WHO IS SIR ALFRED MILNER?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6593, 19 September 1899, Page 4

WHO IS SIR ALFRED MILNER?

MR CHAMBERLAIN'S ANSWER. In the course of a speech in the British House of Commons on July 28, Mr Chamberlain paid a great tribute to the ability of the High Commissioner for South Africa. He said : — " And here let me pause for a moment. Who is Sir Alfred Milner? Sir Alfred Milner, one of the most distinguished of the Civil Servants of the Crown, a man who has been equally successful in a great office at home and in a responsible position in Egypt, wa^ selected by the Government with, I venture to say, the unanimous assent of tin's country expressed by the leaders of the Opposition as well as by the Ministerial supporters. He was chosen by us as specially marked out for this most difficult, this most responsible^ position of Governor of the Cape, of High Commissioner .of the Queen, because of his great ability, his cool judgment, his unfailing tact, his impartial m*nd ; and now it is not open to those who recognised those great qualities in him two years ago, now that he has had two years' experience of South Africa, now that he has brought an absolutely impartial judgment to bear upon the questions submitted to him, to treait him as a prejudiced partisan because his conclusions do not agree with theirs. It is not creditable that they should begin to revile him as soon as they find he counsels a policy which they are not at the moment prepared to support. . . . We selected Sir Alfred Milner, we sent him out because we believed that he was the best man to deal with this difficult question, and now that he is there, in the midst of intrigue and hatred, we intend to support him. We have confidence in his judgment, wo accept his general conclusions,, we take full responsibility for all that he has done."