AN EPOCH-MARKING EVENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 161, 2 August 1909, Page 3

AN EPOCH-MARKING EVENT.

NEW ZEALAND'S DREADNOUGHT GIFT. APPRECIATION OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. PRESENTATION TO SIR JOSEPH WARD. THE IMPERIAL IDEA. QUICKENING ITS REALISATION. SOME IMPORTANT SPEECHES. By Cable.—Press Assoeiatioa.—Copyrigh Received August 1,, 5.5 p.m. London, July 31. Mr. J, Cathcart Was on entertained Sir Joseph Ward (Premier of New Zealand) in the House of Commons, for the purpose of making a presentation to dim of the original signatures of 400 members of the House of Commons appended to a cablegram dispatched to tJie New Zealand Government expressing appreciation of the offer of a Dreadnought. The gathering included many Ministers, ex-Ministers, and leading members, including^Anglo-Colonial members. * t( Wason, in proposing ihe unist of "New Zealand," said the Dominion was proud of her native races. They possessed great wealth and were undiminished in numbers. Though ten thousand British soldiers had failed to subdue them, they were now as loyal as ah 7 of the King's subjects. When Sir Joseph Ward sent his famous telegram offering a Dreadnought there must have been hovering over him the great departed spirit of the native races, to whom war : was sport and sport war. i

BRITISH PREMIER MAKES THE PRESENTATION. The Premier (Mr. H. H. Asqmfch) presented Sir Joseph Ward with a framed copy of the House *of Commons telegrams to Sir Joseph Ward, and said; " In a time when there was some anxiety New Zealaad spontaneously, tnrough you, sent Britain the most welcome assurance of willingness to share our common burdens and to provide for toe common Imperial interests. The people of Britain and Ireland will never forget that splendid voluntary manifestation/'

MIL BALFOUR SPEAKS IMPERIALLY Mr. A. J. Balfour (Leader of the Opposition) presented Sir Joseph Ward with an album containing the original signatures to the telegram, which, he hoped, would be kept as a perpetual memorial of this great occurrence, it related to an epoch-making v was an incident which would be looked back upon by future generations whenever our great Imperial interests may be threatened, showing how by spontaneous action the great self-governing dominions came forward on their own initiative, "without uiscussion—(heai, hear)—by. inspiration, as it were, of what was required by the public neces.nties of the Empire, and gave a gift that was generous and great almost beyond contemplation, in relation to their means, to the common object of Imperial defence. (Cheers.) Mr. Balfour continued: " I may congratulate not merely New Zealand, but yourself upon having been connected with the incident, which has not merely re-echoed within the relatively narrow bounds of this island, but produced an effect in every part of the Empir\ (Cheers.)

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Sir Joseph Ward, who sat between Mr. Asquith and Mr. Balfour, was received with rounds of cheering. He said: "The.people of New Zealand will prize as much as I this expression of goodwill from so many gentlemen occupying prominent positions on both sides ot inc Imperial Parliament. It shows what we ail know to be true, that, there are occasions when political diffft-nces can be sunk in a common desire

TO PROMOTE IMPERIAL INTERESTS. In offering a Dreadnought all concerned witTi myself, in submitting the proposal to Cabinet, in unanimously confirming v it in Parliament, and subsequently in ratifying it, did merely what all "conceived to be our duty to the Empire, without thought of personal or loyal ad vintage or self-interests. We had news that there was a crisis, that the naval supremacy of Britain was befing challenged, and that in the opinion of Imperial statesmen on both sides the situation was grave, if not critical. Now, •we always recognised in New Zealand as fully as you here that

ABSOLUTE SUPREMACY OF BRITAIN •on the wail is essential to the safety of England, and consequently of the Empire, and therefore imports no note of aggression - against otuer countries Ihc colonies are so scattered, distant in many cases thousands of miles from the heart of the Empire and from one another, that the ocean routes havbecome practically something v in the nature ol an internal or domestic Highway. The safeguarding of them is tuißrst, if hot also the best, line of deience. In these circumstances 1 felt and my colleagues agreed, that New Zealand as a (mall community could do but little, but, what she could do, that she should do at once. (Applause.) Hence the mode in which the offer was made, and the responsibility we took in making it without first consulting Parliament, which was not in session."

