THE COLONIES AND THE EMPIRE.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 59, 16 October 1900, Page 1

THE COLONIES AND THE EMPIRE.

The Broad Arrow of July 28tk says : — Since inter national pressure has brought home to the average Englishman the necessity of Feder-. ation, the demand for action has been officia/ly met by the assertion -that initiative must come from the colonies, a curious position for the political leaders of the Mother Country to assume. Surely the centre of the Empire, not its frontiers, should provide the creative statesmanship necessary to consolidate it. The weakness of the Home Government is, however, an old story, which has been given fresh emphasis by the mismanagement oi the South Atrican war. Hence, colonials are taking English Ministers at their word ; knowing fuli well that, unless they act, Imperial defence will form a subject of afterdinner speeches until England is face to face with a European -crisis-, when the naval and military forced of the colonies will be organised in a hurry, with, perhaps, disastrous consequences. -Up to last year the lead in federal action was nearly always taken by Canada. Australasia is now her friendly rival-. Queensland was the first to offer troops for service in South Africa, and New Zealand was the -first tfc despatch a contingent to the front, as she is the -first to formulate a definite scheme for the organisation of a colonial army. Through he* Premier, Mr Seddon, she offers to raise a reserve of 10,000 mounted troops, which would cost £200,00$ a year, to be Dome by tha Horn* and colonial Governments. Wt Seddon also makes excellent sug--i gestions for the training of a navatl reserve, and for the <sonversiofi <£ {Concluded ou.fouvth#iuji§