COLONIAL PREMIERS IN LONDON

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 26 April 1907, Page 3

COLONIAL PREMIERS IN LONDON

- COLONIAL INSTITUTE DINNER. A GREAT GATHERING. •IMPERIAL SPEECHES. Received 251 hj, lt).;is p.m. London, April 23. The Colonial Institute dinner to the i Premiers at the Whitehall Rooms was f the greatest function of iho season. , Lord Elgin presided, and the !uU ; gue-ts included Lords llalsbury, Marlborough, Norfolk, Jersey, Alvcrstune, iiras.-ey, Raul'urly, I'.ollischild. Sirathco-' ; na, Sir Edward Grey, Sir Foweil Luxton and Sir Sydenham Clarke. Lord Elgin's casual reference to Mr Chamberlain evoked immense and {<■■ ; longed cheering. Sir Wilfrid eulogised the of a constitution to our late enemies in South Africa as the continuation of a generous policy. .Mr Deakiu's* was the speech of the evening; He (bantered Lord Elgin lor restricting the information with regard to the Imperial Conference. He was glad he had published .Mr. Haldane's speech on the princip.us of defence, but why stop ihere' Did the Empire exist only for defence? .Must there be brain for army brain for navy, and no brain for commerce t Mr Deakin, continuing, asked why, if the Empire was able to stand shoulder to shoulder for defence, it was unable also to do so for the protection of Commerce. Traders were exposed to subsidised foreign competition, whicji placed a false weight in Hie scale against us. At least we might insist on equal terms, and make Imperial citizenship a reality as well as a name. Mr Deakin's references to preference evoked tremendous enthusiasm. Sir Joseph Ward sard he was much Impressed with the work of the Conference. It was a good thing to meet Imperially regularly. The Hon. T. W. Smartt (Cape Colony), Sir Frederick Borden (Canada); Sir Robert Bond (Newfoundland), Sir Reginald Talbot, and Lord Tweedmouth spoke. - • i i * Lord Tweedmouth urged the need of mobility of the Army and Navy alike to serve where required. That could only he secured by liberty, and unity—liberty for each part of the Empire to have a say as to what was best for the defence in that part, ami to help the Empire as a whole, and unity between all parts of the Empire in time of danger. ___^_^___