No nation in the past has possessed so great [unclear: as] influence in the Pacific as the British, [unclear: and] no nation in the future should. We [unclear: have] had the greatest share hi naming and [unclear: ating] the islands; we discovered many [unclear: of] them, policed them with our own men [unclear: of]-war, and sent missionnarise, out from the [unclear: very] earliest times—to whose efforts the [unclear: case of] civilistation enjoyed is very largely [unclear: due]. Half the groups of Oceania, first [unclear: angelised] by British missionaries, have [unclear: fallen] into foreign hands, and now, in [unclear: some] case of these places, the British [unclear: mission-try] is not allowed to labour, and the British trader has been squeezed out.

From Port Jackson and the Waitemata went the men who founded the inland trade, In those old days, dozens of hardy traden used to leave Auckland in their schooners to competo with the equally hardy Sydney adventurers. At that time the trade was almost wholly British. But a change lias come over the scene. Little by little the foreigner has got a footing; little by little New Zealand has lost. Australia has not suffered so much, though she is Ending difficulty in keeping hold of her trade in those islands where German companies are operating, and in some cases has been driven out by them. But it is New Zealand, which might to do most of the. South Sea trade, and which at present does the least, that needs to bestir herself if she is to make any progress in this direction instead of going further backward.

German Policy.

"Australian competition in the South Seas is very keen," declared Herr Dern burg in the German Reichstag the other day, "and this competition will have to be driven off the field, since it will seriously restrict the market for German goods." This is the German policy pretty plainly stated, and if British supremacy is to be maintained we shall need to "get a move on," as the Americans say. It is only human, of course, to desire the advancement of the interests of New Zealand over those of Australia, hut this, be it remembered, is a mutter where Imperial interests are at stake and a healthy rivalry between the Dominion and the Commonwealth will help and not hinder the extension of British trade. Where the work-a-day material interests lead, there the other sentiments and interests must follow to a considerable extent. The factors which mate for the increase and widening of trade relations between the scattered parta of the Empire in these southern seas must needs make also for an all-round consolidation and unity.

The Panama Canal.

During the past few years the world's storm center has moved to the Far Mast. The sudden rise of Japan to the dignity of a great Power, the awakening of China, and the possibility of the early unlocking of the doors of that country to trade relations with the rest of the world, to say nothing of the growing importance of Australia and New Zealand, have caused the control of the Pacific to become a matter of vital concern to us. That concern will be considerably heightened in a few years when the completion of the Panama Canal will have diverted a portion of the world's trade into another route. Other nations have been far-seeing enough to get in early, and have page 6 secured advantageous positions for coaling depots and naval bases along the line of the future canal traffic which Britain might herself have had if she had not let the opportunity go by and France here, and Germany there, have added to their possesions islands that are worth having now, and will he much better worth having later on.

Hoist the Flag.

Even Tonga has not yet been definitely annexed, and it possesses in Yavau a large and safe harbour in a part where harbours of any kind are rare, and it is a conceivable that if annektion be long deferred some complication may arise that may make it difficult. This in what happened with the New Hebrides. We laid the foundations of the trade in the New Hebrides, and before 1880 there was not a Frente subject in the group, which everybody then regarded as practically a British possession, as indeed it actually was at one time. Now, through the happy policy of "letting alone," the French settlers own most of the land, and claim most of the rest; trade is three-fourths French, and in the future, as far as can be seen, will probably be French altogether. The case of Samoa, which Germany got hold of be-canse the bulk of the 'trade, moat of the alienated land, and the majority of the European population were German, is still fresh in our memories, and though these conditions do not as yet obtain in Tonga, and Germany has renounced her "rights" to these in lands (if she ever possessed any!), still, delay may be dangerous, and the wisest policy surely is to hoist the flag at once.

An Island Congress.

