THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1909. CLAMOROUS EGYPTIANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9602, 23 September 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1909. CLAMOROUS EGYPTIANS.

The demands for British evacuation of Egypt concurrently made by a great gathering in Cairo and by the Young Egypt Congress in Geneva mark generally the difficulties of Empire and particularly the growing aggressiveness of the "Nationalist" party in Egypt. This party's aspirations are very similar to those of the Indian "Nationalists," since, like them, it wants enlarged selfgovernment and preference to natives in filling official appointments. But "we place evacuation in the forefront," its leader, Mohamed Farid Bey, has announced, and that explains the present representations to ihe British Government, which is reminded of its "solemn promises" to withdraw from the country The British occupation, however, is necessarily conditional. The policy adopted in regard to it admits, as iir EdWard Grey has said, "that we occupy Egypt in trust M the future of the country."' When that trust can be renounced is a matter on which the trustees may well hold very different views from thoae of the beneficiaries, especially in view of the comparatively recent date of the nation's emergence from almost incessant internal strife and pervasive poverty and national squalor. To demand that England should hand the country over immediately it begins to feel the effects of the wonderful work that has been done in improving the standards and conditions of the people and in facilitating stable production and commerce by means of great irrigation and engineering succjsses may be consonant with national ambition, but it does not follow that the British Government is satisfied that British or Egyptian interests would be served by complying. While the task of occupation and the heavy responsibility it has carried have been cheerfully borne by Great Britain, tne Egyptian "Nationalist" proposes to put all that into the past so that he may begin with a clean slate. The benefits of British administration "have made no impression on the Young Egyptian party," Lord Milner has written, "and they never will." The deplorable thing is that members of the Imperial Parliament should be found egging these misguided reformers on, rendering them no real assistance, but encouraging them to challenge the inevitable refusal which will only harden their impression that England is treating them badly. j