NEW ZEALAND MINISTER WELCOMED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3085, 30 April 1913, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND MINISTER WELCOMED.

MOUSE OF COMMONS’ LUNCHEON

IMPERIAL DEFENCE POLICY.

MR ALLEN’S PLEA FOR GUIDANCE

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, March 14. The Hon. James Allen and the Hon. T. Mackenzie were the guests of honour yesterday at a luncheon given by the Empire Parliamentary Association in the ilarcourt Room of the House of Commons. Colonel Seely (Secretary of State for War) presided, and a large and thoroughly representative attendance included ; Mr Lewis Haroourt and Mrs Harcourt, Viscount Knutsford (vice-president United Kingdom branch of the Empire Parliamentary Association), Lord Blyth, the Hon. Milhccnt Bly.th, Lord and Lady Brassoy, Mr Austen Chamberlain, M.P., Sir Walter Buchanan, Lord Clinton, Lord and Lady Southwark, Sir Joseph and Lady Ward, Mrs and Miss Allen, Mrs and Miss Mackenzie, Lady Ethel Baird,. Mr J. «• Garrick, Dr W. A. Chappie, M.P., and Mrs Chappie, Mr and Mrs Arthur 1-ell, Mr Hayes Fisher, Mr Martin Kennedy, Mr J. Cathcart Wason, M.P., Mr Eugene Wason, M.P., and Mrs Wason, Mr and Mrs - A. St. George Hamorsloy, Miss Hamorslcy, Mr F. G. Matthews, Mr Howard cTKgvillc (hon. secretary Tjmted Kingdom Branch E.P.A.), and others. In proposing the health of Mr Allen, the Chairman reminded the assembly that New Zealand was the pioneer in the practical contribution to the problem of Imperial strategy and Imperial defence. —(Cheers.) It was to the Government of which Sir Joseph Ward was the head that they owed the first offer of a Dreadnought—(cheers) —as a practical contribution to the Empire’s naval defence. And ho was disclosing no secrets when he mentioned that Mr Allen, with the full approval of Government and of the people of New Zealand, was making further arrangements to secure that, if at any time the vital interests of the Empire were at stake,_ it would be possible for military co-operation between this country and the Dominion of New Zealand to bo more effective for the purpose for which it was desired. —(Cheers.) A STEP FORW 7 ARD. Mr Allen, on rising to respond, had a markedly warm reception. His first duty, ho said, was to express how groat a pleasure it was to him to find himself sitting by the side of Lord Knutsford. —(Cheers.) One of the things that impressed the New Zealander on coming to the Mother Country was the idea of age in its institutions and traditions, parliamentary and otherwise. They respected age and all that it meant, and they looked forward to seeing their parliamentary system still further developed, so that there might bo produced something in the nature of a controlling authority, which would control not only these British Isles, but the whole Empire. The right way to approach this ideal was the way in which Great Britain had built up her own parliamentary system—by proceeding step by step, as opportunity offered, so as to produce such a constitution of the Empire as would admit tbofe who to-day were perhaps unimportant parte of the Empire, but who to-morrow might be oven more imnortant than the Mother Country herself—(Cheers.) Those who lived in the outside dominions were very grateful to both sides in Parliament for what had been done in the past. The Imperial conferences opened a door which they were quite ready to accept, and although in the dominions they had not benefited as they thought they ought (o have benefited from the results of the Imperial conferences, there was vet an enormous improvement in public feeling in New Zealand:' in Australia, and in other parts of the Empire, owing to the work done in these conferences. Thev fe.t that thev had been allowed to come in and speak with the Mother Country on large nuestions. To call them to the Mother Country’s councils was the fir c t step, and qii’te recent’v another ster> had been taken, in the invitation to them to eome to the f mmltfen of Tr»iv>er'al Defenee, He thanked (1,0 Prime Minute.- for the honour ho had conferred upon New Zealand in asking to attend that committee. It was an Advisory Committee, but it was a step forward.—(Cheers.) homtvton SENTTMF.VT Mr Allen did not for a moment wish to make them believe that it was the last step.

