THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1911. ANNEXATION OF TONGA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10408, 31 August 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1911. ANNEXATION OF TONGA.

The Prim© Minister • told the House of Riepresentativeis on Tuesday that ■when ait Home lie .had made ipapreiseniatumis in the .matter of the annexation of .Tonga to New Zealand. Tonga Isfos, -which' are also known as the "Friendly Islands," are situated in the Western Pacific. They are governed, under ,a British Prodjeotorate, iby an hereditary monarch, and a assembly of (two ■arcbris. • The> kingdom, which consists of three groups of islands, has an area;, of 390 isquame miles, .and a population of 21,240. The trade of tike islands is mainly with Australia and New Zealand, the icGaief exports' being copra-, bananas and oranges. So 'much for the islands themselves. What people are concerned about just mow are <the areasoms which piiomipted Sir Joseph Ward to seek the annexation of the islands. Mr J. Allen, M.P., nought \ito "draw" the Prime 'Minister on (the subject on' Tuesday evening, but Sir Joseph refused to foe drawn. It appears to Ibe a imost extraordinary thing for the head of a Government to make ovieiteres on an important question K>f this ikindj without (taking the representatives of the people onto his confidence. Supposing that the Home Government had been favourable to Ithle project, what would have happened ? Sir Joseph! would (have, (beeiii compelled ito ,seek legislati'vie 1 authority, and this anight have bean irefused. The whole Dominion would i then have been- ridiculed. The Prime Minister .takes altogether 'too much for granted. He assumes that anything die, or hits .Cabinet, does, must peofiKsarily be endorsed by the LegI His offer of a Dreadnought twfii foact enough. His launching of

a wild-cat ischteme for an Imperial Council was worse. But lliis negotia- I tion with the Horn* Office for tlio I annexation of Tonga, without even' moutioiiinig the matter in. Parliament, caps ;it all. What do the ■electors think of their representatives being treated in this fashion P Have J our 1 legislative institutions developed into government entirely 'by Cabinet? The wisdom, or otherwise, of annexing Tonga meed mot here be discussed, excepting to ,say that tine 'experience in regard to the Cook Islands has> not been such as to justify further experiments in annexation. What the people have a right to know is why Sir Joseph Ward, on Ms oto initiative, approached the Home Government on the subject, and wiry he has .refused to furnish Parliament with an explanation* of Ms extraordinary conduct. One of these days this country will find itself in am unholy mess, and it will then wonder why it allowed the whole business to be i dominated hv one man.