GENERAL BOTHA'S RECEPTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8484, 11 July 1907, Page 3

GENERAL BOTHA'S RECEPTION.

AN AUSTRALIAN PREMIER'S REMARKS. •(From Our London Correspondent.) LONDON, May 25.~~ At the "Empire Day" celebration •at Ealing, yesterday, Mr Bent, the Premier of Victoria, made some outspoken remarks about the reception -of General Botha at the Colonial Conference. "Mr Botha," he said, "came to England to shake hands with you. Yes, to shake hands with .you over the graves of your dead relatives and friends. You cheered him and congratulated him. In my country, in Australia, we should not 'have shouted ourselves hoarse and :fluttered white handkerchiefs at him. We remember things. Besides, we nave a number of wooden legs, of -armless men and of sorrowing widows to keep us in remembrance. How •ever, Mr Botha has promised you certain things. I hope and trust he "will keep those promises, and that you will find the Transvaal as good a friend to you in the future as Australia has been, and is now. There are 5,000,000 people in Australia shouting with you to-day, 'Three ■cheers fcr our Empire.' In your cadet corps you have your 'kiddie soldiers.' We have thousands of them, and if the Empire were to need them they would all come forward to show the stuff they are made of. They have done it before and they arejready to do it again."