THE RELATIONS BETWEEN ENGLAND AND NEW ZEALAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 56, 6 March 1874, Page 2

THE RELATIONS BETWEEN ENGLAND AND NEW ZEALAND.

At the banquet recently given to the Hon. Mr Yogel at Auckland, the Superintendent proposed the health of the guest of the evening -in a lengthy speech, in which there occurred the following passage : — " Gentlemen, we may read, and often do, the speeches of the foremost statesmen of England, and many of us i^ay sny, as a friend of mine eaid to me the other day, when we were discoursing on a recent able speech made by Mr Disraeli — ' Well, yes, these speeches nre grand, but for me, I bave cenee.l to take an interest in the politics of England.' We are here, gentlemen, in new circumstances; wo require men to adapt their views to the circumstances in wbich we are placed, and I muke bold to say that no man in the country haß been more desirous than our honorable guest here to-night to adapt himself to those circumstances, and by persuasion and argument-— argument which in the House of Representatives hasofLen been met by argument, yet, nevertheless, by persuasiveness and skill he had succeeded in putting himself in a position of usefulness in this" Colony." Mr Yogel, in returning thanks, made the following remarks upon tbe abovequoted portion cf the Superintendent's speech: — *' There is one remark which fell from His Honor this evening, on which I desire to Bay. a few words. 1 -may say first of all that the mere speaking of me in the same sentence or tbe next sentence to the mention of Mr Disraeli is a compliment calculated to make me feel very nervous indeed, and I fully reciprocate it. I have to express my regret to think that any such feeling is generally felt throughout tbe colony — that there is any disposition to cease to take a lively interest in the affairs of the home country. On the contrary, admitting as I do, that I have endeavoured to accommodate mjself, as His Honor says, to the circumstances of the colony, it would be a very great discouragement to me if tbat public life were to be robbed of all its charms— if I thonght that there existed in tbe colony any desire whatever to weaken the lies which bind this Colony to the mother country. (Cheers.) lam one of those who believe that it is far better to be little amongst the great, than great among3t the little. (Hear, hear.) And whatever position New Zealand might attain if it ceased to take an interest in the affairs of the mother country, I think its position would be far more attractive to those who would come to the colony, and those who live in the colony, and those who in the future will be born in the colony, if it remain one of the members of the dependencies of a grand empire upon which the sun never sets. (Xoud cheers.) I speak upon this subject with something like enthusiasm, because I confess that I have for years cherished and do even now in spite of much discouragement still cherish, tbe iJea that this grand empiro, so great. as it is in the vastness of its component parts, yet may be consolidated into an empire wbich will be, as far as it is possible for human foresight to perceive, indestructible, and more powerful than any empire has ever been, or any empire could ever be on this earth. (Cheers ) I believe that it is still upon the cards (hat the colonies will not be as they are now, mere associates of the empire, hardly to be called dependencies of the empire; and I believe that the time will come when it will be recognised that science has really practically brought this Colony, * one of the most distant Colonies of the empire, more within the reach of the machinery of government than a few centuries ago even Scotland was to England. (Cheers.) I say then that it will be one of the grand advantages which, science hns placed at the disposal of those who rule over the empire to think that inBtead of these colonies being associated as they are to the empire by which I deem sleuder.ties, they shall become to all intents and purposes a thing of reality, absolute countries of the United Kingdom. I believe that this ia possible. There are those wbo are earnestly endeavouring to work in that direction. As yet, I must say, their efforts have not met with suchencouragemeht^ For example, there is a very. strong anxiety amongst many who take a, deep intorest in colonial affairs in connection with the Imperial country — a -great anxiety to obtain Parliamentary sanction to tho investment of trust funds which accumulate in tho United Kiugdom in securities, and in land in the colonies Such has not yet been conceded. Trust funds are allowed, to be invested in Indian "securities; at present they are not allowed to be invested in colonial securities. Yet, whenever the time comes that this is permitted— and I would really say that would be n secondary efTect, arid to my mind the lesser of the two — not only would the effect be to immensely raise the, value of colouial property, because trußt funds overflow prodigiously iii the United