The Taranaki Herald. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10. THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13320, 10 November 1906, Page 4

The Taranaki Herald. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10. THE NEW HEBRIDES.

. In connection with .the New Beb-. ? rides Convention, which has' now been issued in London as a FarHameufcary 'paper, a striking and important admission is lniad^e by the/ London Times when it says that * 'the-. Imperial authorities committed a grave error at the 'beginning of the year in. 'agreeing to vhold a joint, conference on the New Hebrides question without Australia. . „ . . The conduct of negotiations" without Australia was' wrong 'in principle." The same paper expresses^ the. hope that at tlci3 Imperial Conference in April', Mr Beakin will not waste time in recrimination, but will devote.

his energies to insisting on the creation of some permanent means of communication- between the Corrwnonwealth and the Foreign Office, with a view to preventing a recurrence of a similar sacrifice of Australian interests and aspirations. It is unnecessary for us here to discuss the terms of the -Convention or io recall the circumstances which led up to it. Suffice it to say that Australia and' Now Zealand—particularly the former — considered they' had- a right to be consulted in the matter, while the Imperial Government' ihajde the Convent/ion with France practically, without giving us a chance to urge objections. According to Mr Deakin's. version, and this is, not now disputed, the Imperial authorities submitted to the Commio<nwealth authorities a copy of the Convention, intimating 1 , however, that it must be "accepted or rejected as it stood. It could not be revised. Mr Deakin and Sir Joseph Ward, after consultation, jointly informed the Tmperial Government thai, not having been consulted during the negotiations, and some suggest-ed amendments not being accepted, and being

unable at this distance to judge eithoi the possibility of obtaining theso alr.ea'dtments or of .estimati'ttg the risks in regard to further delay, they had no option excep^o"' *'ie*ave the whoh • . •' i'- j— - i'. r}.*responsibility wH'h.his Majesty's Go vernimcnt. . The^nsj&t , thing they heai-'u was that "thei- : Cpny;ention had. been

signed, and that" Australia and New Zealand had been fully consulted whilu the mat ter ■ f was in progress. The latter, is. a mere incident which hja> be passed over. . as* -a misunderstanding on the' part' o.f Mr Winston Churchill, Under •'Secretary 1 for the Colonies. The Convention t has completed and is, we suppose, irrevocable .for the present.' But-'^ood may- -arise out of the dispute.^ ■We have, already the Times' admission that the principle of conducting" the negotiations without -Aus-tralia-was wrong^ aii'tl this will be a great /help, ,to our representatives at the - Conference next« year in securing

lha colonies against similar treatmen. en a future occasion. It might not have been possible to have varied the leading- provisions of the Convention very .much, Hhuitg-h in some rcspoctc it seems ih he admitted that mistakes were made wKich might have been avoided with Australia's advice ',■■*•'' ' V> J ~^ and assis-tanflo. • -At any rate Auatra lia would ha\'e had the chance of urging ftcr objections .more strenuous

ly, and posaiblV her representatives might have cojme to see that there were conditions surrounding the ques tion~ wfinch, must riss' superior to local conditions as'^ljeween the Common \w,alih, and,.,. the New Hebrides. The Morning Post \s probably quite right when it states that Australian think ers sec the "'Tocat- 'inconvenience of joint control in the New Hebrides, but find it dhficujt to appreciate tho much mote important ..problem of Britain's relations with the' Great Powers, who are'^much nearer England than 'the New* Hebrides a\e to Australia, In our.^ersonal .life, in local politics, -and . jn 1 colond^ polities, , it is, , a common' experience with most of us that at times' minor considerations have U

be subordinated to greater onos, that we -have to give way to {he other, side •in some master in order thai' w* may> have our , .-way. another. ; Every politician will tell us that politics ar< a compromise, 'I^ial» points 'must be conceded in bno^a^eGtign ' if .they are to bo --gain-eel- in^an^Efcer, and that in the process sp'fneono , has materially to suffer for th& good of the greater.

number. It is- the same iif. international and world politics. Australia and New Zealand? being a portion o the great Britisn Empire,' must be prepared, to make some sacrifice occasionally in order ; that other parts of,the Empire may not be more, deeply injured. If 'they are not prepared to do that there is* an alternative— mak : ing their own baVgains when matters are in dispute "with foreign Powers. Then the question would arise wh«-

ther we could do better for ourselves

than the Empire, , can do Jorus. To that there canobe only- one.^answer. Therefore ;we-must be prepared to ,apcept~the evil witk tiife r SQocLr attdput up " with- \ Jiiponi^jSl^ice 1 " ' rn'-bne direc tion to' gain in another. AH the s-airiie, the compjrment of consultatior with our ' representatives 'in matters, like the New Hebrides Convention would, aba deeply appreciated.

His bei»g the only nomination received Mr OF. H. Parker has been elected to the seat on fre Borough Council .recen% vacated by Mr W. b. Brooking. The lucky drawer J&* £26el div^ dend.oni^ Rouble Star Rose and Captain Shannon, .was Mr J. Heslop, of Jbliaiawa. before the races were decided he presented, a Kaft aterest in the ticket t6'iSrMci;''Dowie, junior.

Very ho a vy rain fell here yesterday morning, effectually spoiling ibe holi, day.'-fflba afternoon was very .cold. This morning at 9 o'clock the i«mper ; ature w*s 54 degrees in *c .abode and the barometric read ng tfU.ucs.

