THE TRANSVAAL IMPERIAL QUESTIONS.

Colonist, Volume XLVIX, Issue 11812, 17 December 1906, Page 4

THE TRANSVAAL IMPERIAL QUESTIONS.

LORD MILNER'S VIEW. Received December 16, 5 13 p.m. London, December 15. Lord Milner, speaking at Manchester, said that he feared that premature responsible Government in the Transvaal would result in an economic catastrophej which would brand the new Legislature, which was expected to deal with agreeable consciousness, with a policy iiable to Imperial veto. Ihe only hope was that the desperate nature ofj|the situation would sober Transvaal politicians. Personally, he believed the consolidation of the Empire the highest of all political objects. Britain was unable to remain a World Power if she continued to stand alone. To wrongly treat the colonies was the aanie as to wrongly treat a friendly and foreign nation. It would be better to use the growing deßire for Imperial uni.v L r> counteract the formidable foVct-s "f disintegration. He would never ;uigive himself for neglecting to suggest tfcwt the colonies wno co-operated ought to have been consulted Concerning the settlement in South Africa during the period of tutelage. |He hoped Sir fl. C. Bannerman would preside at the Imperial Conference. It was only Britain's reluctance to participate that prevented reciprocal preferential treatment rapidly permeating the Empire, and it would be most unfortunate if Britain's unsympathetic attitude conveyed animpression that the United Kingdom was also averse to any idea of preferential trade between the different parts of the Empire. Mere discouragement might not deter the colonies from continuing preference for British goods, but if the colonies were told "Go your own way we never dreato of closer relations with you than with others" the probable result would be to kill a good deal more than preferential trade. Other nations would gladly accept reciprocal advantages which Britain rejected. The Empire might resist even that strain for a time, but it would be a fatal blunder to try it. l would be an immense step if regular consultations were established bevtween the colonies and the Motherland with a permanent Consultive when the Conference was not sitting.