THE COLONIES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 1013, 17 December 1881, Page 3

THE COLONIES.

At a dinner recently given at the London Mansion House, the Duke of Manchester, replying to the toast of “ The Lords,” said: “ One army has been already toasted here to-night. I have to make allusion to what I will take the liberty of calling another army which has greatly served the Empire. It is not an army which is obliged to attain its purpose by inflicting wounds and death, or by appropriating provinces which already belong to a civilised race ; but it is an army which has added to the Empire a dominion as magnificent as any portion of the realms over which your Royal Highness in the course of nature will one day be called upon to rule. (Hear, hear). That army has accomplished great things ; it has peacefully conquered territory nearly equal in size to Europe. New Zealand itself is nearly as large as the United Kingdom. Sir George Bowen, since I came in to the Mansion House, has reminded me that Queensland is three times the size of the French Republic. (Cheers.) Perhaps your Royal Highness will allow me in a few words and with a few figures to give to this assembly some idea of the magnificent territory of Australasia which I have lately visited. In size it is 3,181,089 square miles, and the gold it has produced already amounts to £271,000,000 sterling. In the last year nearly £6,000,000 sterling have been produced. The imports for one year are £50,250,000, and the exports £44,000,000, and the shipping entered and cleared 7,000,000 tons. (Cheers.) There is one item which I must say is not so agreeable to English landlords, that is that Australasia has produced last year 32,000,000 bushels of wheat. As to its wool, it has beaten English wool altogether out of the market,both in amount and in its value, which is £16,750,000. Not only have the colonists done so much, but as they have benefited English manufacturers to an enormous extent. It is calculated that Australians and New Zealanders per head — man, woman, and child—consume £8 10s. worth” of British goods, while France only consumes at the rate of 7s. Bd. per head, and the United States only at the rate of 7s. per head. (Cheers.) These are facts, showing that, if for no other reason, there are very forcible financial reasons why we should consolidate, encourage, and promote in every way the prosperity of the British colonies.