Imperial Questions.

Mr Seddon dealt with the work of the Premiers' Conference, and said the Pacific cable was one of the resulte of the conference in the Jubilee year. It was there carried that this partnership should he entered into as between the Imperial Government and the dominions of Britain over the seas. This was only the commencement; there ought to be other partnerships. It was to the advantage of our kindred at Home and the colonies that the colonies should feed our kindred in the united Kingdom. He was not satisfied that it was altogether the trade following the flag: but he did know that the trade followed the ships, and in this respect we could take a leaf out of the book of other nations. We did not speak in any way derogatory to these other nations: what they were doing said a great deal for their intelligence. They fully subsidised steamers for the carriage of their goods to British communities. Their system of trade meant that the Mother Country was losing her trade with her kindred who desired to give it to her; and that she would have to depart from the old worn-out ruts, abandon the threadbare Practices, and come into line with the advance of her colonies. At the last conference a resolution was passed urging upon the Imperial Government and rhe colonies to subsidise steamers to carry British goods to British communities (Applause.) He had been called a dictator because he had set his face against federation with Australia, saving that we must work for our own destinies. (Applause.) Who was there now in the colony, he asked, who demanded federation with Australia? (Applause.)

Dealing with the future, Mr Seddon said that one of the questions which had been of importance for the good of this country, and had contributed to our great prosperity, had been the settlement of the people upon the land of the colony. (Cheers.) The subdivision of large estates must continue: it must, in his opinion, increase in rapidity. (Cheers.) We must not let our men and women leave these shores to seek land in Canada and other parts of the world The land was here, and the people must he put upon the land. (Cheers.) They must be put upon the page 14 land on such conditions as would give them a fair divsion of profits as between themselves and the State, which was to be the landlord. If it meant increasing the responsibilities of the people in this respect they got more in the way of security than they advanced. It was golden-edged security that the colony received. (Cheers.) They heard people talking about the increased indebtedness who yet refrained from mentioning the security. As for the security in respect [unclear: to] the advances to set t[unclear: i]ers, he maintained that if the Government had adopted another policy, and if a lending board had been established and the moneys raised in that way, there wodd never have been a word about it; but under the present system, the control was kept in the hands of the people and he held that it must remain there, for to place it in the hands of anyone else would, in his opinion, be a danger to the State. He trusted the people, and he declared that the people in respect of this were safe, and that the moneys advanced were so advanced to those who would repay the interest. When he told them that in respect of these loans under the Land for Settlements Act we had to-day over £80,000 to the good—(cheers)—they would see that there could not possibly be the slightest loss to the country. To some extent be differed from the labour uniors in regard to the question of an increased population. They had an erroneous idea that by an increase in population their position as workers is impeilled. This was fallacy. (Hear, hear) The more population there was he better the position of the workers (Applause.) When an increasing population was placed upon the land it me[unclear: ui]t that that gave work to the workers in the towns: and if the country was prosperous the town was prosperous also. The great thing was to have an increased population, and to have our market within our own boundaries. What letter markets, he asked, could the farmers of New Zealand have than the markets of New Zealand? There was no shib necessary, no freight to pay, and no control by middlemen. England and Scoland had a population of 40,000,000; New Zealand, with the same area, had a population of 800,000 He held that we wanted more population; but he was not in favour of immigration or any other means than the means of attraction for bringing people to our shores. (Cheers.) Let them come here gradully, and the numbers of those who were attracted here would rapidly increase. During last year the increase was over 20,000, and during the last three or four months it had been at the rate of 2000 a month.