbe Mother Country there by » contribution of money it resumed in representation being granted to tho Spanish colonies in tho Parliament of - Spain; the tatiie in respect to the French colonies, au'd tho same in respoct to tho Portuguese colonies. They are very slow to move, but then I ask this question, Could it reasonably be denied, if wo ask for it? I lmre taid that the colonies of Spain purchased thfc light to representation in their Parliament by the payment of monoy—we have given the life blood of our /sons.—(Loud clipcra.) It has been volunteered and tho sacrifice has been rendered cheerfully,, and the result may in the future be that further sacrifices of the lives of our sons are entailed, and if a claim like that is placed befoco the statesmen and before our .kindred at .Homo they cannot, I say again, well rofuso it." Mr Seddon also touched upon the .questiQii o( preferential tariffs, and turning to personal matters he• raid:—"The honour paid to nus to-day by the vast assemblage hero, iind this address yon have presented Kent a thrill through me, but I take it a3 being a desire on the part of all assembled to do honour to New Zealand, the country J, come from.—(Cheers.) It goes without paying that I am proud to be a New Zealander, and that I am proud of what New Zealand has done in the emergency that arose. She has done a good deal; but I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, elio is quite 1 prepared to do more if more is required.— (Oheers.) You mentioned tlie fact that the Tenth Contingent has arriVed; it is true, nir)d I supposo I shall bo able to claim that wliich lew Prime Ministers claim—that I came lo South 'Africa in a troopship!— (Liughter.) Tcs; that ship brought here 600 us good men as ever left either New Zealand or any country."—(Cheers.) _

Replying to the toast of the evening at ilia. Australasian banquet given in'his honour Mr Seddon, in the course of his speech, said:—"l say that the foundation of the stability- to a great extent of our Empire dcppndff upon the trade and the commerce of thati Empire, and when that trade and that 'commerce are' threatened it is the duty ot. those feeling this to bo the case not to mi« the opportunity of impressing it upon, their follows and upon those who wish Great Britain and tho- British Empire in maintain its present position. Cobden's ideal was pound when he said there would h? with different nations sptjbialties; that there would be with tho nations an interchange of those specialties, Thai was sound, but he never understood tho selfishness ot some nations who will not interchanpto their specialties. .They will send us all their specialties and fhut everything British _ out, and when we find that they are taking tills course, which entirely upsets the theory of the conditions that I have now described, when we find by tho action ot dations that (hey take (his course in respect to Great Britain and its manufactures, it then behoves us in self-protection to be a self-contained nation.—Loud cheers.) We can do it. Can you quoto me," Mr Seddon, •' where the nations envious of Britain have taken their supplies from other countries? No; and I say let it be a condition in future that the supplies for tho most of ihese contract for his Majesty's Imperial forces shall corao from within the Empire.—(Cheers.) I will undertake to say it is not a question of price j you will get " better quality within the Empire than you can get outside of it. Just imagine for the moment our New Zealand 4 boys 1 who have been referred to to-night in ouch' glowing terms—they will fight much better on Canterbury mutton than on that wretched stuff that, yon get from other countries.—(Cheers, and a Voice: "What about wheat?") My reply to the question put is this: After you have exhausted ,yaur supplies from your British colonies then trade elsewhere, but not before. At the present moment, Mr President and gentlemen, I say a great deal can'be done for the Empire, and statesmen who allow this opportunity to be missed am.traitors to tho responsibilities cast upon them. I have heard and read a,good deal about the unpreparedness of our nation. I have heard the War Office criticised, I have heard the Admiralty criticised adversely, but I ask this question, with the conflict wo have had to contend with 6000 miles from the base of the principal supplies, is there another coiiutry that could have put 250,000 men in the field; could have done what has been done by Great Britain? I eay thero is not."—(Cheers.) Mr Seddon went on to refer to his proposal for an Imperial reserve force,' and then came to the Conference of Colonial Premiers again. He detailed the subjects ■which would be considered, and, in refers ring to ocean mail subsidies said: " Do you know that a British steamer leaviug New Zealand and going to Honolulu or San Francisco, is debarred from taking passengers or goods, or landing goals or passengers. America is not alone in this. France, Germany, and Russia liave their coastal lines, and have this barrier against British shipping and British and colonial trade. I eay, if. they will work this barrier against us, tho only way, in my opinion, to bring about reciprocity would be for us to work the same barrier.—(Cheers.) Say, for instance, if. it was claimed that the coastal trade of South Africa belonged to Great Britain. What a glorious opportunity for Britain, and what a terrible, outcry there would bo from these very nations who have instituted these coastal lines. Why, Russia has only recently shut up the whole of the trade by declaring her colonies to be the coastal trade of Russia. If we wcro to hint at doing this, you would find the opportunity well gauged. And they say to a certain extent there should be an extension—and a withdrawal.—(Laughter.) So, gentlemen, tliat is one (question that has to be raised »t the Conference of Premiers—(cheers), — and I may be alone at that conference. I may be told there are treaty obligations and international obligations that may arise. Let there be. I say it here—it is' not what other nations may think—(A Voice: "Let them all come!")-it is for us to do, as %}'. have done, iho best for our people. We have no' right to be everlastingly considering how this will be taken in Germany. —(Cheers.) It is a farce, from which, of course, you have these words, 'Made in Germany.'—Laughter.) It has been an advertisement for Germany, and resulted in the extension, in iny opinion, of German trade. I say we must not consider what they think. As far as Russia is concerned, we may take it for granted that the past has not been entirely obliterated— (laughter),—and v. licn jrnn find the advance to the Fast in thn direction of India, when you find them trying to get a tcaport through China, and to get at the Chinese seas, which, in my opinion is a menace to Australasia—when you see this all going on it behoves us tn he watchful. . 1 snv. have done, with ail this truckling.—(Loud cheers.) I say. we are sufficiently powerful to consider ourselves, and in my opinion thfy will respect us all thn more when we wish t-J lay down such a line that will conduce to the solidarity of tho Empirc-Jcheers)— and tho strengthening of the nation"— (Cheers.) Mr Seddon then went on to refer to personal and local matters, and concluded as follows:—"Personally. I , n ay £ ay I have done no more and I hope no lees than my duty, and tho reception that has been accorded mc here since my arrival in Johannesburg, and in other parts of South Africa, proves very conclusively that those

who Jo their duly need not fear the. rwult as far as their follow countrymcn are concerned. I thank you, gentlemen, for the cordial manner in which this toast has been received."—(Loud and prolonged cheers.)