SIR J. Q. WARD IN LONDON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 465, 3 August 1909, Page 2

SIR J. Q. WARD IN LONDON.

ENTERTAINED IN HOUSE OF COMMONS. London, July 31. Mr J. Cathcart Wason, Liberal M.P. for Orkney and Shetland, and a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, entertained Sir Joseph Ward at a luncheon in the House of Commons, for the purpose of presenting him with the congratulatory cablegram sent by 400 members of the House of Commons on the occasion of the offer of a New Zealand Dreadnought. The gathering included many Ministers and ex-Ministers, and leading members of Parliament, including those of Anglo-colonial connections. Among those present were Lady Ward, Mr Asquith, and Mr Balfour; Mr M’Kenna, First Lord of the Admiralty ; Mr Sydney Buxton, Postmaster-Gene-ral; Dr Macnamara, Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty; Messrs Walter Long, Alfred Lyttelton and Bonar Law, e'x-Unionist Ministers ; Messrs Rd R. Causlon, E. E, Kobhouse, and J. A. Pease, Sir Chas. Dilke, -Sir Tiros. Whittaker and Sir J. Dickson - Poynder, Liberal M’s;P. ; Sir Win. Hull and Mr Henni.ker Heaton, Unionist M’s.P. ; Ivlr Joseph Vincent, Dr Fitchett (New Zealand SolicitorGeneral), and Mr W. P. Reeves (Director of the London School of Economics, and ex-High Commissioner) . Mr Cathcart Wason, in proposing the toast of “New Zealand," said that the Dominion was proud of her Native races. They possessed great wealth and were undimiuished in numbers. Though ten thousand British soldiers had failed to subject them, they were now as loyal as any of the King’s subjects. When Sir Joseph Ward sent his tamous telegram offering the Motherland a Dreadnought there must have been hovering over him the great departed Spirit of the Native races, to whom war was sport aud sport war. The Prime Minister, Mr Asquith, presented to Sir Joseph Ward a framed copy of the telegram sent to the New Zealand Government by 400 members of the House of Commons expressing appreciation of the Dominion’s offer of a Dreadnought. Mr Asquith said: In a time of some anxiety New Zealand spontaneously, through you, sent Britain the most welcome assurance of willingness to share in our common burdens and to provide for our common Imperial interests. The people of Great Britain and Ireland will never forget that splendid voluntary manifestation of cordiality, loyalty, and affection. I trust that you will take this recognition back to Wellington as a permanent memento of that most interesting and historic occasion. Mr Balfour presented Sir Joseph Ward with an album containing the original signatures to the telegram by the members of the House of Commons. Mr Balfour hoped that this album would be kept as a perpetual memorial of this great occurrence. He added; It relates to an epoch-making event. It was an incident which will be looked back upon by future generations whenever our great Imperial interests may be endangered, showing bow by spontaneous action the great self-governing Dominions came forward on their own initiative without discussion —(hear ! hear !) —by inspiration, as it were, to what was required by the public necessities of Empire, and gave a gift—generous aud great, almost beyond contemplation in relation to their means—to the common object of Imperial defence. (Cheers). Mr Balfour continued : I may congratulate not merely New Zealand but yourself upon having been connected with this incident, which has not merely re-echoed within the relatively narrow bounds of this island, but,has produced an effect in every part of the Empire. (Cheers.) Sir Joseph Ward, who sat between Mr Asquith and Mr Balfour, received rounds of cheering on rising to respond. He said : The people of New Zealand will prize as much as I this expression of goodwill from so many gentlemen occupying prominent positions on both sides of the Imperial Parliament. It shows what we all know to be true —that there are occasions when political differences can Ire sunk in a common desire to promote Imperial interests. In offering a Dreadnought, all concerned with myself in submitting the proposal— Cabinet in unanimously confirming it, and Parliament in subsequently ratifying it —• did merely what we all conceived to Ire our duty to the Empire, without thought of personal loyalty, advantage, or self-interest. We had news that there was a crisis, that the naval supremacy of Britain was being challenged, and that in the opinion of Imperial statesmen on botfc sides, the situation was grave if not critical. Now, we always recognised in New Zealand, as fully as you here, that the absolute supremacy of Britain on the seas is essential to the safety of England and, consequently, of the Empire, and therefore imports no note of aggression against other countries.

The colonies are so scattered and distant,, in many cases being many thousands of miles from the heart of the Empire and from one another, that ocean routes have become practically something in the nature of internal or domestic highways. The safeguarding of them is the first, if not the best-, line of defence. In these circumstances I felt, and my colleagues agreed, that, though New Zealand as a small community could do little, what she could do

that she should do, and at once. (Applause.;) Hence the mode in which the offer was made, and the responsibility which we took in making it 'without first consulting Parliament: which was not then in session.

