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Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2811, 26 September 1883, Page 3

JOINT MEMORANDUM OF THE AttHNTS-GENERAL OF THE AUSTRALASIAN COLONIEB TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE SECRETARY OP STATE FOR THE COLONIES, ON THE QTJE3TION OF ANNEXATION. (Concluded.) " THE HBW POIICY PROPOSED. " The twe things we «et ourselves to show, were, firtt, that the Western Pacific Order m Council could never be made adequate to do what is wanted without assuming a jurisdiction hitherto forbidden by Act of Parliament ; and secondly, that the fear of foreign intervention which his existed m Australia was not without warrant. For this purpo*e we hare relied not on assertions of our own but on official records, and wilh hardly an exception have only spoken of events that have happened m the last, three year«. "If we have established thejo two point*, hen the Imperial Government can hardly reject the con.«equence, that the time has comn srhen complete jurisdiction ought to be mumed by England over the Western Picifie, as the only means of meeting the JtfS.-ulties which beset alike the Imperial and the Colonial Governments, and of averting evils which threaten Her Majesty's loyal subjects m all that region. " We have rejoiced to see that such a policy has already received the almost unanimous support of the English Pros". Borne opposition to it is perhaps only naturnl. We are sensible of the repugnance that exists to Iho idea of adding to the already vast responsibilities of England, a new and admittedly immense charge like that of the Western Pacific Islands. Yet it is difficult for anyone to avoid the c inclusion that these islands, unless thuy are meanwhile lost by foreign annexation, will inevitably belong to England m the end. The same impelling power, not of mere desires but of events, which induced ths Imperial Government to do at last m Fiji what they had so often refused, ia constantly at work, and incessantly beinj! renewed and strengthened wilh regard to the Western Pacific. But it was not till Fiji bad become the opprobrium of the Southern Seal that Her Majesty'e Government would interfere. Surely they will not now inflict upon Australasia the hard necessity of waiting till New Guinea also, and perhaps other islands, become Alsatias as dangerous as Fiji once was, scourges to the peaceable subjects of Her Majesty, end a disgrace to civilisation ? For it is vain to think that the trade and intercourao between Australia and New Zealand and these islands can be suppressed. Settlement both English and foreign is spreading m every direction, yet of safety for life and property there is none. The High Commissioner himself has shown that it is quite impossible to do what is wanted by any Order m Conncil capable of being issued under the Act of 1875 : m other words, impossible to do it without assuming the very jurisdiction which it was the purpose of that Aot to forbid. Nor would an International Convention do it, for a convention could only extend to the nationalities concerned, and could not embrac* the natives. England could not claim, m » convention with Foreign Powers, any jurisdiction over the native tribes, without herself asserting over them the same right of dominion as would be asserted by the policy the Colonies are urging upon your Lordsbip : nor could any convention bo made at all, without first acknowledging that Foreign Powers possessed an equal right with England to exercise a right of dominion over natives, an acknowledgment against which every subject of Her Majesty m Australia and New Zealand would unite m making the strongest remonstrance. " The case of New Guinea is very pressing, became whatever powers are given to the High Commissioner, they can, m the nature of things, be even less exeroised there than m any of the other islands. Now Guinea is m such close proximity to Queensland, that whatever is done there must affect Queensland more than anything that is done m the other islands could affect the rest of Australia or New Zealand. All the trade of Queensland with England and India by steam passe* through Torres Straits ; regular steam communication is now established there ; it is really indispensable not only that the Straits should be free to navigation, but that there should be no risk of a Foreign Power establishing a naval station there. Adventurous men are occupying portions of Ibe New Guinea coastline, and irregular settlement is ouro to take place more and more. What has so often happened will happen again. Failing the colonisation of the great island under proper authority, adventurers will flock there who will neither show regard for the native inhabitants, nor bo under