IMPERIAL PROBLEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 768, 17 March 1910, Page 5

IMPERIAL PROBLEMS.

SPEECH BY LORD CREWE,

IDEA OF AN IMPERIAL COUNCIL,

SIR G. REID ON EMIGRATION.,

AUSTRALIAN VIEW OF PREFERENCE

By Tolecraph—Press Association—CopyrJrht London, March 15. . A banquet was tendered Sir George Reid (Australian High Commissioner) by the Royal Colonial Institute. There were 278 guests, the gathering ■ being a brili liant and representative one. . The Earl of Crewe (Secretary of Stato for the Colonies) presided. He proposed Sir George Reid's health, and welcomed him. as a statesman of long and varied experience, a skilful, accomplished orator, and a thorough man of affairs. (Rec. March 16, 10.30 p.m.) London, March 16. Lord Crewe said the duties of the Agents-General were in nowise entrenched upon by Sir George Reid's arrival. He thought the comparison of High Commissioners and Agents-General to Ambassadors was singularly infelicitous.

Imperial Statesmen. He preferred to regard them as Imperial statesmen, whose duties were partly to look after the part of, the Empire which they represented,, but they should also be able to'give opinions on many Imperial problems withjut party trammels. He thought it unlikely that the present arrangements whereby tho Secretary for the Colonies looked after the business connected- with tho oversea dominions and the Crown colonies would be permanent. A separation of duties was probable within the neai; future. Tho idea of an Imperial Council could best be promoted by taking the oversea dominions into conference whenever tho interests of the dominions were concerned in any. diplomatic problem, and placing the utmost confidence in the statesmen of thoso dominions. ■ • v. A Brilliant Specch, Sir George Reid,' who was given an enthusiastic reception, made a brilliant speech. He said he thought it his duty to . put aside private sorrow in order to obey the call of public duty, He thanked Lord Crewe for tho honour done him by presiding at the banquet. He went on to refer to the rich stream .of emigration to the Australian goldfields.

"We now saw," he said, "in the rising greatness of Australia, in the rapidly-, increasing strength of her industries, and in'the growing volume of her trade, the magnificent dividends which Australia is rendering under British colonisation and enterprise. The Australian system of government represents perhaps in the largest measure trust in the people and freedom for the community that is to-day visible on the world's face. The task of developing the Commonwealth is just as much an Imperial task as settling Home political difficulties, and a task which excited no party difficulties. Suitable British Emigrants. "The Imperial and colonial Governments can unite in using their utmost influence to secure suitable British emigrants for the Empire's dominions. Many suggestions are being for adding to the ties of undoubted affection now existing. In. considering them, statesmen have a most anxious task—that of reconciling the free play of self-interest with an enlightened regard for the Empire's ■welfare."

In mentioning, amid cheors, Australia's voluntary preference to the Motherland, Sir George Beid remarked that ho was bound to add that there was in Australia a 6trong desire to go further in 'order to reach a reciprocal arrangement. (Cheers.) But the desire never, so far as ho could see, got the length of sacrificing its own grojring manufactures.

\ - A Distinguished Gathering. Among those present were the Earl of' Eosebery, the Earl of Beauchamp (an exGovernor of New South Wales), Admiral Six Harry Eawson (also an ex-Governor of New South Wales),, Lord Strathcona (High Commissioner for Canada), the Eight Hon. Sydney Buxton (President of the Board of Trade), Sir Thomas Fowell Burton (ex-Governor of' South Australia), the Earl of Ranfurly (exGovernor of New Zealand), Major-Gen-eral. Sir Reginald Talbot (ex-Governor of Victoria), the Hon. N. P. Moore (Premier of Western Australia), Mr. Bidford, tho Eight Hon. Herbert Samuel (Post-master-General), Admiral Sir Nathaniel Bowden-Smith (one time Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Station), Sir Charles Lucas (of the Colonial Office), and Mr. A. A. Pearson (also of the Colonial Office). '