NEW HEBRIDES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1929, 10 November 1906, Page 2

NEW HEBRIDES.

A GRAVE MISTAKE. PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT London, Nov 8. The New Hebrides Convention is issued as a Parliamentary paper. The Times says that the Imperial authorities committed a grave error in the beginning of the year by agreeing to hold a joint conference on the New Hebrides question without consulting Australia. If the Australian representatives had attended the natural mistake of agreeing to municipal provisions in the convention might not have been committed. The conduct of the negotiations without the participation of Australia was wrong in principle. The Times hopes that Mr Deakin at the Imperial Conference will not waste time hi recrimination, but devote his energies to insisting on the creation of some permanent means of communication between the Commonwealth and the'Foreign Office, preventing the recurrence of a similar sacrifice of Australian interests and aspirations.

Uhe Morning Post says that Australian thinkers see the local inconveniences of joint control, but find it difficult to appreciate the much more important problem of Great Britain’s relations with the great Powers who are much nearer to England than the New Hebrides to Australia.

PRESS COMMENTS.

PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT Reoeived 9 9 p.m,, Nov. 9. _ London, Nov. 8. Tho Times states that the Now Hebrides Convention simply confirms the proroool of 27J h February. Its immediate eigoatuce before amendment was due to the fear of introduction into the New Hobrides question of extraneous influences, aod to that extent tho convention is only provisional. The Pall Mall Gazitte emphasises the Deed of means whereby tbe colonies oould partioipat9 ia the settlement of questions of oo’onial interi st,