SIR E. BARTON AND THE EMPIRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12418, 30 July 1902, Page 5

SIR E. BARTON AND THE EMPIRE.

THE COMMONWEALTH'S VIEWS. Pr»3s Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON*, July 28. (Received July 29, at 9.4 a.m.) Sir E. Barton, in his speech at Edinburgh, said that not one of the colonial Premiers, any more in matters of trade than in matters of warfare, would sit uown and wait to be kicked if in the Home trade an arrangement could be made calculated to contribute to the Empire's cohesion, preservation, and integrity. Tlicy might call that by any name invented by political economists, and in Spite of the name the tiling might, be good.—(Cheers.) Out of this variance he hoped there would come a better understanding- relative to common defence, without too' much bargaining, and also in regard to trade relations' with individual free play. Autonomy was the greatest fjn. from Briton to Briton, and that which no Briton possessing it- would ever surrender.

MELBOURNE, July 29. (Received July !iil, at- 10.52 a.m.) ilr Deukiu, 'referring to the Imperial Conference, said that it was clear that the idea of Australia, gradually building up her own navy received very little sym" pamy from the British authorities. The Imperial proposal was practically to the effect that t»e Home Government were prepared to place any and every class of warship in Australia if Australia were prepared to pay the cost of maintenance.