SPEECH BY THE COLONIAL TREASURER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 230, 23 November 1900, Page 3

SPEECH BY THE COLONIAL TREASURER.

Invbrcabgull, November 22. Mr. Ward, speaking at the banquet last night at the said that the Islands recently acquired would be irrevocab,y joined to New Zealand. The movement was national, and, along with the- Federation of Fiji, would be the great lever inditing Australia to agree to reciprocity. It would add greatly to New Zealand's prestige. He had that evening received a cable from the Imperial Government stating they had accepted the tender for the Pacific cable, whereby instead of paying the high tariff of 4s 6d per werd, a message of 10 words could be sent at 2s 6d per word, thus affording facilities which would be a great boon to merchants and farmers. There was no country in the world which had done what New Zealand would do by inaugurating on January Ist; at one stroke a universal penny post. As showing the prosperous state of the colony he mentioned there were twenty milium of the people's savings in the Banks of the colony, a sum that was almost incredible in view of the population of three-quarters of a million. He announced that the Government would invite tenders from ship owners far a two years service, calling at five colonial ports, and at least three in South Africa to open up trade, He was loudly cheered at the finish.