Banquet and Speeches.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8807, 8 May 1907, Page 3

Banquet and Speeches.

(Press Association.) , . Weujkgtos, May 7. . The following cablegram has been handed to the Press Association by the Government:— London, May 7. At the banquet given by Hon. LloydGeorge, President of the Board of Trade, to members of the Navigation Conference, at the Savoy Hotel, on Friday night last, Sir Joseph "Ward, in the course of his speech, said, referring to several important matters that he had already brought up at the Colonial Conference, he would take the opportunity of mentioning these because they were of such great importance to the British Government, the Governments of the ; elfgoverning colonies, and the peoples of the British Empire. He believed that all wanted to assist in bringing into closer touch the people of the Old Land and the New, and one practical way of doing so was improving the means ol communication between the Old World and the outlying portions of the Empire. He bad a firm belief before coming to England that a faster passenger mai! service between England, Canada, Australia, ana New Zealand was one way of bringing the countries into closer touch. That, ho stated, was quite a possible accomplishment. A service could be established to bring New Zealand within twenty days of London. They wore men anxious to improve the trade of the Empire and increase it. Hero was an opportunity of doing r.o and bring people in the remoter parts of the Empire closer to England within a limited time if they could get population. Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand recognise the groat possibilities that lay in a quicker service between each country. It would be the most valuable thing that had ever been done, and quicker communication would subsequently bring great development of the trade of Eng* land and the self-governing colonies. He would take t.io opportunity of again advocating cheap transit charges on ships trading to New ZcalandJ'and Australia from England by representation on the Board of Control of Suez Canal. As a natural outcome of this would bo reduction of ships’ duos through the canal. He had already referred to what ho termed the toll system of the sea, and if wise men they would use tramp steamers to enable the people of Australia, New Zealand, and England to have their perish- , able goods, even though frozen, carried , by a shorter route that at present, because the rates of the Suez Canal are almost prohibitive for the class of goods forwarded by tramp steamers coming that way. Something, m his opinion, should be ' done to improve ti.ulo coming in that direction. The business now done between England, Australia, and New Zealand was considerable but in future it j would he greater. .'Referring to cable communication, ho said these great ‘ countries would find it would bo invaluable to trade if the present high rates wore reduced, He did not desire to do , anything to hurt shareholders by reduc- , ing the dividends they were receiving now, but they could work in that direc- . tion, seeing that they did not suffer in ’ respect to the amount payable to them. ( It should be possible to so reduce rates , that cables could be sent for sixpence or J a shilling a word, and it would bo recog- , nised what a boon this would bo to both ; business and social and dome-tic life, as , well as invaluable in bringing all portions of the great Empire closer and closer ( together. ’ 3