The Daily News MONDAY, MAY 6. PROGRESS OF THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 6 May 1907, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, MAY 6. PROGRESS OF THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

It we aro to judge by the daily precis of till- lmjierlitl Conference cabled lo tae polony, one of tlie strongest nml ltwst speeches tile Iniperi:il Conference has "0 fil l- prod need was .Sir Joseph Ward's on the ijiie-tiim of Imperial prefcrcnc.' lo colonial exports. Sir Joseph spoke ill a lucid, practical ami l.usiiic-.s-tikc way. and it is wit surpi'i-ii:;; that li (! i lie Culiferenri'. I'.uf i| >eellis ii.iHilitfill whether hi- reaiarl;-. or these of any of (lie oilier I'lemirrs, or their combined suggestions and advice, will have any tangible result. Our IVeinier Staler! that Xew Zealand's atlacliineut in l'ie Kmpire niturally induced colonists to desire ;.o give the .Motlierlaini preference, asking 'reciprocity in return Sir Joseph showed 1 lint the'eirryin-j m preference would „„t mean an iiu-rea e I ill tiie price to consumers. Hut llriuin.' which is foininitied to a Free 'i'rade p.'d- 1 icy, f.'ars that it would have a distnrbiiiK effect on her foreign tiade, wliieh at present, at any raie, is of much more importance to her than all lhe colonial trade. She means to take no risks, and she lias (old Hu- colonics mi. liritain is slow to move, especially in fiseil matters. and apparently it will take more than the eloquent arguments of (he colonial Premiers to convince her that she lias more lo gain by studying her ollspring than by conserving tiie trade of foreign countries. The most we can look for at present is the improving of the service between England and the colonies and the fostering of mutual trade. Sir Joseph Ward s suggestions ill this respect were to the point, and should bear good fruit.

Both Sir Joseph Ward and Mr De:ikin have greatly impressed on the Conference the desirability of increased immigration into Australia and Nciv Z"nliind. There is no doubt about the need of men in New Zealand, and ii is nice to have new arrivals who Jo not become an immediate charge on the country. But as a matter of fact the people who are the most nceessarv to New Zeffland are those people who are willing 10 become pioneers in exactly tile same way as our immediate forerunners were. Physical ability should he a better passport to any of the colonies than tinanical standing, and the man w-ho fights his way and Joes not buy it is she best colonic any country can have. New Zealand should hold up no barriers except to absolute paupers. A liberal land policy after the Style of the Canadian system would populate this colony more cll'ectivcly and more satisjactorilv ihan a money-grub-bing policy lhal oJl'ercd high priced land to those few intending immigrant- who alone could all'ord it." Theii on the other hand ally liberal land policy should at lirst help people now ill the colony, hundreds of whom roam tile colony looking for hud. Mr John Burns di.-approved of colonisation hy bodies or pel-sons. 'llie President of the Local Ooveriinient Board ha" of course seen the obvious unwisdom of allowing auv organisation to dominate am- new settlers in a country. What all new countries want is an independent body of settlers and not »cit]ei-s who lor their sins of poverty or lack of individuality are willing to throw their burdens oil to the shoulders of organisations that accept their work of benefits received.

On the all-important question of seapower, the Admiralty and tile colonics are more at one than the Colonial Oflice and the colonies arc on immigration and comnierc Lord Tweedmoutli, lirst Lord of Tie Admiralty, fells the Conference til-it the Admiralty has charge et the strategic positions that will ensure adequate defence Lo the colonic-, which is at leas., com fori ine'. Tile Admiralty doesn't ask tile colonics for much, hut fhe colonies in consideration of the adequate defence >poken ot. eontrioute altogether CJ2S.OOO per annum, a sum thai, sp.-aking navally. is neither here nor there. In fact, (he whole of the Kuijiirc outside of Britain it-elf docs not buy the J'.mpire one-third of a single warship per year. A modern warship may co.-f anything f ro ,„ (mr pounds to two million pounds. AusIralia desires a navy of her own, and the Australian and New Zealand Premiers have lately agreed that it would always be neee.-sary to co operate to secure protection. The formation'of an effective colonial navy would immensely increase the expense of the service, which the Admiralty holds is effective for colonial protection without change. One notes that the Admiralty iiuends allocating a proportion of the colonics' ll.ival subsidies to the purchase of submarines for tile protection of the colonies,

ii is interesting speculation to learn how many submarines the forty thousand pounds .New Zealand subscribes would buy. Also the amount of money Xew Zealand would have to borrow Were it decided to institute a coast-de-fence liavv of its own. The chief point, however, is the scheme of naval defence in which the colonies shall t.)ke part, is the furnishing ot men. The Itoyal Xavv already takes a few men from the colonies, and. curiously enough, pays them special rates b.-cause the rates "of landsmen's wages in the colonies are higher than the rates of shore wage--in Britain. There arc, of course, constant feuds amongst colonial "Walla hies" and British "Jack Tars" about this disparity of pay, and, amongst oilier things, it is destructive of discipline. Jt woulj be be.ter to have whole I ships' crews of colonials. There is also a great chance in the near future for the ship-building trade, and. seeing that warships are built of the finest materials, iL occurs to us that in a better naval schwue there is also a cli 'iic 1 for Taranaki irou>and ill the days to come.

It is rather curious that although UriI tish conservatism has made the nations laugh at the refusal to simplify the coinage, that Ilriti-li money is still the valuable currency in the world. That the decimal system is an inoomp irably hotter system than the ponderous and awkward .system we still I'ollow, there is no doubt. .Such a system would revolutioni>o the keeping of records, simplify school work, bring our system into io.uell with the systems of most modern countries, and be an mense advantage generally. Still., there is hope for it yet awhile. Exactly the same niiiy he -aid of the adoption of the: proposed metrical system which dispenses with tile annoying methods that we have Sniggled with from the time of' William the Conqueror, Sir .Joseph Ward'- advocacy of a re.liic ion in cahle rates is an extension of his great work for the reduction of postage rates within the Empire, but within New Zealand particularly. It a little remarkable, by the way. that we pay the least postage for the heaviest letters of any country in ihe world anil the highest rates for most other things. The reduction of th • cable rate to sixpence a word would he a "bond of Empire" that would make us feel to be very much closer 10 the Old Land thfin ever. Undoubtedly the great increase to be expected from such a reduction would be popular, hut whether the increase in the number of caMe.s sent will increase thi- revenue from this source is another matter.