Ai a meeting ©f.tlw Dunedin 'Anglican Diowsam Synod, H was resolved that a research Board of tWogical studies be reconstitute as a 'faculty oi '-theology, and be empowered by the General Synod to conduct examinations i-n theology and to confer xxpcm pwsons duly qualified /degrees of BaOh^lo^ Master, and Doctor in Theology. > * ■

Messrs' Common.. Sheltomand Co., Gftfpxmae', haw itfodved 'the MBlPtwing ' communication relative to fires oh wopjL-ships,- from /their Londcm. a-gents : — iWe fafok -bhe^inatter up wrth the welMtnown chemist for the Royal Agricuitiiral Sbciety/ V Dr. V. A. Volck^r, and. sufoimitted two samples of daan-•ag-acl ' wool and.- one of .undamaged. Both 1 the daitvaged lots had fcieen^ trnnto'l with liwjo. f T>r. Voider «ny»'M .belie-yes the whole trouble isdu&to the treatment the wools undergo wßih tbe lime process, being turned out tooquickly and not thoroughly dry. j

A Sydney . Vancouver ' mail despatch of 2nd October arrived in London on the morning of Sth inst.

All unclaimed dishes from tho Fire Brigade ball can be h-ad at Messrs Bellringer Bros. London Hospital Sunday fund benefits by half a million sterling undei the lats ]\lr Hemng's will. The holiday ; \vas smccessful in Nel son. At Greymoiit'i the weather was glorious. '"'"','

The recent rains have' brought dow. two large slips o'-i the seaward sidt of the Govcr-strect bridge across tbe railway deviation. A Nev York cable states tfet President Roosevelt us aboard the battleship Louis/ana, proceexKn^ to Panama..

Tihe Taranaki County Council has been informed that a loan of £2500 is available for the reconstruction ;of the bridge over the Waiwakaiho River in Devon Road.

The Rtoads Department has asvised iita Tairanaki County Council that a £l for £1 ni-bsidy .totwlLnj £IVS is available for expenditure on the Oabura brifdge approadhes. Tenders for t/ho\work will be called this month-. In the Arbitration Court, Wellington, fines- of £5 each were imposed on C. Smith, Duncan, ami Mdntosh, D.T.C, and W-alah and Co. for totroaches of the tailors' -award. For underpiaymrnt iS. Siogel (employer) was fined £o, ami J. M. Steincr (eanployee) 10/.

Thy F-'ecretary of the United Frk-n ly Societies' picnic Comanfttee has received ; word from the District Traffic? Manager (Mr W. Stringloman-) lliat the train asked for for the New Year's Day picnic, to be heid ai Sentry Hill, has {been granted, ' and that Uhe time-table will be fixed to -suit the Committee's requirements as soon as possible, bill, owing to the great iruiuber of fixtures to be held on that iay, th^, coi'rect time-table will not be available until all the events are fixed up. The Committee will meet shortly to make complete ar rangemerits for the great .event, when ■a good sports pr.ogro.mnie will be drawn up. Mr Sxumpson isiiaving tho running trade fix^d up, and runners and cyclists at , Sentry Hill arc training hard. The Secretary has prdered " sJxteeK hundred tickets only, but is making arrangements -with the Stationtmasfcer at New Plymouth for a further 400 tickets, as at least 2000 people are expected to travel to Sentry Hill on New Year's Day.' * J Applications ,are imlited in this issue for the position of Inspector of Itf ac'hinery. ' The Military Band's concert advertised to be lieM in. ;' the 7 Recreation Grom-nds- to-morrow, (Sunday) . afternoon is unavoidably postponed. Low prices are very rioutrisning to a slip pocket-book. No matter what price b*oot you bxty at MdEwon Bros.' you are sure to "make a saving. There, .is ;nOt, a -dine 'of" 'boots in their store that is. a^t substantially cut in price.* ■ Mr W. J. Maswi'cks, D.5.0.A., Ophthalmic Optician (by exam.), who •has-ib'acn on a visit to the \Ghristohurch Exhi'brtdon, returned to .New Plymouth yesterday, en , rioute ' to' 'Auclila/nd, and, as notified in our advertis-ins; columns, may fc'e consulted at W. Roberts', jeweller, New Plymouth. Mr Massicks is well known to Auoklai?ders, having made a special- study of his profess s on at tbe Aoiclvl-and 'University. * '

One 'of those opportunities! so dear to the heart of the thrifty -; housewife, 'in the direction of purchasing, groceries -and other necessary commodities at "without! . reserve'" prices, will be afforded on Saturday, 17th inst.; when Mr Newton King will .aviction a large and varied assortment of groceries, crockery, enamel ware, etc., absolutely without reserve,: The sale will be held in the shop lately occupied by Messrs A. J. Clarke" and Co., adjoining Mr Dock-, rill's premises. Full particulars will be f o und in our advertising columns.

A meeting of the W.C.T.U. w,ill be .iiold in ?,the Whiteley,_H a U p,n Wedpesday next,- Noy-embef J4th, at ■ 3 o'clook.—^S. Ambury, Cor. Sec— Advt.

At Whitftley Memorial Church. ! tomorrow the Rev. T. G; Brcolre wi^l be the preacher for the day. In the morning his subject will be The Lord's Prayer, Section V., "Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so on Earth," and in the' evening he will give a character sketch of *'A (Woman that was a Sinner/'— Advt.