THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1901.
MUCH ink is being outpoured nil over the colony on (lie question ot! New Zcnlaml being represented by troops at the opening of the Federal Parliament. The Federal Premier, Mr Barton, asked that this colony should send over a troop of a thousand men, half of them being Mr.oris. Mr Sadden, h’hsw^, of consulting members of Parliament on the subject. The consensus of opinion is against such a large representative bod}' from a colony not intimately concerned in the proceedings, while many go so far as to ssy that it is not nocessarj’ to do more than send a Ministeror two, hearing greetings. That is the view we ourselves take on the matter, simply on the ground that the Federal Premier’s request would entail an unnecessary expense. It would not be a penny less than £30,000, ami very probably a great deal more, for there would be the expense of selectlm/, training, feeding and paying the men, and that of transporting and feeding the horses, beside expenses of Ministers —always a considerable sum. Thereare too many works urgently needing this money to allow it to be squandered, and we are glad to notice that the Government cannot agree to Mr Barton’s request in its entirely. Our own Premier has fallen in for a very large amount of harsh criticism over the matter, but it is hard to see in what way he has deserved it. He received a request from Mr Barton and naturally put it before members of the Legislature for their opinion. Motive hunters are contrasting his conduct now with that on the occasion of the despatch of the various contingents, but there can be no fair comparison without taking into account the fact that in one case there was urgent need for representation to assist the Mother Country, and that all the people were in favour of the idea, while the case in point is not one requiring instant action. Had the Premier acted on his own initiative and sent the force asked', the storm in a teacup would have been infinitely greater and more lasting.
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Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 122, 12 March 1901, Page 2
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356THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1901. Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 122, 12 March 1901, Page 2
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