REASSURING THE DOMINIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19248, 12 August 1924, Page 8

REASSURING THE DOMINIONS

MR BALDWIN’S OPTIMISM. DESIRE FOR EMPIRE KNOWLEDGE. HEART OF THE COUNTRY SOUND. (From Oob Own Correspondent.)'* LONDON, July. 2. ”1 do not believe that ever in our history has there been a more eager desire to learn the facts that appertain to Empire, and a very eager desire to learn may easily bo translated into a desire to do.” This statement was made by Mr Stanley Baldwin, who was the cliief guest at a luncheon given by the Australian and New Zealand Luncheon Club. While expressing sympathy with the disappointment of the dominions at the decision of Parliament, he bogged his audience most earnestly that they would not take the vote on preference to mean that the people at Home did not care.

Sir John M’Whae, Agent-General for Victoria, remarked that when they read, the reports of Parliament their hearts were filled with bitterness. “The English people do not understand,” he said, “Mr Baldwin and his supporters have a knowledge of the truth which other sections have not yet seen clearly. ’ ’ Sir Newton’ Moore, who presided, slid they had bad a good deal of oratory during the last few months with regard to Imperial matters, and had heard from all sources what the dominions might do, and what a magnificent entity they had in the British Empire. But the British Empire was not going to be helped by words; they most get action. “By their fruits ye shall know thorn.” That was how' the Labour Party, or any other party, would be judged. In the last 48 hours two vital decisions had been taken affecting the future of the Empire. One was tiie vote of the House of Commons, which turned down by a majority of six the resolutions approved by the whole of the Prime Ministers of the Empire, and the other was the defeat of General Smuts, one of the most eminent statesmen in the British Empire—(cheers)—a defeat that was due to his desire to maintain the closest possible union between his dominion and this Old Country. Mr Baldwin had taken his political life and that of his party in his hand* last year, when he put forward a policy which he sincerely thought to be the )>est not only for this country but the Empire generally, and whatever views might be taken of the wisdom of that action, they were satisfied as to the sincerity of the man, and that was a great thing in politicians at the present moment. —(Cheers.)

WHAT THE EMPIRE MEANS. Mr Baldwin, who was loudly cheered, thanked them far the invitation to meet fellow citizens from Australia and New Zealand. They had come to an extraordinarily interesting time to help them m London to celebrate what they believed to be one of the most valuable exhibitions which had ever been held m England. It might he difficult for them to realise what Wembley was going to mean to us. It might be that sometimes, living across tho world, they felt that with the people at Home there was a ceram want of understanding or lack of sympathy. If there ever should bo cause for them to believe for a moment that there was a want of sympathy or understanding it would come only from a lack of knowledge. Where people at Home had relations overseas it was easy for them to visuaijse hfo there. But he asked them to look at our big towns and consider the generations that were brought up there with no knowledge of the country, separated completely from that, country life which ho believed to be essential in the rational and sane bring-ing-up of every human being, and ask themselves how they could, possibly conceive the free and wide open-air life of those great new countries across tho world. It was here that Wembley was comin<r in to play its part. After his first visit to Wembley and his happy inspection of those magnificent pavilions belonging to New Zealand and Australia,, he wished that Wembley could bo made a permanent exhibition in this country—that it might stand for ever to show our people what tho Empire meant. —(Cheers.) THE HIGHEST IDEALS.

Nothing struck him more in the dominion pavilions than the care that had been taken to try to bring home to the people here what life meant to those countries. The panoramas would be of amazing educational value. There was nothing so difficult for a man who had not travelled as to visualise any other country. Ho believed that a, direct result of the Exhibition would be not only greater interest in these things at Home, but a far greater knowledge that would lead in many cases to- the starting of exactly that kind of emigration which they all wanted to see—a man going out to create a new home in an environment that attracted and appealed to him. They in this country who had perhaps given some part of their lives to Empire work, and were drawn into public life more by their visions on behalf of Empire than anything else, felt, as he tried to point out to. the House of Commons on the previous day, that the greatest appeal of Empire was not a financial appeal; it was an appeal to them to spread our race throughout the world and to keep it a race with the highest ideals, and a lace in whose hands the future of the world might be most safely trusted. EAGER DESIRE TO LEARN. "We regard all those lands as tJie most solemn heritage," Mr Baldwin continued, "and wo feel with you from Australia and New Zealand (he most ardent desire to see your great spaces filled up till the times come when you rival the increase of population in the Home Country and built up a mighty continent that may rest in security against all the ills the world can bring against it. —(Cheers.) Many of us at Home are working, if not in the same way, for these great ends. As a party politician and as one who took some part in the disouss.ions last night, I should like to say one or two words that have a direct tearing on this question. I quite understand the feeling of deep disappointment that may be caused throughout the Empire at the decision of Parliament, but I beg most earnestly that all those overseas whose sympathies run with the course that we are pursuing will not take last night's vote to moan that wo do not care at Home.— (Cheers.) If_ you, believe that, you will believe something absolutely wrong.—(Cheers.) I say that without fear of contradiction, and at the moment when I, personally! have suffered defeat. Ido not believe that ever in our history has there been a more eager desire to learn the facts that appertain to the Empire. A very eager desire to learn may bo easily translated info an eager desire to do.—(Cheers.) HEART OF THE COUNTRY SOUND. Wo have much to learn at home, and nothing struck me more forcibly in the debate of the last two days than the testimony that came forward of that interest of which I speak, testimony that we might have looked for in vain a few years ago. It bears the cortain interpretation that the heart of this country is sound as a whole. Though the present Government has not seen fit to endorse the recommendations I put before them, yet thev stated that their interest was as groat as ours in doing one of (he essential tilings—spreading more evenly the population in desirable directions. Any efforts thev make in that direction will have the whole-hearted support of the present Opposition. The only stipulation is that nothing shall be done haphazardly, but entered upon scientifically with the best advice on both sides, and pushed forward with energy and continually. " There is no doubt that the well-being and' the future of the whole world depends upon the way that the British race in this generation faces and deals with the vast problems before it. Let us all, whether at home, in Australia, in New Zealand, in South Africa, in Canada, or throughout tho world bring our own contribution to the solution of these great questions. The British ideals of ijistice. truth, and honour are tho finest racial ideals that tho world has yet seen—(cheers), —and it is for us to see that those ideals are not dimmed so long as it rests with us to uphold them* by doinjr what lies in our power to see that the heritage is passed on intact when the time comes for our work to cease."— (Loud cheers.) AUSTRALIA IN DIRECT PERIL. Sir John M'Whae. in proposing the toast of the chairman and thanking Mr Baldwin for his speech, said that for 150 years, this country had been nursing them and mothering them, and the people wore iust the same; they did not understand. They had thrown over Singapore for the saving of a million a year, and left Australia in tho direst peril. These preferences might seem only a small thing, but they were of great value. The overseas nations were like young men full of generous impulses. It was tho generous impulses of those young nations that brought their men to Europe when war broke out. Some people said that, the preferences were simply a matter of business ;they (tho dominions) were out to do something for themselves. That was a lie.—(Loud cheers.) They did not worship the Golden Calf. If they did they could Koon make themselves rich beyond the