EMPIRE TIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 572, 29 July 1909, Page 6

EMPIRE TIES.

LUNCHEON TO BRITISH DELECATES.

SOME HAPPY SPEECHES

STAGES OF DOWNING STREET. Charming speeches were made by Sir Charles Lucas, KC M G , C B , and Mr A A Pearson. C M G , delegates of the Cqloni.if Office, at the luncheon giion m then honour bv tho members ot tho Ministry jesterdaj There were piosent Tho Hoiis J -\ Mill.ir (presiding), J' Mackenzie, I?. M'Kenzic, and Di I'lndlay, and about thirty leading officeis of the jl Scivico

: Mr. Millar Proposes "Our Guests." ' The'',chn-irman .(tho .Hon. J. A. Millar) apologised for the ' absence : of the ActincPrime; Minister (the Hon. James ■ Carroll) and , several '.'others of his -colleagues who, would have been pleased to attend. ;In proposing the ,, toast; of :"Our Guests,'- he said that: it.-Aras; ; Ayith:,yery_. great- pleasure;-that they had met their visitors in New Zealand. The;;only regret was' that their visit was of so-short-'duration'. It showed a real interest in the : affairs of the colonies,: whori representatives, of the British Government came hero toiriquire for themselves- regarding the aims and. objects and desires of the outlying dominions?'He thought that their -visitors, were reading, marking, and inwardly digesting all". :the : information ,: they , could gather,;, and he's believed' they.-.-would be able to give'those<in. the;Coloriial Office a better idea than they had;at tbo "present time of (iiir : aspirations,- because they, would learn more in; one; month's; visit to, -Australasia ■than.;they.wpiild leam;m twelve years sitting m- their- own ' offico'.^'.' , ' The; Mother,: Country had ;bbgun-t» iearn' ;< that the.cplpnies. were- 1 part and parcel bf herself; ' Thore had nover 'been;'a desire in -New , ' 'Zealand, and. he thought he could' add in" Australia, to breakj away from the Old, Land; to which 1 we owed all-'we-;.pbsgessed...'..i(,!i.''. , :'-.. .- •■'■'■.'■■•';■■ ; :., :..

