A WELCOME BANQUET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10405, 28 August 1911, Page 5

A WELCOME BANQUET.

TO THE BARONET AND KNICHT.

A TALK ON IMPERIALISM

By Telegraph — Press Association

WELLINGTON, Last Night

Sir Joseph Ward, Bart., and Sir John Findlay, were tendered a complimentary banquet last night by the citizens of 'WeMngton, .to welcome them hack from Home. ■. Members of the Ministry were preisent,: ialsa Sir Arthur Guinness, (Speaker), MajornGenieral Godley, ,th!e Mayor (Mr Wdlfkxrd), presiding. .Responding.to- the .toasb'of the returning guests, Sir Joseph Ward, ■who was : enthuisia&tdioailly reo&ived, said . first duty <at Home "had 'been to carry out the duties imposed , upon them, and no greater work had over been aocomplistoed than at the Imperial. Conference. He oould snot go as fully, into, wiliat had. been dome as he ■.would like,* font next week the .resolutions would be .submitted' to the (repffieseinitatives of the,people, and he would deal fully with the whole of them. Everything that was proposed at the Conference was'ismbjeot to rati-. fioataon by flue .people of the country before being finally passed. The Imperial Council resoliutoian moved by ■ham;- was opposed (by all the _ other Premiers. But for the discussion on that iresolutioni, however, they would not hiarve been taken, inito (partnership. Twio-thiidis of the resolutians isubanibted by Nenv. Zealand had 'been oanied.j Ilbey would' find dm due oour.se that very valuable work had been' done. A system of defence was necessary in order to make the Empiire so imiptregniaibilie thiait others wouMiifind that wb. were masters, and the 'peace of the world would be asWho was. to say what .would be the ©uitaoania of tihe great oomhisn- [ ation agaimst 'Englauds? Could we he hiainded over .to a foreign Power without havitng; a say in the matter ? The .development which (had .taken place in. the past .ten, yeans hiad quite altered itheV'whole, aspect of the affairs of the Emipirre. There had been enormous changes in. the East and West in the navies and armies, and'Engiliand oould not afford to take any chances. He had urged upon the people of the Old Couniry the absolutei 'niecesis.ity for repTfasentiation,', in the Imperial Parliament. It had been recognised by men of,aU ,parties l itihlat eachi "qtf the outside countries s%>uld .^.represented.:in to English Paf-; liannenit. It b)ad: bjeett' irecogniisied by

;thei«lrisl]£ ■ ; . ; ; 01iiMif , ish^lct'a. 'free -oouintry' liket r: New. >Zea\liajld ;, not have did not fMriialJ: hiis> proposal v would be cairai«d, jbut he' wanted'.-it' put on re-.; cord, v "Wfi'tih; regard, '.to the dffifeihoe of j fljiba Empire, he said that if England want to w New Zeralariwi, Canada, Australm and .-'the- others muisit •. go •too. .It was useless'.to -Bay on® part Empire could be at. 'but the other pairt joiaaJng-iui; 'Wo •wanted .a navy ■m.'K©w Zealand, with dockyards. \- He wis aure : .that tMs •generation, and future geaierationis, wouldl want to do a, iair ffcbing for the and this could. not he don© without -fair .representation', at Home. Sir Joltn Findlay recognised as being right inthe forefront irt connietrtd'CHi' with the-Itecnacratdon of Londoni. •. Member©-' of , the Conference, were; unanimously of opinion that the Dedaration should he can'Sxamed. He ' had noticed the great gulf' between. rich and poor at Home. He was iseiatdng ihis- heart on casing the gulf ibe/tween the two classes.; He., bad left the Odd feeing; that'we were-.moire closely ' .mow than over before. '•'■■; •-"•*!"; J''''';'''''.-'!■';".'■'•"':-'"'..-. Sir John JHiiclJky;isaipt that 'one .of (the, tibLngsf aili;,Home: impressed: ton\Tnore tiij»\'M'y- ; ottiepS\ , geneaial exodus of people. Mr Johni ■Burns had stated fchat people had either left or would be leaving (during thus year and the aoexft two years. Scotland was bleeding ifco dleaibh. TWenty thousand would leave itihis year. Thenei were fiveithou sand imore people 'leaving annually thara were born. He montioned ? the great increase, in Ctermian population' in recent years, and' sjfcressed l the fa«fc that they had to go somewhere, and muslt (eventually oomie into oontbaot witfh England! iQernnany had eighteen anillaonis «ngaged Km the land, while England had 980,000. The .solution of England'® internal! difficulties lay ia the land question, and nothing could be done until local autonT omy was .granted tto Ireland, Scot l ' iand amidi WlkleSi Them flilhe time would icome ifor ai true Imperial' ' ParliaItnent. -../'