THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 645, 23 October 1909, Page 6

THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.

!Sir,—ln a late'interview with, one of--the. Christclinrch -"Press" reporters,- Dr. liorley, of Melbourne, is reported in your, columns to■ havo; said "he could not but regret that tho plan :i p'rbp6sed : 'by .the* lato'.iSlr.iiGtego...Grey,., aiany 1 . 1 years ago," 'that '.NewT-Zealand -should' beeomo tho head of a federation of the islands of. the Pacific was not '■' carried.. oiit.".; Allow mo to correct Drl Mbrley.'• Sir Georgo Grey never' proposed anything of the.■, kind. . That, proposal I had the honour of-making.in 1873 to, Sir Julius Vogcl (then.Mr. Vogel), 1 who brought ..it forward in Parliament as the Polynesian ' scheme.' 1 (See A-3 1874 "Parliamentary Journal.) But Sir Julius Vogel, wishing to gather all 'credit for himself (a.failing'of out. colonial premiers) suppressed'my paper, whici' was not included in the Parliamentary Journals until. J876...(5ee the Journal'for th'a,t year 1-6,). Sir James Ferguson,, our. ..then.,':. warmly aided Sir J. Vogel to carry out tho' -plan, but tho London merchants, greatly doubting Sir J. Vogel's? policy.-,of plunging NewZealand into debt—ten millions at a timewould have nothing to do..with him. Had I been allowed ■ to carry -out my' own-' suggestion, I would :haye succeeded,. as ,1. went. Home in 1874 for. ; the purpose,,',and. the:Pacifio Islands .(excepting'New Caledonia)'...would' ,'now ;have' been ours; the; whole, ' ofv the German -and French/ trading -interests, then in the islands, having' been offered to the British Government (andi partly, to- myself) for ; (Caesar/ Godefrorfs, through Baring, Brothers, ; for £150,009, and tho- French Tahiti Company, through Mr. :,-Graham,' of, Auckland,! for .£100,000). This. was-my basis of action, and all -the-other islands would have been ours, for the taking (excepting,., perhaps, Pango Pangb, in : Samoa). : Keferenco to the scheme itself .--contains theso ■ .words;, "May, I suggest that,/New:.Zealand).should.'look -to '.her own position;. and -plant her flag on' these islands:. If No\v-Zcaland.took- the-. bold ■ step of .annexing these islands,-England perhaps would-be-glad to be relieved of the difficulty,-and the, New- Zealand Legislature could.,then.grant, a. charter l to such a company as I.propose." ,;The late Mr. D. .M.-.Luckie always regretted. Sir J.i Vogel's'interference, with mo. I enclose you a:-copy-of the original' schetrie (which I suggest that you publish now). The late Mr, Seddon,. whon he found'himself in failing, health, took a trip to the. Islands/and borrowed the whole .of my State papers. Ho endeavoured,-in a small way; to, carry out the original proposal, being exceedingly struck, with it; and that is- why New 'Zealand* has a few. of the islands to-day .under her-jurisdiction. Sir George Grey wished-the Imperial Government to annex. New \ Caledonia and Honolulu (about 1854), which.stirred'up the Home authorities to-that exent that they allowed: both of theso groups to go into, other hands. What was wrong in 1850 was not- wrong, however m 187 G. .1 ;went .to Kawan in -1875, and explained to Sir Georgo Grey all I. was doing, andhe advised _me to' petition 'Parliament- in 187 C whichi 1-did. But he never had any'idea of placing New .Zealand' at the head-of. a. federation ot :tho Pacific,- which was purely my own proposal— I am, etc., ■ : ,•.-.'• - . . ' ' ';' ,-; r COLEMAN PHILLIPS. " - Carterton,' -Wairarapa,. October iB,; 1909. '■■'.