THE NEW HEBRIDES QUESTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1715, 3 July 1883, Page 2

THE NEW HEBRIDES QUESTION.

«, . A special telegram to the Press Association dated London Jane the 2Sth, contains the following : — "The deputation of Agents-Geneial to Lord Dei by, Secretary of State for the Colonies, on the annexation question, was private. The following has, however, tianspired as to what took place : — The Agents-General asked Lord Dei by either to annex or establish a protectorate over all the Pacific Islands extending from Samoa to New Ireland. Sir F. D. Bell, the Agent-General for New Zealand, urged the great risk of some foreign power annexing these islands. Lord Derby replied that he was unaware of any facts which would justify any such fear. Mr Murray Smith, the Agent-General for Victoria, dwelt strongly upon the danger and disgrace of foreign convicts settlements in these islands, which would convert them into a kind of Alsatia, and a constant menace and trouble to Australasia, jfle deemed it prudent to press for the establishment of a protectorate only, as he surmisfed that it was hopeless to induce* thejtrovei ninent to carry out a policy of a^Hr a " tion. He also read a cable messagaßßwi Mr Service, Premier of Victoria, sfs^A that profound dissatisfaction woul^^, created throughout the Australn^ colonies if the Imperial Gowrn- r ment refused to entertain tneir requests on this matter. Rir Saul Samuel, Agent-General for New South Wales, urged the importance of increasing the trade between the colonies and these islands. Mr Archer, AgentGeneral for Queensland, dwelt chiefly on the New Guinea question. Sir Arthur Blyth, the Agent-General for South Australia, was silent. The Agents-General gathered from Lord Derby's observations that the New Guinea annexation question was settled. His Lordship was at first very unsympathetic in his manner, but afterwards appeared to be impressed with the idea that the colonies were thoroughly in earnest on this subject ; and he seated that he was perfectly sensible of the gravity of the question at issue. • He, however, avoided committing himself to ■ any decisive expression of opinion, and asked the Agents-General to supply him with a joint statement of their arguments and the evidence on which they were based, for the guidance of the Cabinet in arriving at a decision. Tho Hon. Evelyn Ashby, M.P., Under-Seore-tary for the Colonies, was present at the interview,