Sir Joseph Ward continued : We claim no special credit. We did it as a matter of duty, and I fully believe ffliat the overseas Dominions in adopting proposals of support, though different as regards details, were moved by the same spirit. (Cheers.) lam proud to say that in the New Zealand Parliament the Government and the Opposition, by unanimously ratifying the offers of Dreadnoughts to the Imperial Government, showed in a most emphatic and unmistakable way their determination to help the Motherland in maintaining the strength of the Navy for the protection of the wide-spread interests of the British Empire. (Applause.) As regards the Defence Conference, which is now sitting, I feel assured that the outcome of its deliberations will be both practical and valuable. The oversea representatives are of one mind in their desire to cooperate in any scheme of defence which does justice to the Empire as a whole and the communities they represent- (Applause.) In that result, the necessity for isolated efforts such as that referred to in the case of New Zealand will not be likely to occur. It may be presumption on my part, but I venture to conjecture that in some quarters the attitude of the overseas Dominions upon Imperial matters has not always been understood as clearly as might be.

In my own case, we have of necessity to look upon things from our own standpoint and perspective, which is 13,000 miles or thereabouts from Westminster. It is obvious that our interests in many political problems that occupy you must be different from the interest you yourselves feel. We have our local concerns which, though immeasurably less important than yours, are to us what yours are to you. (Applause.) The result is that many political questions that excite the liveliest interest here are regarded by us —I will not say with indifference, but certainly with detachment. For example, your Budget, which falls like rain on the just and the unjust, aud is the centre of a controversy conducted with such conspicuous vivacity—(laughter and applause) —we watch with interest, but it is the impersonal interest with which a spectator would contemplate a dental operation. (Laughter and applause.) To change the figure, in our long perspective your local or internal differences are blurred. What stands out clearest is the relation of the Empire to the outside world. This explains and justifies the strong Imperialistic spirit which undoubtedly runs through New Zealand and the overseas Dominions,

In my judgment, this spirit was, if not created, at all events stirred into strong and vigorous life by the disasters in the earlier stages of the South African War, Till then the domestic relations of Britain and the colonies were more like those ot step-mother and stepchildren than anything else. Aforetime it was a settled tradition of British statesmanship that the colonies were so many troublesome excrescences on the body politic—nuisances in time of peace and an expense in time of war. This view reflected itself in public opinion and matters of administration ; hence the irritation and friction on both sides. The colonies were pigeon-holed by Downing Street as far as possible, and, failing that, they were snubbed; while, as for Downing Street, well, it was not a name to conjure with in the colonies. Traditions die hard, and the one mentioned is no exception. That tradition suffered severely in the South African War, when, to the bewilderment and delight of the military authorities, the colonies, volunteered their help ; but it did not die then, or the recent New Zealand Dreadnought offer would scarcely have aroused such astonishment and gratification throughout the United Kingdom as it appears to have done. That any oversea * Dominion should volunteer any assistance .to the Horae Government seems something to make a home-bred Britou rub his eyes and ask if he is dreaming. Nay, will you think me rude if I say that in the fact of your presence and mine to-day a microscopic examination might possibly disclose some traces of that unhallowed tradition ?

Be this as it may, I am hopeful that it will not survive the Defence Conference if, as I firmly believe will be the result of that Conference, the oversea Dominions show by their acts that they are ready and willing to bear some share of the great and growing burden of Imperial defence. (Applause.) This will involve other adjustments, but these will come in time, and by degrees, given wise and prudent statemauship on all hands, the Empire will develop bn broad safe lines, giving it a base on which it will stand fair and square to all the winds that blow. 1 read with much pleasure Mr Asquith’s announcement that It is contemplated to have colonial representation on the Imperial Defence Committee, and Mr Balfour’s concurrence augurs well for unanimity in this important direction. I cannot but feel if the scattered Dominions are to join in the practical working of the Empire’s naval defences system, the natural corollary in some suitable form must be representation, and what shape that should finally take is a subject worthy of the attention of your statesmen. —> The Secretary for Foreign Af- )

fairs, Sir Edward Grey, said that, after such a speech, Sir Joseph Ward’s presence brought the colonies and the Motherland into true Imperial perspective, and they therefore doubly owed their thanks to Mr Cathcart Wason for providing the opportunity of this meeting with Sir Joseph and Lady Ward. He suggested that Mr Wason should be presented with a replica of what they had presented to Sir Joseph Ward.