NO SPECIAL CREDIT CLAIMED. Sir Joseph Ward continued: "We claim no special credit. We did it as » matter of duty; and I - lully Believe that the overseas dominions, in adopting jiroposals of support, though different «9 regards details, were moved by the came spirit. (Cheers.) lam proud to 8»y that in the New Zealand Parliament, Government and Opposition, by unanimously ratifying the offers of- the Dreadnoughts to the Imperial Government. showed in a most emphatic and jiumistakable way their determination

TO HELP THE MOTHERLAND j in »ah.taining the strength of the navy i,. -i- fvotection of the widespread i«ii . . .lS vi' the British Empinf. ( A > A* K'gards the Defence Confer-cnt-e, which is .now sitting, 1 feel assured the outcoaxf of its deliberations will be both practical and valuable, the oversea representative# are of one mind ix their desire to co-operate in any scheme of defence which doesf jujstjee to the Empire as a whole and the communities they represent. (Applause.) I'n tflat result the necessity for isolatea citorts, such as tha± referred to in the case ol New Zealand, will not be likely to occur.

COLONIES NOT UNDERSTOOD. "It may be presumption on my part, hut I venture to conjecture that in some quarters the attitude of the overseas tiominiois upon Imperial matters has not always been understood as clearly as it might be. In my own ease, we have of , necessity to look upon tnings from t»ur Viewpoint and from our own prospect. V\> are 13,000 miles or thereabouts from *\ (ni .iinster, and it is obvious that our interest in the many political problems that occupy you must be diffewijit from the interest you yourselves feel. Wc have <'iir local concerns, which are ini' more important than,yours are us and what yours are to you. (Apjplftjise.) Manv political question* tlwt extye the liveliest interest here are re.yarded**by us, I will not say with in* dfljfferenef, but certainly with detaci<ment For «*ample, your Budget, which . falls, like rain, «n the just and unjust, and jh the centre of a controversy conducted with such conspicuous vivacity—(laughter and applause)-—we watch witli interest, but it is the impersonal interest with which a spectator would contemplate a dental operation. (Laugfli*r »and applause.) "To change the figure, in onr Jong " perspective your local or interim! differ* icnces /ire blurred. What stands nut -clearest ;s the relation of tlie Kmpire 4a tfhe outside world. This explains and justifies the strong Imperialistic spirit which undoubtedly runs through New Zealand and the oversea* dominions. In my judgment this spirit was, if not created, at all events stirred into strong and vigorous life, bv the disastos in toe earlier stages of the South African waT. Till their the domestic relations *1 Britain and the colonies were more -of .those between stepmother and stepthan anything else. DISSIPATING A TRADITION*. '""Aforetime it was the settled tradi,/tjSJt oTlhltMi statesmanship that tte ew refleeted/ itself

as possible. Failing that, they were snubbed, while, as for »Downing Stiect, well, it was mot a name to conjure with in the colonies. Traditions die hard; but tradition suffered severely in the South African war, when, to the bewilderment and delight of the military authorities, the colonies volunteered their help» But it did not die then, or the recent New Zealand Dreadnought offer would scarcely have aroused such astonishment and gratification throughout the United Kingdom as it appears to have <»one. That any oversea dominion should volunteer any assistance to the Home Government seems something-to make the Home-bred Briton rub his eyes and ask if he is dreaming. Will you think nie rude if I say that in the fact of your presence and mine to-day a microscopic examination might possibly discover some traces of that same unhallowed tradition* Be this as it may, I am hopeful that the tradition will not survive.

TIIE DEFENCE CONFERENCE. if, as I firmly believe will be the result at that Conference, the oversea dominions show by their acts that they are ready and willing to bear some share of the great and growing burden of Imperial defence. (Applause.) i'his will involve other adjustments, but tnese will come in time and by degrees, wven wise and prudent statesmanship on all hands, the Empire will develop o" broad and safe lines, giving a base on which it will stand lour square to ..II the winds that blow. II read with mucn pleasure Mr. Asquitii's announcement that it is contemplated to have colonial representation on the Imperial Defence Committee, and Mr. Baltour's concur rence augurs well for unanimity m important direction. I cannot but feel that if the scattered dominions are vo ■join in th e practical working of the Empire's naval defence system, the natural corollary, in some suitable form, must be representation, and what sha.e that should finally take is a subject worthy of the attention of your states men."

| "TRUE IMPERIAL PERSPECTIVE." Sir Edward Grey (Secretary of State for the Colonies) said that such a speech and Sir Joseph Ward's presence brought the colonies and (Motherland into true Imperial perspective. Therefore, they doubly owed their thanks to Mr. Wason for providing the opportunity of meeting Sir Joseph and Lady Ward. He suggested that Mr. Wason be presented with a replica of what was presented I to Sir Joseph Ward.