LATE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 13 June 1907, Page 2

LATE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

STATEMENT JSY Slit JOSEPH WARD. 'Perth, June 12. Sir J. (!. Ward say.-i: "11 1.-. undeniable tlmt tlu-l-e is ii great waul ol' knowled;;.! concerning Hie position of the selfgoverning eolonies and tin- development thai is taking place in them. I must sav that Camilla lo sonic extent should lie'excepted, lor the reason that slit id.advertising an ail. She is advertising wh-.-revi-r her representatives arc to lie found, and makes a display of what Canada has to iill'cr ill the way of land attractions, and the employment for workers in ft maimer which is extremely successful. Km- instance. 1 visited the Dublin Inhibition, where Canada had a separate cuiu-t, which was lilled lip In such a way that visitors liadTiefore them a realistic prcscuUtion of wheat (ields and dairying land, with cattle grazing nn the farm. As the outcome of Canada's pushfuiness, 1 saw three or four leave Scotland and England for Canada. Tim Dominion is better known in Kn,--land than any of the self-governing colonies. Its comparative nearness to England is also n factor in keeping It before the eyes of the British people. Although 1 must, in justice to our representatives, say they spare no pains to keep their countries before the public, yet our expenditure in advertising is very small indeed compared with Unit of Canada. The British people fear that preference will raise the price of commodities to the consumer, but in my opinion the rivalry between the colonics for the Home market would keep prices at a fair level. One diilieulty in the way of preference is the belief that Canada, Australia, and New Zealand could not supply sullicient wheat to take the place of that at present imported into Ureal Britain from Russia, America, and other countries; hut I believe Canada and Australia alone could in a short time, if it had the certainty of a market, more than supply requirements. However, under the circumstances it was impossible to carry out preferential proposals at the recent Conference, but we can hope for better things from the next. With reference to the mail subsidy, I advocated an improved Atlantic-Pacific service' across Canada to New Zealand and Australia. My view was that we should aim at a twenty days' service between New Zealand and London—four daya across Canada, and twelve days across the Pacific to New Zealand. It is quite a common thing for a steamer to travel 1 between London and America at 21 or 22 knots. I hold that Hie same speed could be maintained between Vancouver, New Zealand, and Australia, provided , the countries concerned are prepared to pay a subsidy large enough to induce owners of the class of steamers mentiont ed to take up the trade. It would liei cessitate a subsidy of about £400,000 a , year. Although this is a large sum it ' could be borne if divided proportionately between the countries concerned." Asked whel her such a service would not interfere with the Suez Canal service, Sir Joseph replied: "My opinion is that it would not. The service I advocate would cause an increase in traffic. Wherever great steamer facilities for passenger trailie have been provided > they resulted in such an enormous in- ' crease in trade tlmt instead of injury to ; existing lines they have caused 'the es- ; tablishment of additional lines to cope 1 with the trailie. This has been the ex- * perience in the Atlantic trade, where, of course, (here is a large population at the ■ end of the line. We in Australia must j look forward to a largo increase in I population in the years to come, and by >' establishing a most up-to-date passcii- * gor service we would be doing much to r attract immigrants to our shores. So far as New Zealand is concerned, we will leave unfiling undone to establish such . a service. At both the Imperial and •Navigation Conferences I advocated reduction in-the Suez Canal difes. The present, high rates have handicapped the development of colonial trade, causing tie; bulk of import. iin d exports to be - curried round Hie Cape. It seems to s me. continued Sir Joseph, ■'monstrous t . that rales should be so high that oiiliB nary cargo steamers are almost probibi,i ted Irani using the canal. It is possible, d in view of the speeches made bv Allsn jralinn representatives, that some'nlterne "on will be m-idi- in the near future.''

numsu oovmuxmknt's ixconsisTION'CV. INTKUVIKW AVITII UK. DKAKIN. Sydney. .Tune li Hi' following iiiti-rviciv wilh .\| r J)-,, km '" Kiighind has been telegraphed trciii [•'lviiiiiiilli':lleillillg with 111,. ndifude ~f (I, ( > 1,„. penal (loveinmont Mr. ])eakin says: "I think Minis!i-r.t acted consistently. aij'l m-Kiii'il throughout mconsi,(cnllV. Ili'.v absolutely refused : , nv ,„„[ ~v ei Kind nl limiil pron-reneo, either in 1),,.;.-(■xi.-linir tariff or liv any modification „f it- in Hut diirclimi. Time was no tho-riini.'li!ii!-i\ hill Ihfiy suggested that in regard In nodes oi' preference other (linn fiscal th-y liad an open mind. Thev »!'|i"« ! '!, liroi.iwiti.ms of nnv charucl.r, iiltli.--.iij.il llu.y refrained from making nn.v themselves; yet when I submitted a general suggestion for the purpose of providing : i basis which might 1,.„ dto some definite arrangement, it mis attack...] in the most contentious spirit "''"' 'lealt will, in its details, in spile "' "!;' i'>'pe.i!.'l protest n! (lie lime ili-it details i-.-.-i-.. matters of indifference, and Ih-.t Ministers were evading (lie real l''"T"- f till' pi-Op.lSllls. What. 1 sought was practical ad ion, and ivvoliitiun necessary to allow sm .|, n ,.|j, m ,„ )„. t . ykon I'he nit.oinr was that thev offered, l,u( I de.-.lined, ii noiici'iil and'indefinite resolution in favor of soma such action beingtaken hereafter nt some iiidclinile time.' Mr. Deakin instanced the case of Sir Wilfrid Lanrier's mail service pro-

pnsal, which was met certainly with less aggressiveness, l >u t with almost eipmllv determined opposition. Sir W, Lauric'r was obliged to consent to his motion being whittled down before he could secure its acceptance. There was little prospect now of Sir .loseph Ward's desire lor a rapid Pacific service receiving anything like adequate support from tic llnlisli (lovei-nmcnt. Tho total oractiral result of the endeavors to ascertain tonus of co-operation other than in fiscal preference to which the imperial Kovcrnmout was willing to agree was ml. It would have been more consistent, il .Ministers, wilh a mandate against preference, had r ,ivon tholr decision at She outset of the Conference. "We were net in effect at (lie close of our arguneiil with a plain •nun p.is-oiinus," quite rrcspeelivo of the merits of the discuslion, or, in fact, ni any discussinu we 30UUI have maintained.' Kxcept, llie.'eore. as a diale.'iie extra for (he Minisers. the whole dehate so far as they vere concerned was rendered lneiinlngess. Had n.it all beer, decided beforeland—decided for tliem as much as .by hem? While, therefore, they were pcrectly consistent in refusing to accept or proposal, they were quite inconsistnt when they encouraged us to pursue rgunienl at groat length wit limit a prosee( of (he arguments lending to anvliing."