any restraint among themselves ; the evils and danger! which existed m Fiji will repeat themselves, only on a larger scale, and Queensland, of all the AusI traliai, will suffer from them the most. This has been stated over and over again, m speeches m both Houses of the Imperial i Parliament, by the Governments and Legis- , latures of Australasia, by the Royal Colonial Institute, and by private persons of high rank ■ and experience m affairs, till we ara almost ashamed to repeat it ourselves j yet it must , be repeated, for the danger is not far off and a pretence, but imminent and a reality. Surely ' the Imperial Government cannot continue lo » refuse so reiterated an appeal ? But if, fearing i the responsibility of assuming authority over • a vast and inaccessible region of mountains t and forests peopled by several millions of ■ savages, the Imperial Government finally i determine not to take full jurisdiction over r all New Guinea east of 143deg., we trust that il the same objection will not apply against ,3 establishing law and order along the coast A where settlement is now extending. Let o it at least oxitt over the fringe of the southern coast-line for the present, at t was done the other day on the West n Coast of Africa, No Aot of the Imperial

Parliament ii necessary for this purpose, because Her Majesty baß the same right now to assume jurisdiction over tho southern coastline of the island, as sho had to assume it when the ieUnds m Torres Straits were annexed ; and if it were deemed more convenient, (ho tamo process as whb ad'ipleti then might be adopted now, of giving power by Letters Patent to the Governor of Queensland to declare by proclamation that certain portions of the coaet-lino of New Guinea should bo annexed, under such conditions as it might be thought fit to prescribe. "Wo have referred to tho irregular settloment that is even now taking place. We must with all respect remonstrato against the doctrino laid down by the High Commissioner on tha New Guinea question m 1878, whon he 'formally and emphatically declared that tb» Imperial Government disclaimed all obligation to protect or interfere on behalf of persons voluntarily plocing themselves m positions of danger m a savage country, and that those who entered on such enterprises must do 10 at their own risk and peril.' It is certainly not by colonists who huve founded communities on thfl other side of tho world whose trade already exceeds m volume tho whole foreign trade of England at the accession of Queen Victoria, that this doctrino will ever be acquiesced m. It wai bj ' voluntarily ' placing themsolves m danger' that English adventurers built up our Indian and 0 >lonial Empire, and created a commerce which now i» numbered by hundreds of millions overy yesr: nor is the colonising spirit which has done that work rap»ble of being extinguished by the knowledge that the enterprise of foundirg new settlements involves risk «nd peril. Hut at least it may bo said that if the Imperiil Government was not to interfere on behalf of English settlers, it should not interfere against them. It eurely can never be contended that m elaborate scheme of government was to be invented, whoee sole object should be to punish i subject of the Queen for any wrong ho might commit, while it denied him redress for any wrong that he might suffer. •'imperial intebesT also concbbned. "So f»r wo may perhaps be said to have urged points that specially affect Colonial nterests, or at aDy rate do not clcsoly touch Imperial ones. This may be truo so long a) Europe is at peace ; but tho Imperial interest would spring up the moment any war broke jut whioh involved England m hostilities with m European Power. The Imperial Government hava called upon tho Colonies to do their part m (he defence of thfir own harbors. und our Governments hava not only acknowledged they had a duty m that respect, but are doing their best to fulfil it. They feel that they have a right to ask m return, that the task shall not be moro difficult for them than the Imperial Government can help, n-id that they shall not be exposed to the creation of fortified naval stations and places d'armct m the Pacific, which should shelter an enemy's fleet and threaten their commerce, their coal measures, and even their safety. The nation will never permit tint her naval supremacy m the Pacific shall bo endangered: and it can hardly be contested that if Franco and other European Powers created now naval stations m tl:o islands, the existing oocditions m all that ocean would be changed, and everything relating to Her Majesty's Auitralian squadron assume a new aspect and i new importance. "COKCEBT BSTWEEK TUB IMPEBIAt AND COLOXIAL GOVERNMENTS. " But while we have thus