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Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1217, 28 August 1911, Page 5

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PRIME MINIS' fER & ATTORNEYgeneral,

■'A BANQUET. • SPEECHES ON IMPERIAL TOPICS, Tho Primo Minister, Sir J. G. Ward, I Bart., and tho Attorney-General, Sir fl wcro entertained at a I Homo" banquet, in tho Conj, cert Chamber of tho Town Hall 011 Sat--0 urday evening by about two hundred of :- their friends and supporters. Tho Mayor of Wellington (Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.i'.), •j. presided. Among those present were: Sir Jas. Carroll (Nativo Minister), Sir A. It. Guinness (Speaker of tlio House of lieg prosentatives), the Hons. J. A. Millar >- (Minister for Labour), G. Fowlds (Mint ister for Education), li, M'Kenzie (Milli- istor for Public Works), D. Jiuddo (Min--0 ister for Internal Affairs), and T. Mact kenzio (Minister for AgricuHnvo); Major- ° General Godley (Commandant), (110 Hons. 0 C- M. Luke and J)r. Collins; Messrs. R. 0 l'k-tcher (chairman of tho Harbour t lioard), 11. C. Tcwsley (president of tho e Chainber of Commerce), K. M'Nab, and ) Martin Kennedy. Tho .chairman announced that apologies foi absenco had been received from Mr. W. l'\ Max*'y, Leader of the Opposition), Sir ltobert Stout (Chief Justice), tho lion. A. T, Ngata, and a number of others. "Returning Gn'ests." a Tho loyal toast of "Tho King" having been honoured the chairman proposed tho health of "The Kcturning Gnosis." He congratulated them upon having returned with their families in good health and a spirits. They had been engaged upon a i. nu-sion of Empire—a task of the utmost II responsibility. At the late conference tlio f New Zealand repl'ei-eiitat'ives had been ( | treated for the first time as partners, not , t ns J' ool ' relations. (Applause.) What ho v_ expected to hear from their guests that r evening was how the men who had banged the door in tho past had said: "Como in." Tlio representatives of New Zealand had not gone homo "to set tho Thames 011 lire," but to bring this country_ into closer touch with great Ims perial jiroblems. That they had reprcy sentcd New Zealand well went without question. (Applause.) Even if t'hey had r made mistakes—which lie did not admit 11 —they had been actuated always bv tlio 1 proper motive--that of trying to lift the Empire and with it the loyalcst spot iu its crown and diadem. There was loud applause as the Mayor concluded, and the toast was drunk with musical honours. i ADDRESS BY THE PRIME MINISTER. ' The Prime Minister received an ovation ® when he rose to reply, the guests again singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," and concluding their demonstration with 1 c.lkct.s. Sir .Joseph Ward assured his 5 hearers that lie felt very grateful for tlio enthusiasm which had characterised his reception. He and his colleague oould not speak as freely upon (he subject of the Imperial Conlerence as they would 1 like, for the reason that, in the course [ probably of next week, after the receipt of the official record of tho work of the Conference, it would be his duty to subliiit'it te the lIOIIS2 of Kepresentativea I and to tho people's representatives • ai. opportunity ot considering every pro- ' posal that was made or supported by New I Zealand at the Conference. Everything ; proposed or supported by New ZeaJaud : was subject to the ratification of the peo- ' pie of _ Now Zealand, through their repre-' 1 sentatives in Parliament. -(Applause.) It • had been suggested that before ho loft to | attend the Conference Parliament should ' have been enabled to express an opinion ■ upon important matters to bo considered at the Conference. In practice that was impossible. (Hear, hear.) Men who went ! from this country, shackled almost and . tied, would be useless. Representatives must be credited with possessing common . sense. Not a single representative at tho Conference could tie his Parliament or ! his country until ho had received the imprimatur of his people and Parliament on the work that had been done. Supremo Gratification. The great bulk of the resolutions submitted at the Conference came from New Zealand. Two-thirds of the resolutions that ho had the honour to propose at' tho Conference were carried. (Applause.) Tlio official record would show that very, valuable work had been done. Tlio interests of tho great part of the people who manned tho ships around the coasts of New Zealand had been furthered as they could only hare been farthered at the Imperial Conference. The great question of defeneo had to be discussed necessarily in secret, 0110 motion, proposed by himself and opposed by every other delegate, was withdrawn after full discussion. But for (hat motion wo would not have been taken into that partnership referred to bv the Mayor of Wellington in his speech. (Applause.) After