LORD RANFURLY AND THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7292, 3 January 1902, Page 2

LORD RANFURLY AND THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

a <■ " THE RIGHT MAN IN THE RIGHT J'IACE." (By STAFFORD RANSOME, .in the " Pall Mall Gazette.") The urgent request of the New Zealand Government that Lord Ranfurly shall be •retained as Governor of that colony should have the serious consideration of our Colonial Department. Lord Ranfurly took office in 1897, and: consequently his time is nearly expired. Habit, etiquette, or -whatever one likes to xall it, prescribes that only in very exceptional, almost Dick Whdttingtonian, circumstances shall the term of a Colonial Governor be prolonged beyond the regulation period. It is to be sincerely hoped, however, that the force of these particular circumstances will be found sufficiently strong to loosen the red-tape lashings which hamper, the actions of our Colonial Office. Lord Ranfurly' is the right man. in the right place as Governor of New Zealand, and as for the next few years the political atmosphere in that colony is likely to be somewhat heavily charged, it would* be a grave error of judgment to remove a capable man just now. A short time ago, when Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand were divided into seven independent. colonies, the appointing of Governors on the square peg and round hole principle was not likely to be productive of such bad results as to-day ; for not one of those seven communities was sufficiently strong in itself to raise questions of such, importance to the Empire as to necessitate the presence of first-class representatives to deal with them. The functions of a Governor of one or other of these colonies, though the position was an exalted one, were by no means analogous to thoso of the Governors who have charge of certain of our possessions, in which the British representative; aided by a local Council, makes his own laws and is an active administrator. Since Western Australia ceased to be a Crown Colony in 1890, eveTy one ci these colonies ha*? had its full machinery of self-government, and the last thing that the people have expected of their Governor was that he should govern them. In the eyes of the Australians and New Zealanders a complacent and hospitable figurehead- was what they looked for. rather than a politician, and a Governor who, like Mr W. S, Gilbert's House of Lords, "did nothing in particular, and, did it very well," was accounted a good iman as corapared with the one who had a tendency to teach them how to " run their political shew." Especially did they dislike the untactful Governor. Such, for instance, as lie who not so very long ago told the people of New South Wales, by .way of paying them a compliment, that he had nopes that they would' live down their convict taint, or words to tiiat effect. Now, however, that Federation has converted the five Australian colonies and Tasmania into a nation- with a. rapidly-growing population, now numbering over four millions, a people having definite aims, andi a determination to have a voice, not only in the wording of the Empire, 'but also in the affairs of the world, the position of Gover-nor-General is one whioh would tax the ability of the strongest of politicians. ■ LORD HOPETOUN. The appointment of Lord Hopetoun aa. Governor-General of Australia has met witl-*' universal approval at 'home and in the colonies. I was in Australia at the time of the appointment, and in touch I with politicians of all shades of opinion and with people in every walk of life. The general enthusiasm oil hearing of the appointment 'was only surpassed by the magnificence of Ihis reception on .arrival out there. The Australiams just now are more than ordinarily in sympathy with the Mother Country, and yet we find that they are already framing laws which give ground for alarm to the more timorous of our Home politicians. It is not that their legislation is anti-British, for, strange to say, their measures err on the side of being too British for Greo* Britain. The fact is, the Australians have not yet abs&rbed into their system that wholesome fear of treading on ihe foreigner's corns which may be said to be the keynote- o! much of out modern British policy. • The disposition of the Federal Government to pass through hasty and sweeping legislation, which will clash with arrangements made' between Great Britain amd other nations, oreates a danger which will demand a v<ery firm amd delioate diplomacy if we are not to damage Australian Imperialism, or convert her enthus^asm into an anti-British feeling. Lord Hopetoun has been entrusted with the task of evolving a workable scheme, 'by curbing the impetuosity of inexperienced Australia, so as to permit the British policy* of diffident timidity to keep pace with it. His work will he heavy in the extreme, and it is only fair to him that the Colonial Offices. should, where possible, remove from his path -any obstacles that are likely to hamper him. It is for this reason that; it is imperative to avoid friction in the conduct of affairs in New Zealand, for the politics and interests of the two coloniesave so interwoven that political complicatior.n in the one must necessarily affect »'■•: other. ..SW ZEALAND AND FEDERATION. New Zealanders know and believe in Lord Ranfurly, as Australians know and . believe in Lord Hopetoun ; but while New Zealand is a comparatively small place, the part she will play in Australasian politics during the next few years will be a large one. Politics in New Zealand are strangely complex, and the federating of Australia has not simplified them. Racially, geographically, strategically, industrially, and to a, great extent politically, the interests of Australia and New Zealand are identical, and' it is obvious that in measure as Australia increases in importance, so' the incentive to bring New Zealamd into that Federation which has absorbed the other colonies will be strengthened. The next few years will doubtless settle this matter in one form or another, and that is why the Governorship of New Zealand is so important a matter just now. It is well to point out here that although there was a good deal of talk in England, Australia, and New Zealand about bringing New Zealand into the Federation at its birth, there never was any real intention of doing so. QSie British public did not care whether New Zealand joined or not. The one idea of the Australians was to get Federation through in one form or another without loss of time by unnecessary complications. The one idea of New Zealand was to see how Australia would get along under the new system before making any overtures on the subject. "We are going to see what sort of tariffs the Australians will impose., and how they work, before we commit ourselves," said the Premier of New Zealand to me. " Ihe day must come," *he added, "when we shall be closely allied with the Australian Federation. I believe in the principle, but we liave nothing to gain by it at the present stage,^ as we shall be able to get better term.- later on." These negotiations will require delicate handling ; it is therefore of importance that, when they come on, the British representative should be one who knows New Zealand thoroughly. A stranger, however oapable, would have to set himself \o study an intricate subject, which the present Governor already has at his fingers' ends. Time would be lost, and mistakes made, which would not be likely to occur under the present regime. One of the great qualifications of Lord Ranfurly is his capacity for holding his own with "King; Richard" Seddon, that autocratic Premier of our most democratic colony. Their co-operation in aQ matters has been most successful, and they understand each other's methods. Last year, it will be remembered, /they did a little Em-pire-building on their own account by '

hoisting the British flag on ten islands in the Pacific, mostly in the Cook Group. I had the pleasure of meeting them both on the return of Lord Ranfurly from hi_ tour of annexation. Though New Zealand and Great Britain did not think alike on all matters connected with these new possessions, there can be no doubt as to the entente cordiale which existed between the Governor, and the local Government. Lord Ranfurly shares with Sir W. F. D. Jervois, who held office between 1883 and 1888, the record of being the most practical and popular of New Zealand Governors, and it is said that his capacity for" 1 hard work is unlimited. It is therefore to be hoped that the Government will *cc their way to retain him in his present capacity through the difficult political period which is just, now coming on in Australasia* ■»