COLONIALS AT HOME.

West Coast Times, Issue 10531, 15 July 1897, Page 3

COLONIALS AT HOME.

[Per United Press Association.] London, July 13. Gladstone spoke N freely and with ease upon the Colonial problems on the occasion of the visit of the Premiers at Hawarden on Saturday. He applauded Lord John Russell:* efforts in securing responsible Government for tho Colonies in spite of the difficulties of the traditional Colonial Offioo policy, which was based on the. belief that the Colonies required to be administered by. force. He said he watched the career of Reid with the greatest interest, and warmly congratulated him npon tho success of the fiscal policy. He hoped JS T ew South Wales would remain true t:> that policy. He also spoke in terms of approval of the fiscal policy of Laurier. was entertained at a banquet in " London. Lord Selborne presided. The company, which was a distinguished one, numbered two hundred. Reid, in replying to the toast of his health, said representatives lof the Colonies in the Imperial Parliament would add to the difficulties of solution of complex problems involved. The onus rested upon the proposers of startling changes to prove the present arrangements were unsatisfactory. He said the Premier of Victoria was wrong when he assigned the cause of depression in the Colonies to over borrowing. The real cause was the fall in value of colonial products to the extent of fifty per cent in twenty-five years, In taking farewell to Mr Reid, Hon. Mr Gladstone said "my earnest prayer goes with you and all whom you are connoted with." Mrs Gladstone added "God bless you." Those present at Reid's banquet indLuded Earls Belmore, Carringtou, and Jersey, Lord Herschell, Sir Henry Norman, Sir William Windeyer, Lord Emits" ford, Vice-Admiral Bowden-Smith and Sandeman, the Governor of the Bank of England. Selborne eulogised Reid, who lje said began with a deficit and adjusted the finances of New South AVales, while at the same time he endowed the colony with a free trade policy. It was gratifying to Britain to find that flfew South

Wales had followed her example. He gave the toast o£ Right Hon G. H. Reid, statesman of the empire, ons and indivisible. In his reply Reid urged the War Office to encourage the volunteer movement in Great Britain. Rt. Hon. Mr Seddonand Chief Justice Way addressed a meeting at Shoreditcb, London. Seddon declared if the legislation adopted in New Zealand had been in operation in Great Britain the engineers strike would have been prevented. Guld, silver and bronze medals are to bo offered for the highest scores made by the Colonial rifiemen in the Imperial prize competition of the National Rifle Association's mectiugjat Bisley.