IMPERIAL UNITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 984, 26 November 1910, Page 12

IMPERIAL UNITY.

SPEECH BY SIR WILLIAM ROSSELL Tho "Yorkshire Post," of OctobcT i, has a lengthy report of tho speech delivered at Leeds on the preceding evenin™ by Sir William Russell. The occasion was tho first meeting in Leeds organised by "The. Imperial' Pioneers"—an association of colonials who havo banded themselves together to , preach Imperial unity in trade and defence. Sir William Kussell (so the "PostV' report reads) laid down as the first point of his address "that tho colonies and tho Old Country must be indissolubly combined if tho Empire were to remain a workl-wido Power. It was good for tho individual, good for England, good for tho Empire, and even good for the world that the power and prestige of the Empire should bo maintained, it should bo tho duty of all citizens of tho Empire to do everything to bring about the'unification of the Homeland and tho colonies and dependencies. Some peoplo believed

that sentiment alono was sufficient to unite the component parts of the.Empire. Enough it might bo for those who had been born in this country, and had t'ono to the colonies. Enough, possibly,, itmight, be for those who had been educated in this country, and for'those who had been able to pay visits. But something more- than sentiment was essential to the real combination of tho. various sections of tho Empire. (Hear, hear.) And surely the great ideal was to maintain tho power and prestige of Eritain in tho four quarters of tno world. (Applause.) -Tho sentiment of blood relationship, Sir William proceeded, owed' its potency to frequent intercourse and community of interest. But as time and circumstances separated relationship, ~ tho tie weakened, and peoplo became moro interested in their immediate neighbours than with peoplo far away, whom they wished well", but with whose interests they were not concerned. (Hear, liear.) Now, power had been given to a number of the colonies to niako commercial treaties with any country. After this, was it uot likely that foreign countries would tout for trade? There might probably bo a divergence of trado into foreign channels—a very important -matter for this country. (Hear, hoar.) England was dependent chiefly on its manufactures, and anything which diverted trade, into foreign channels was detrimental to tho country. (Hear, hear.) Unless there was some trade reciprocity with the Dominions ' over tho seas commercial treaties would bo formed with foreign nations. Only tho other day he had-heard of an order for 20,000 tons of steel rails for Victoria' being placed in the United States, instead of in England. There was an illustratiqn of what could happen when thero was no reciprocity. Tho question, suid Sir William, was whether England -was going to give a helping hand to those new countries with a preferential tariff. It was not a question of Free-trade and Protection. . All they wanted was- Imperial reciprocity. (Hear, hear.) Every raw product required in this land was to he had in-tho different parts of the Empire. Surely it was extremely desirable, too, that the products of tho Empire should bo carried in British ships by British seamen. (Hoar, hear.) In course, of time, Sir William proceeded, New Zealand would be able to maintain 30,000,000 people—a number well/worth consideration. In Australasia altogether they had at the present time a.bout 6,000,000 people. Was not that 'country worth preserving for tho trado of the Empire? (Applause.) As for Imperial defence, Australasia had gone in for military training, and it was estimated that within three- years out of 1,000,000 peoplo in New Zealand 50,000 would bo ready to stand- to arms. (Applause.) If tho good example of Australasia wero followed in ' this country, it would givo 2,000,000 .defenders to stand between their homes and any enemy that might come. If they could only do that there would bo no scaro and no talk of any invasion. (Hear, hear.) Generally, too, it was necessary that some scheme of Imperial defence should be devised so that tho trade roads should bo absolutely safeguarded. . Somo thero were, ho concluded, .who said that Imperial unity was impossible of realisation; they said the colonies one by ono, would automatically F.--.parato themselves from tlm Mother Country. If that day ever came England would dwindle into a second-rate- l'ower with nothing but tho record of its former'glory in which to prido.itself. (Hear, hear.) Its power and prestige would vanish, and nothing would be left but a rcdumlant population clamouring for work unavailing!}'. . That need' l>o only a hideous nightmare. ■ (Applause.) They had in their eyo an Empire wider in its interests, power, and .influence than any Empiro which as yet had directed history. (iflplauEO.)