represented what the Australian Colonies bolicve ought to be 3one by the Imperial Government, they are ilso ready to ncknowlertgo what they ought :o do themselves. Your LorJahip stated m ;he House of Lords, lint if anything was to jo done, it roust be done either by the i Imperial Government itself, or by the Australian Colonies acting tegother m" concert, or >y the Imperial and Colonial Governments i jombined : and we assure your Lordship that )ur Governments will hail with the greatest i latiVaetion such an in»it»tion to thorn to co- i jpera'e with tho Imperial authority. Thero | ire tw> immediate ways m which tho Colonies :nn give their co-operation : by contributing :o the cost of the policy they aro asking your Lordship to pursue, and by placing themlelves m a position to act m union with eacli jther and m concrrt with you. " As regards tho first, whatever differences there wore when Lori Carnarvon mado his propotal of 1876, there are none now. The Viciorian Parliament has already passed an Address, assuring Her Mnjesty that Victoria, will Blme m the cost of tho policy which is being urged;upon your Lordship j the Queensland Government has assured your Lordship af its readiness to do the same j and the : Dther Colonies will also do their part. But it does not need for us to remind your Lnrti- ' ship that no Ministries ran engage for the payment of indefinite sums, and that the assont of our legislatures to grants of money < mutt be expressed m the usual way. Permanent appropriation will certainly "be necessary ; and for this not only time is required, but consultation among the Governments, arrangement of the respective contributijns of tho Colonies, and the pasting of the requisite votes ; m the meanwhile, the firit point for vi to know is the amount which tho Imperial Government would zvquire to be provided for whatever action is contemplated by your Lordihip. " As regards the other quoit ion of conoertsd action between the Imperial and Colonial Governments, your Lordship expreised your opinion to ns at our interview with you m the clearest terms, and repeated it m the House of Lords. ' If,' you said, ' the Australian peoplo desire an extension beyond their present limits, the most practical step that they could take, the ono that would moit facilitate any operation of tha kind, and diminish m the greatest degree the re»ponsibilities of the mother country, would be the confederation of, tho Colonies into ono united whole, which would be powerful enough to undertake and carry through tasks for which no one oolony is at present sufficient.' The large question of Federation which your Lordship has hero raised, is one on which ths Colonies have Dot mads np their. minds, and is one of too grave moment to be decided even under the sway of tho strong feelings whioh now exist among them respecting the policy that ought to be pursued m the Western Pacific. But there is nothing to provent concerted action at once with tho Imperial Government for that particular policy ; and wo acknowledge that your Lordship may justly require not only such concerted action, but joint engagements on the part of the Colonial Governments for tho permanence and stability of the policy itself. This too, requires time, consultation among our Governments, and probably legislation also ; at any rate concurrent Reiolutions m the respective Colonial Assemblies. On the other hand, the Colonies will not imagine that your Lordship has invited them to a co-operation which is to be barren of results : and our Governments will feel assured that if they on their part pasa the requisite appropriations, and combine for that concert with the Imperial Government whioh is necestary for any policy to succeed, they may rely upon the policy itself being adopted, and effect being given at least to the wishes which they have cherished for more than thirty years. In once more urging these wishes on Her Majesty's Government, they havo not come as supplicants for some light favor, but as Englishmen to whom their country has given a great destiny which must bo kept fiom harm j desiring no new territories for themsolves, but asking that the Queen's subjocts may enjoy the bloisinga of peace and order where now the law ha» no terrors for the evil-doer j not seeking by a clearer policy to Bet new burdens on the English taxpayer, but willing themselves to bear its coil ; and welcoming with gladness an invitation to be associated with tho Imperial Government m a work which, must assuredly be dono one day, and can as certainly be best done now. " We have, &c, I " Saul Samces, "F. D. Bbm,, "Thomas Ahoheb, "E. Mtjbbay- Smith. " The Bight Honorable the Earl of Derby, Hor Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, &c, &0., &c."