THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1907. "THE GREAT SURPRISE."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8475, 29 June 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1907. "THE GREAT SURPRISE."

Sir Joseph Ward has been unfortunate in his great surprise. He roused tije cariosity of the people only to disappoint them. within a.few. hours, and to draw forth criticism, which, from a political point of view, it would have, been better to have avoided. But every excuse should be made for the Premier, and sympathetic people will even find it within their hearts to forgive him. Verily the word "dominion" hath a fine sound. When uttered in a spirit of respectful emphasis it is pleasing and harmonious to the ear. Sir Joseph, fresh from the whirl of society—and after an actual, although brief, existence in an aristocratic atmosphere, evidently came to the conclusion that a'high - sounding title for New Zealand must be the one thing that insignificant colonists hanker after. What the Imperial Government may think regarding reciprocal trade proposals is, of course, of no importance whatever in comparison with their gracious willingness to bestow upon us the great title of Dominion. Our old colonists, whom we used to admire, what of them? They are but colonists, and were content to come out here as such, but we—we are dominionists. Our population may be small, our national debtborrowed money—may be large, the taxation of the country may be severe, the rate at which we are developing mayj be [painfully slow, we may be Annexed by Japan or any other great power to-morrow with absolute ease because we have no proper system of national defence, but—and we must never forget it—we are a Dominion! New Zealand has reached the zenith of her glory, and reached it, too, under the able statesmanship of Sir Joseph Ward. The historian of the future will recount how New Zealand became a Dominion, fete will explain how the Premier, practically, brought out in his breeches' pocket the necessary

document in order to make the desired change.

But coming back to the present, it is possibly a move in the right direction that New Zealand should in future be known as a dominion instead of as a colony, but we are surprised that the Premier should have attached so much importance to a mere change of name. It seems more like playing at nation-making than nation making itself, to regard the anriouncement of such a chanee as "the plum" in the Governor's Speech. Lord Mayors too! How wonderfully the country progresses. Four Lord Mayors in a single night—the country is growing at a wonderful rate, and yet (as a writer in our columns recently quoted) the Hon. W. P. Reeves has declared that the reputation of colonial statesmen is made "on a rise in prices." And it is all so democratic. That is a feature of the case that appeals to one irresistibly. Titles, beautiful silk breeches, cocked hats, swords, and so forth, are not these in a young selfgoverning colony the emblems of a sturdy and true democracy?