It was not. In the end. nothing of an advisory nature would satisfy them wh'n they were strong enough, and when they realised that they had grown, and that they wore doing their duty, as tncy required to do it, with regard to Imperial defence. That no doubt might be many years ahead of them. He did net want anyone to take any steps that were insecure. Let them go on developing toward those ideals which many of them had in their minds; bqt let them not do it too rapidly He was satisfied that they would find all the dominions, whatever might now bo their policy with respect to defence desirous in the long run of one ideal. Colonel Seely had alluded to the strategical importance of concentration with regard to naval defence He hoped it would not bo supposed that they did not realise the importance of strategical concentration. But there was another principle which they must not forget, and that was that the Mother Country could not get from them that which they ought to give, could not get them to make the sacrifice's which they ought, to make, unless they felt that they themselves wore doing something. He did not think the payment of a subsidy would appeal to Ids country exactly as the Mother Country, wished-—would not in the long run appeal to their dominion sentiment and to then patriotic feelings —(Cheers.) If the Mother Country would trv to load and guide them, and allow them to use their own efforts in the creation of that which was Imperial, it bad at its disposal the means which wou.d willingly draw from them much great r sacrifices than they had yet made. ONLY THE FIRST STEPS.

What they wanted to do was to establish a permanent naval policy, and it could not be said that a permanent naval policy existed either in New Zealand or in Canada under the contributory system. - He valued to the fullest extent the steps that had been taken by Now Zealand and Canada, but after all they were only first steps, and they must be followed by the adoption by themselves and for themselves of a permanent policy which would endure. What they wanted was the living thing, in which the dominions would have a vital interest. It did not matter so much for the moment where the Dreadnoughts were built. That was a matter that could be arranged as conditions developed in the future; but what did matter was that it should be realised that the dominions would not bo content with merely putting their hands in their pockets. The Imperial Navy must be a living reality to them, to which they contributed not merely money, hut men. There was more value in the lives of their men than in the life of a ship.—(Cheers.) Nothing would satisfy New Zealand except that she should have the opportunity of doing her duty toward the personnel of the fleet and the manning of the Empire’s ships at sea. They must be prepared not only to belt) the Imperial fleet with material. but they must have an interest in the operations of the licet itself. It had boon said that the dominion fleets would be drawing on the British fleet for the higher ratings to a greater extent than th > British fleet could afford, but it was not tlie fault of the dominions that they were not yet in the position of supplying the higher ratings. _ They had not been given the chance of training them. But he was hopeful chat these difficulties would not ho found insuperable, since Ids visit to England had convinced him that, the public men of this country were in sympathy with the public men of the dominions, and wanted to work with them. —(Cheers.) ONE GREAT PRINCIPLE.

Mr Austen Chamberlain, M.P., in proposing the health of Mr Mackenzie, laid emphasis on the fact that, party men though they were, they ceased to know any party differences in meeting their colonial Kinsmen, and welcomed them as the representatives of the great dominions from which they came.—(Cheers.) In Mr Mackenzie they had one who was for many years a member o f the dominion Parliament. who was a dominion Minister when the Dreadnought was voted to the Imperial fleet, and who was now the honoured and welcome representative of that greatdominion in this country. —(Renewed cheers.) Mr Mackenzie said that although there might bo divisions of opinion in his own country and in other oversea dominions with regard to the exact line to bo taken with reference to the formation of oversea fleets, or in ’-efercnco to contributions to the imperial navy, there was one principle that united them, ami that was to stand solid behind the Mother Country. (Cheers.) Alive to their Imperial responsibilities, they were prepared to wait for the development which must precede final representation in

some form of Imperial Parliament such as had been foreshadowed. There had been some criticism in some quarters in reference to the immigration policy of the dominions under which what "'as called the “ bone and sinew ” of this country was drawn away to the dominions. Well, perhaps that was not altogether without its compensations, for many of these people became exceedingly prosperous, and some of them were attracted bactc hero to spend their wealth. —(Laughter and cheers.) Mr Cathcart Wason proposed the health of the Chairman, who, in reply, said they could not forget that when Mr Austen Chamberlain was speaking of Imperial cooperation ho was tne son of one who probably had done more than any man had done, or would over do, to secure that cooperation.—(Cheers.) They rejoiced to think that his distinguished father was still a member of the House of Commons, and they only wished he were present with them that day to sec some of the fruits of lu's labours. —(Cheers.)