/ ■;;"■;•;Sir 'Cliaries .Lucas's Speech. ' ; /Sir■..Charlesi the chairman and;gathering 'for, their, kind reception , , the .Government for .its"great courtesy, and his : fellbw.'. ; p\iblic ;around : him. It was a ; great-fegret''t«. : h'im.'that' : his presence in New Zealand'-had. coincided with the absence ;bf; Sir-*Joseph Ward: ■.': "Butj".*"said-';•■ the speaker, "he. is, w.ell:etaployed. ,'Hehas 'cqno. Home; ,to;..back(in person .the.ioffer by which ■ New'-Zealatfd, vjriot'ifo'r'-ther first 'time, has intimated to ;the.:.world 'that: in . timo of trouble': thei young peoples' of the Empire will ■;be in line ,with ; the :Motherland." H& kirid.iioss';':..in •'■ the /great".;co«rteey. ■ and kind-, ness; of the 'Dominjbn.'s. 'representatives in (Erigland.■■ : .';.:He/;'r3err^;U<)--' : ;nis,'i'friends, Sir iFrancis 'Dillbn Westby/Percivaly. and Mr. V-Pember-' Reeves.j;vThe new^High;Commissioner, who'.h'ad-'como bo .see-theni off, was /carrying on/'his ;-work'with -courtesy and .kindness..;^f.;!.;.^;;'-^,.: 1, '^;.,-:.::);;;,;■■;■■■•■•:.',;: : •■;/■■ .;-.•; .■• '■/ / / - bfijowhifng r . .^ : -. opce'; or;:; twice,"/1 ■shall'ibe'''yked'.;nb''.'doubt,; : again.,'.';, said : , Sir Ohariesi.Lucas, ■■'-'.i'Hbw.do.Tou like New Zealand ?'; .^(LDtughter;):;! My answer -" is •■' very < plain'and •veryidennjte;" I like it as a visitor; at,:a's ; an :ofiicial,':,rh'ke it as a" keen studont:'of , ;.colonial, history .'..■:May.yl'.ask .in turnv^Howjdo: s ; you--/like •< Downing / Street?' (I^ughfer.).';vr / .''wUl.,/'v'ask aT; -mere. J awkward questipri i.-Spw-dM-yoU'likeDc! wiling Street? And..therei .Js;;a ; imore , s'po. i rtirig..question,.thari; either:''How.---willi.you"-like' Downing in .the days tb,.cbmb?" There were,"the.speaker tjhree"' stages -of Downing .'•Street, t ;The -first was; what he.;;would; call.,the pbsitiye. 'stage: ■■ • ■ It: was -~ the -\ ■staga , ; of. : Grea,t ■:• Britain andi l 'thc'/'boJoniSl'.' "depqndencke/' ,, .Young .peoplesj'''like'" l 'young" men",'; ,were" ;,ap't to';be 'positive,;and he,would a'NewZe'a-. land: impression:, of .Downing'Stjeet in.1845. r .'.'Tie.'destinies' of tlib;-British' colonies are in. ;great;- i ~mea , of.': .State'; :l th : at'/.ifc^ responsibility ;i,and :to; recognise no; ; resbric,. "tioiis. , .Vf' , - l Tiat<'.#as. i ''.from"o ; a'.delightful offlce;the.Golo; T nial Officehniiist^ay^jbee)j;jto- : he in',at r thaif :timb, ; :.,':aii'd' how• was it no \yas ! not-.in the eploriial';Ofnce : "inV'lß4s?/ (daughter.)/.Then :it : )i'as. : that, the ■ (I Colbnial Offlce wias imqTvn as■■'''•Mγ. -'Mother' 'Gduritry."./: It :-was'';"a .strango have■ an. tinkind. -jneanihg .attached: to '.those words'. .It .was. not; per-: liaps a -lpvoable ..time,!.but, it was ;',a neoes■sary,, time and , men .did ,good.,worlc;in those days '.'as"i m^'theso;':<■But ~the/world., .little-: .older,;; 'an,d:;they■'■•became..a;- , ' little, less positivby'arid' prie'iof..the men .who worked out a hew.stage was':Edward Gibbon .Wake•field. ■■■" -'^■ : .-: : ■-//' ; for;Stock-Tak|ng. ■.;- ;;;• ;';; .-■The.' : seopii'd'stage?,..!wa's tlie.. : .comparative stage, 1 /the , .age ..'of : , Greater ■V'Britain..- ..Ho called Mt adTisedly;; the 'age: ..of comparison-; 'that'h"e' todlc ;to','be. a great du'ty ,of the,preserit time;. : ;;-'.','Wo:, : iiiust;-i»mp|vr'e' our..present rer sources ; with' our 'past/- and our united • resoiirces with those'bf other .'nations,;- the're-', sources of -ohopart 'of'tlieEmpire with thoseof'therbthe'rs. wemust; be perpetually, taking stock;' Ani. 'inithiS istige Downing: Street ; is, or 'ought ;tb bejia great'clcaring-h'ouse, a .place for interchange :'of.views jKfcr, the giving of in,forrn'ation:/I" pur'^■■mi i ss|on;"';ma_y. iiaye'.dbnb.'iust a* little towards this work bf compansqhi'/Far- more isjdorie when; the leading .partners wholesale, firm confer,; :f or there : :are ■ nb'.'i'sleepinjg partners 'in bur'nrm. > ;tv; : (ApplauW;;aiid;.laughter.),-;. ; W;o must': not-only. conipare,V. we must -prepare,. and| ! as;'tb tho futuro,..never despair. (Applause.)/ ' What vnll'the fiitufo be?. ' I : how come/ to ' the superlative 1 stage, •' that; 'of Greatest Britain;;; It:will come when I have retired : from the Colonial Office, and possibly from/the world. / What will Downing Street be.then?. Will, jt'.be. evolved out of. exist-, ence, '.'or Lwijl.iit.'.have-a; new'.'arid, glorious' existence; the building to indicate aiiVangehc 'increaso.of. business?. ■..

