A LIVE DELEGATE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12615, 18 November 1911, Page 5

A LIVE DELEGATE.

SIR JOSEPH WARD AND THE , IMPERIAL CONFERENCE. (Special to Herald.) » DUNEDIN, this day., o Palmerston banquetted Sir Jos. Ward after his address. Replying to the toast of "Our Guest," Sir Joseph Ward said that a member of Parliament, speaking in Dune'din recently, implied that he had done very poorly at the Imperial Conference. He very much regretted that he had not with him most complimentary letters he had received from big men concerning his work there. .The fact remained that only two of the reso-. lutions he had moved . there had not practically been carried. Regarding his resolution that before the Empire engaged in a war the outlying parts of the Empire should be consulted, he knew before he moved it that it had not a 1000 to 1 chance of being carried, but there was not a man worth his salt who was afraid to submit a proposal, because he knew he would be in a minority. He had the satisfaction of receiving letters from some of the best men in the Old Country,' congratulating him on this resolution, and stating that something, very like it must be carried at a future' date., if. the best interests of the. Empire were to be preserved. When one _eceived such expressions of opinion as these one must 'be prepared, on the other, hand, to accept; at Whatever value could be placed, on it,, the .apparently inspired political animus 1 ' of tliose Who wanted to deprecate public men, simply because he belonged to the other camp in the Old Country. Newspapers and leading men on both sides had expressed themselves very decidedly in favor of himself and what he had done at the con, ference. He had \ received communications from men occupying big positions in the Old Country, warmly and sincerely congratulating him on moving this resolution, and he" believed it would form the groundwork of a resolution that would yet be carried. He did not believe such resolutions could be carried unless those attending the Conference came bearing some recognised authority that their proposals voiced the sentiments pf their people. He deprecated this introduction bf ' Imperial matters into the* - -hurly-burly, of local politics. Sir Jodeph Waid ridded that he believed that the 'whole trend of' feeling was in the direction of bringing about a stronger position as betwe'eri"' the oversea Dominions and ( the Old Country, for some such movement' was demanded in view of the recent extraordinary development- in the attitude , of England ' and of the great Powers not/ owning oyersea dominions, yet desiring them, This feeling was becoming well developed' iii the British Kingdom. "Whoever may be our future representative at this Conference," confined Sir Joseph, "if he is a wise man he will do as. l have done. He will do the best for tjie outlying countries and for the Mother Country, and do it fearlessly." Sir Joseph, after dealing with the necessity for ratification by the country;' cbheerne'd, added": "But- if* we get 'into the position of sending a representative to the Imperial Conference with his tongue tied we clog him, and make him next door to useless. If the representatives of. the British Government count upon a tongue-tied conference wo might as well abandon this Imperial Conference, and go on in the old way.: There are great dveelopmcnt** ahead /that must be met.' It' is impossible for the Old Country and other countries to go on building fleets of battleships without calculating what the consequences will be to 'their oversea dominions. These oversea countries, which' """Aifill gradually acquire ' ehot'mpuf populatiPil'sj will have to be consulted before being plunged into a war. Who ever represents New /Zealand at the Con ference," "he proceeded, "must bo pro teefced fronTi We? Maine expressions thai fall from some"' public men whose chiei idea is to .depreciate me in public life, in order that they might gain a wav< of antipathy to me on that account. Every man at -tlie 'Imperial Conferepc< P|id thi compliment* of saying that ' was a'^'real li*ve man — (applause) — anc > ;that I gave. them a great deal more wori ''"tb do than 'all the rest put together."