traversing some of tho difficulties 110 had encountered, the Primo Minister declared that if tho people realised that, without being consulted, this country might, under adverso circumstances, be handed over to another nation, it would not l>e said that we were spending too .much 011 defence; The growth of Eastern and Western navies—the development of recent times—had completely changed tho position from what it was ten years ago,, or even fivo years ago. Ten years ago wo were absolutely safe, but to-day England required that tlio Navy should bo kept close to Homo waters, and that there should be a reduction of ships in distant quarters. , Under tho circumstances it was essential that a system of co-operation, of co-ordination, should - bo established. (Applause.) It was essential that the whole authority ot tlio people of the over-sea Dominions should be concentrated at one point. There was only 0110 place where ihtit could be—in the' heart of the Empire, in London. (Applause.) Not Understood. Some people in this country did not appear to have understood the Imperial Council resolution. Ho realised tlio difficulties comiccted with a system of tho kind, but anyone who studied the question would find that it would bo almost as cheap to have a system of per capita payment as the present system. Given co-operation we might have the impregnable. system of defeneo which would compel any competitor to recognise that wo were masters for nil time upon tho seas and the peace of .the world would be assured. (Applause.) Jle desired to see an Imperial Parliament or Council for Imperial purposes only, and not to destroy local autonomy. The Primo Minister quoted the Master of i?.libank, Mr. LloydGeorge, and Kir Edward Grey as slating that devolution in the United Kingdom was inevitable. -Men of all shades of politics in the Old Country recognised that, I if the Empire was to keep together, (hero must be a recognition of tho right of English, Irish, Seolch, and Welsh (0 have each a local Parliament. (Applause.) 'If it, were recognised that' each of these countries was entitled to representation in the Imperial Parliament that was to replace tho present' one, how could tho , same right bo refused (0 a frco British country like New Zealand? Ho had not for a moment believed it possible to curry tho Imperial Council resolution, but lie had desired to put on record tho germ of a system that was bound to come. He was satisfied that only in tliia way would t.ho safety of tho Empire and an'effectual system of navel dclenco bo secured. If anything happened to tho Old Country, of what nso would il be for other countries to rely 011 their local "tin-pot" navies. The general principle of his proposal was supported by some of tho brightest intellects in England. Among its supporters wcro over three hundred members of tho House of Commons, men representing even- shade of politics. Public opinion would certainly declare eventually- for ono great navv representative of tho Empire as a whole. II tlwro \va.s one thing among lliwc dealt with at tho Conference of which he felt ptoud, it was this resolution. (AppUni.-v.) The Declaration of London had been made a party question by Home pn' : ' : cians, but Iho Conference delegates, afte, giving il extended consideration, weiunanimously of opinion that it' ought I. bo confirmed. He had seen no argument 6inco that had changed his opinion. 'b'ir Joseph Ward next referred to the Coronation and to tho magnificent hospitality extended to visitors. He concluded by reiterating his gratitude for tho heartiness with wheh ho had been received that evening by a non-party

gathering. He congratulated tho Mayor upon his recovery from liis recent illness. ■ , Loud applause and cheers greeted tho conclusion of the Prime Minister's speech and the guests again sang "For llo's a Jolly Good follow." Speech by Sir John Findlay. Sir John Findlay was given a reception almost as hearty as that accord™ his leader. He stated that the pleasure his reception had given him was even greater than the prido with which he had gono away upon nis mission. The Attoracy-Gene-ral dealt at some length with the movement of British population, elaborating a contention that a co-operative system such as had been proposed by the Prime Minister must be established, in order to make the Empire secure against the growing power of Germany and other possible enemies. Ho believed that the Imperial Council scheme, tabled by Sir Joseph Ward, marked tho beginning of a new era. Ho wa-s sincerely grateful for the welcome accorded him. It had increased tho pride he felt at having been chosen to go forth from this land to represent it at tho great metropolis. (Applause.) •Mr. R. M'Nab proposed the toast of "The Chairman," which was drunk with musical honours. Mr. Wilford briefly responded. A short musical programme was rendered during the evening.