SOLIDARITY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 635, 12 October 1909, Page 6

SOLIDARITY.

THE COMMERCIAL DELEGATES. •NOT CEITICS, BUT ADMIEEES. '■'' (By Teleeraph-Prcss Association.) Invercargill, October 11. A party of 45, of whom 35 were Imperial Commerce Conference delegates, arrived at the Bluff by to-day's Melbourne steamer, ' and were entertained in Invercargill before some ° f . th ««> wmt to the Lakes £y special tra™ and others to Dunedin in the afternoon. The vi •£ ""fortunately was' not pleasant. Mr Mark Cohen, representing tho Dunedin Chamhlh if Pi?" 1, ?. , ''* , welcomed the' visitors on behalf of the Government. An invitation was received to visit tho West Coast, but this tho visitors, had reluctantly to decline, owing to shortness of available time. During the morning tae visitors wero taken in U motor-cars tor an excursion round the neighbouring country,, and at noon they were entertained at a banquet at the Town Hall. The Mayor read a- telegram from the '.Minister of .Commerce regretting his inability to attend, and another telegram Bent to Mr. P. Warnford Davis, of ™3TV T tftte delegates, :.welcomed the P i? rt ? ™ N , ew Zealand. made a snort speech, of welcome, and? Mr. J. Crosby bI "»tt proposed the toast, Guests." iu' t i^ y ' o£ in responding, said tj rL dele Sf tcs had not, been surprised at .Melbourne'and Sydney, because they had heard much of those cities, but when it came to iJallarat, Hobart, and other like places they, were surprised at their 'size, and generally at tfle progress they had made. He thought the colonies could give England a lead-in the matter of agricultural shows. Ho saw one at Jjauncestpn, and he was lost in admiration of the great display, which excelled any he had won in the Old Country. They had not come ' the colonies to criticise, but to admire, and isy had admired everything they had seen, ne was sure the congress would be productive ot good. They had interchanged thoughts and ideas, and the result, he hoped, would be for tne permanent commercial wosperity of England, at Home and beyond £he seas. He had ■won a pressing want in this part of the world ■of population, and he asked: "Can't we come closer together, and, before we go away, can't we take some note Home, and send-you some pf our best sons to make for the prosperity of the colonies?": ■ ■ .

Mr- Alexander (Canada) said their experience ■had been a continual round of kindness and hospitality since they landed on the shores of Australia: As a Canadian, New Zealand seemed speak of home. Tho name " Dominion had an extremely homelike sound to people from Canada. The delegates had travelled many thousand miles, but things had changed since it was said that the seas divided them. Seas wore nothing more than pathways that led them to each other, and as Jong as Britain ruled tho waves they would bo safe. (Applause.) All honour.to New Zealand which was foremost in making a noblo TW k i h J o l ? av^ l power of England, lhey had attended the Congresses commercial men, but their meeting together was merely a means to an end, which was the solidarity and consolidation of the British Empire Thev were.sure that some preference between the component parts of the Empire would lead to increased communication, increased knowledge and. would .wrtainly lead- in the end to f£ 5 ? nec fe? n be t Ten the Mother Country, and the other, parts of the Empire. From the. Canadian point of view they felt that altnongh they had a Dominion under the Polar Wi, and ,, N(w , Zealand had one under the Southern Cross, they had tho same problems to feSt °- T ?i7 6il?i h- * Thcy botll s">d -rich territories they wished to people, and the best course was to people them with others of their own race (Applause.) They had also to take what steps they thought fit to protect their own. manufactures and give employment to those m their own territories, and when thoy.came to buy something outsido their own territories, then it should be bought within the confines of the British Empire. Ho thought ■they all appreciated what-they owed to the Mother.Country. Its traditions were theirs Md its history,-.liberty of thought, and political liberty had been handed down to them and there was no question they owed an enormous debt to the Mother Country They wished, therefore, to become still more closely connected, not only with her, but with all « d s e ™ imparts of the Empire, and he-was suro that after the noble example they had seen in New Zealand in other matters, this ■ Uominum would be.foremost in this wish, and give it effect. . ' J^w^r o^^ 11 , dis F TSei and the'-deie-gates left for the Lakes by special train.