The Daily News MONDAY, MAY 4. BRITAIN AND THE COLONIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 113, 4 May 1908, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, MAY 4. BRITAIN AND THE COLONIES.

.Many years ago nu organisation known as Hie Empire League, with Lord Koscbcry nt the Jk'hil ol n, was brought iiuo existence in England, the main object of which was to draw closer the bonds siibsi-tinjj between the colonies ami ilia Alotheriand. Essays on the subject were invited. From the character ot the i',:.ay.- lo which ]iiizes were awarded, and Iroiu the general tone of tile s|>rcche, deinered, it was madv apparent that the Empire Eeagn v n j not di-p".»ed to lend its i-vuiilviitiuv (o the iuiliiitioii ol any new aids to imitv: that. m. far as the League was coiKTrned, I lie binding proccs. should be si ridly limited io -entiiueiilal ,tull nbniii 10v,.. lirolhcrlioc.,l, lies , U id lioiul„ of <■'!"ivut-aI existence anil more or le,s i't|iiivncallv e\presse,l. 'file rnp,., of "'iiliial admiration and love by which ii proposed lo bind an Empire into cohesion, proved, however, ill-iillieientl, -irony. i„ Uecp ~ven so small a bodv a., the League together, and it praeticallv dropped to |i..:ies.

Tin- Boer war startled U„. colonies. ' I'lomptly they <-;unc with offers of mil !■> the Motherland. They sent their sons- their rieliest. and noblest slon—-to-the Held. That war drew th 0 coininert and the Motherland together a.s only a groat trial could. Then it occurred'to statesmen of the colonies that the Boer war was only an. initiatory experience; that great England's quarrel--with whom or whatever it might be—was their quarrel; and that under similar circumstances the people of the colonies would demand that they should lie allowed to do the .-ame again. England and the colonies were one in Empire, and should lie one in every sense. The difficulty in the way of being one was represented by their widely divergent - ill-principle customs tariffs, and as there wa.~ no hope of England giving way on the question of free-trad e whilst the colonies were equally lirmly committed to protection, the dilliculty appeared insuperable. However, the statesmen of the colonic* would do wliat thev could; m their customs tariff they would secure to England a stibstantiafprcference. At til,, time the question of granting preference was raised there did not appear I the shadow of a hope that the people of the Motherland would ever abandon the principle of free-trade; the colonics I here lore proposed to give a considerable advantage without the slightest expectation of receiving anything in return. The representatives of the colonies, al the Imperial Conference held in Lmihm in IIKI2. at which the leprescnlaihc of New Zealand phi veil an important part. captured the sympathies of Mr. Cham berlain. lie declared for fiscal reform so that the advances made bv the colonies should be reciprocated." and since thai moment 11, ( . movement lor liseil reform in England seems f„ hav,. none onward, gaining ground daily. ,\l' the general election two years ago only a few -lone, of (he foundation of the'ediliee to ari-e ill the future had been laid; '•el. in Hi,, verv short period which had elapsed -in,-., (he declaration of Mi. t' ! ' lierlain Ihe movement had (leveloped so prodigiously that it was claimed I tint the real Usui' at the bottom of the | election was (he question of Hie (011t lima in- of free trade. II was md so. I'alfoiir administration, hence Hie debacle. Believing that the'people ol England are at heart indis-olublv allaehed lo free trade, the Liberals 'have been seeking to make a stalking horse of the question. If free trade ha* been the issue fought at the live-elections which have taken place recently, then the result shows very badly, for the of free trade. Since the year began. MidDevon. Hereford. Worcester, Hastings, and Manchester have returned Opposition candidate-, and it is the Liberals who declare that Hie seals haw been won on the i-sue of fiscal reform. In other three bv-elections - in on- of which Mr. Waller liuiiciiuan. a Minister of the ( rown. was returned the Liberal- won by gu-atly reduced majorities, showing that public feeling is changing, and changing rapidly. Al the Mailcliivlel' elect inn Ihe successful candidate was not, a strong advocate for fiscal reform, and there lire grouuiL for believing that the Education Hill and the Licensing liill of the (Jovermnent afforded considerations that weighed heavily, yet. it is Mr. Churchill who declares thai inaiiv Cnionist free traders voted for him. and thai the result is a bitter and crushing blow to the cause of free trade. Ilelieve a* we may in the principle of free trade as the right and mo-t successful policy for llriliiin there is no getting awav from the fact thill free trade has not the hold over the people of Britain that it had a few years hack, and that the movement initialed by Mr. Chamberlain for a close constitutional union and fiscal reciprocily between the colonic., and the Motherland lV gnllicriii" considerable force.