■ :; ; H^v:;^lnstinciti'Nof.S3t- Policy,.;'".'; ; /.'.-;' U ■ '/We'allfha've'our ;dreams of. the';future, 1 and: f have" very; definite' views, with; which I/wpn't but ;.I": will .-.say -this', '.yirliitoycr. comes,: ifi it "is i good it ! will be the result -of ■: a ''growth',', and ■ not ; of, a•. contract; 'a'MjVaS'far/a/'tr^ good, 'is Vgainqdi except, by,: continuity,' by 'slowly' broadening vdown. from, precedent .-.to precedent,' and-it vyillcoine by instinct rather than'.;by' set' I.' speak advisedly,; as one ,who' has thirty .yeai's in, the Colonial.'OffieeV-I!'• I ibelieve, '-that, the .'motive power must' come,from' outside government, Once 'more,'l I,think the initiativei r will-.and ought to 'come from tho younger' peoples of the Empire." [ (Ap-"plause.)-"-..:'0'.'.-.,|>^'!--!ii ! '" : ~-. ■■'■■'■ .■•'■' •:.'■;; ■■.• •.■','.■'. ■■H, vV; ,;•:; Mr.; Pearson's Speech. .'„■. : . : Mr. : A:. A'."'?earson, after acknowledgments and!-: referred;- humorously; to. the '..d6lef tlie'vpicb of 'consciencG, which said, that they., had-cpriiejherVjfor 'diity ,and "not pleasure:. As, one' fall le3 to' another, .they: were; hoping now to;go to see •Rotbrua'.;: They, hoped to see the hot "springsavithout; getting into hot-wafer.' But' '. New.: Zealand.' had. haf , deeper interests for,- them., in-the- study.-.of its laws and et.itutions; ,, . and; h,oweyer different might', be thecir,cu'mstances and'conditions, it'was nono the ; le'ss; interesting , id.see how , :the problems of7torday '. ; were.'T)eing dealt with in this younger England of ;the southern' seas. The objects of'their mission 'were what' we :'all had at heart. .-■'' We. to draw closer thoser bonds of . mutual respect,' sympathy, and'kincl feeling by .which the Empire was m> simply bound together. 1 If tho Rpm!in : citizen ..was - proud -: to., say v ' civis Rqinanus sum,': he .thought it, was a prouder thing to. be'.able'to say;, 'civis Britannicus:sum.'. JBut this'. privilege;. brought, its obligations,-■ and ■nobly ha'd. New::Zenland; responded : to.every call and taken .up:her share of the Imperialburden. .'.•',''lf ;•'I;: judge rightly of, tho people .of Now' .Zealand,' they appear'to me to be actuated .by two great forces. First, there is .that- spirit of; indomitable.-• pluck.'to;which the Empire;itself' owes .its -very: existence, and which was .so characteristic .of the did pioneers, of ; Now Zealand. But/ there is another force, and; porliaps; even a stronger one; the' force of mutual solf-sacrifice,: and that is to be cc-en in her. loyalty to.' the _Empiro and; the sacrifices,she.has made forjts welfare, and, nearer, home,'in her care for the children, ■ for tho old and sick, and '.in-, her thought for those who'are to'.cbme, after." , Mr..; Pearson .'also concluded*.with. a vision, of Greater. ..Britain, was that .man who, asho passed through life, could add his .con'-. tribution ..to' the ''.consolidation Vof. siich, ah ,Empire^ , (Applauße.l : ' ' .'';■■ : 'y.:. : '.,;'r' : '::::\.