A FORECAST OF THE TWENTYFIRST CENTURY.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 110, 23 March 1897, Page 4

A FORECAST OF THE TWENTYFIRST CENTURY.

The Hon. YV. V. Reeves, Agent-General for New Zealand, speaking at BrowuiDghall Social Settlement, Walworth, in connection with the half-yearly distribut:on of prizes of the I'lea.saut Sunday Afternoon Brotherhood, gave an address on "The British Empire in the middle of the Twenty-lirst Century." He said he wished them to regard his address not so much as a prophecy, but as the thoughts of a dreamer. About the year 2,050 the British Empire would not be extinct, but flourishing enormously. .Sections would be found all over the world, united in one friendly federated union. Local matters would be tcttkd in local parliaments, but important questions would be discussed in the British Imperial Federation Council, which would have taken the place of our House of Commons. Unlike the latter, however, and notwithstanding the increased responsibility, it would consist of not more than 100 members. It would not always meet in England, but sometimes in different parts of the colonies, and now and again, as an honoured privilege, in New Zealand. The present great question of the Imperial defence would be settled, and ancient, barbarous, and blocdy warfare would not be thought oi by any sensible nation. The great military and naval Powers of the Continent would be federated with us for the purposes of arbitration. By that time few nations would remain unfederated, so that those in the union would only require each to keep up a small military and naval power, so that taxpayers would not be burdened in this respect. International arbitration was a difficult matter to carry out, but just as clever men now devoted themselves to the science of warfare, they would then devote their time to the science of peiee. There would also be L'ourts of arbitration for internal matters, so that there would be no strikes or lock-outs The idea of one man being able to turn 1000 others into the streets to starve, or of 1000 leaving work because of a quarrel with the one, would never be dreamt of.