THE PREMIER AND AN AUSTRALIAN CRITIC.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 104, 30 May 1885, Page 6

THE PREMIER AND AN AUSTRALIAN CRITIC.

', There has been considerable newspaper comment upon an article in the " Sydney " Morning Herald," signed "D," which strongly animadverts upon a memorandum forwarded by Mr Stout to the AgentGeneral on the 19th March last regarding 1 what the Government had done in reference to Samoan matters, and the authorship of the article in question has been attributed to Mr Dalley, AttorneyGeneral and Acting Colonial Secretary of N.S.VV. It may as well be said at once that those best acquainted with Mr Dallay are not of opinion that Mr Dalley was the author of that article, and pressmen having knowledge of Australian journalism are quite aware that c D," of the "Sydney Morning Herald," is an ex-clergyman, and is identical with "Bayard" and the Sydney correspondent of the "Australasian." This correspondent being a gentleman of orthodox views, has naturally a strong antipathy to Mr Stout, and when the latter was in Australia some years ago, " Bayard " made a bitter attack on Mr Stout on the occasion of the delivery of his lecture in Sydney, on the subject of "Inspiration." Those who have read the article by "D" in the "Sydney Morning Herald M on Mr Stout's memo, re Samoa will have perceived an unfair bias through the article, a personal bias at that, and it is easy to fix the author of the article in the " Sydney Morning Herald " of the 2nd May as the author of the article in the "Australasian" of August 25, 1883, if only from the similarity n Btyle, Mr Stout's memo, made no attack on New South Wales whatever. What was said about that colony was based upon the official records of the colony, and ther does not appear in the published memo., which you have probably seen, any desire on the part of the Premier to pick a quarrel with New South Wales, as affirmed by "D." The portion of the memo, which seems to have roused the ire of the " Sydney Morning Herald's " correspondent has reference to certain telegrams sent by Mr Stout to the Premiers of the Australasian colonies. The telegram, with Mr Stout's remarks, was as follows : — "Have received a message from our Agent-General that probably a proposal will be made by Germany to give up claims to New Guinea in exchange for Samoa. We protest most strongly against this proposal, and hope you will also instruct your Agent-General to do so, as if carried out the control of the Central Pacific will vest in Germany." The Hon. Mr Service replied that he had instructed the Victorian Agent-General to heartily support New Zealand in protesting against any such exchange, and he added that in his opinion it was deplorable that such a thing should ever have been thought of. From South Australia we received an i assurance of general agreement with Vic- I toria and New Zealand. The Queensland | Government instructed their Agent-General ■ to make an urgent l'epresentation to the Secretary of State for the Colonies that it ' was of the greatest importance that effect should be given to the resolutions passed by the Convention,and that any further departure from these resolutions with respect to the New Hebrides^ Samoa, and Tonga would cause much dissatisfaction to the Australian colonies. The reply of Hon. Mr Dalley was: " Have received no official information of German proposals concerning 1 Samoa, and deem it premature to protest -. upon a rumour, but if the report be true, we are unable to agree with your view of the situation." " This reply of New South Wales seemed to us, to say the least, very s peculiar, considering how we helped the Australian colonies with regard to New Guinea, after our agreeing to pay our share

of the £5,000 required for the purpose of the : New Guinea protectorate. You are.jvell aware that the acquisition of New Guinea ' by Great Britain was of little or no import-. . ance to New Zealand from a trade point of view, or indeed from any other, save as regards keeping the Pacific free from European complications. In their effects, however, in this respect, as well as in some others, New South Wales seems to stand aloof, and we trust that if this matter , should be mentioned again, you , will very clearly point out to the Colonial Office that the acquisition of Samoaandtheother islands of the Central Pacific is of as much moment to New Zealand as the possession of any part of New Guinea can be to Australia." Beyond this, there is nothing about New South Wales in this memo., and it will be seen that upon a relation of the facts on the subject, there is no misrepresentation or attempt to pick a quarrel with the sister colony.