Island affairs do not seem to concern our statesmen very much, for the reason perhaps that there is no body to speak with a united voice on behalf of the scattered island communities and to represent their requirements. Sir George Grey dreamed of an island federation and was I Aligned at. Mr. Seddon was also laughed at when he talked of attaching Fiji and other groups to New Zealand, in addition to the Cook and other islands that are now, thanks to him, dependencies of the Dominion. A future generation will find it hard to understand why the Imperial views of these departed statesmen did not meet with favour. A federation of the British-owned islands ouch t to be practicable, and I shall show in a later article that it is—at least, I believe it to be. At any rate, a congress of representatives of the various British-owned islands might every now and then meet for the discussion of islnnd affairs—Auckland, by the way, would be a very suitable place for the tial meeting—and the represestation made by such a body to our [unclear: Ga] vernaments—Australian and New [unclear: Zeasland]—should have some weight. This [unclear: con] would, in the first instance, be a [unclear: pu] deliberative body, bat it might in [unclear: corned] time develop into something more, and! I sibly from its members one or two [unclear: mought] be elected to sit in our Houses of [unclear: Led] ture, as honorary member, if you [unclear: ble] specially to keep an eye on island [unclear: int] There will be some who will scaff [unclear: at the]—who will regard it as fantastic, [unclear: imp] ticable, and useless. If it is, then [unclear: so is the] wider movement that is gaining [unclear: favour] Home to secure cohmial representatie the House of Lords and House of [unclear: Common] To give the islands special representation would be doing exactly the some thing a miniature scale, and be giving a lead the Motherland. Besides, France [unclear: give] her pacific islands representation French Parliament, so that if the thing feasible in her ease it is also in ours, Any how, if the giving of Pome surt of [unclear: reperents] to the British it island as a [unclear: whol] is deemed impracticable, it will surly be denied that the Cook and other island which now form portion of New Zealands territory are as much entitled to a [unclear: vo] in Parliament as the Maoris.

I have for the present only roughly [unclear: in] cated the scheme, but if ever if ever serious consideration by our politicion hope they will make some effort to, as [unclear: Mr.] Chamberlain would say, "think Imperially" when they come to discuss it.

Mr. Seddon's Warning.

When Mr. Seddon passed away our [unclear: King] men in the islands lost one of thier [unclear: best] friends, who ever sought to strengthen [unclear: the] bonds between the British community these and New Zealand, and [unclear: of] the many able speeches he made on the subject [unclear: the] one, with its warnings of the prils [unclear: which] must some day menace us, may be appripriately quoted:—

The Pacific Inlands question is of pad mount importance. Under the altered condition now existing, which in the future will ho greatly changed, to the advantages of other nationa by the construction of Nicaragua and Panama Canals, numbers of industries will be greatly affected; In [unclear: fact] it is difficult to grasp the momentous [unclear: issues] involved. Unless statesmen graps the [unclear: situ] tion and provide therefor, they will find is years to come the weak spot, They will discover that the most deadly blow will be struck at our Empire in the Pacific [unclear: itself] The Japanese huve stopped the Russians [unclear: s] the East, and what is going to happen [unclear: in] the West, who can toll? It is well ever to be prepared. With industries crippled [unclear: and] Food supplies stopped, the people in the page 7 [unclear: set] of our great Empire will be in a bad It is not too late for action. Preven-is better than cure, and we must be [unclear: and] doing. If our kindred at Home do then the self-governing colonies [unclear: fail] when the occasion arises, Mean-wherever possible, the British flay float over the islands of the Pacific.

[unclear: Thus] Mr. Seddon, who, [unclear: being] dead will [unclear: speak] for a long time to come. How [unclear: fired] in dealing at various times with [unclear: limidities] and hesitations of equivcal [unclear: ans] at Home he told on one occasion [unclear: his blunt] way just before his death, and postion has perhaps never been more [unclear: put]. If only on account of the intresting sidelights given, the extract is reprinting:—

We foolishly lost Samoa. The steamer [unclear: there] tearing at her bawsers, and everything was in readiness to take possesion. [unclear: the king] and the islanders were prepared to be annexed; in fact, anxious to come in [unclear: the] Zealand; but Downing-street in-and Samoa wak lost, Great credit [unclear: due] to Sir Robert Stout and Sir Julius feed for the effort to nave Samoa, The statesmen did not grasp the full [unclear: ance] of the loss of this and other [unclear: needs] New Zealand was injured, as Banum [unclear: close] to it and lay on the track to the [unclear: last]. Through their muddling, and through their mistakes, irreparable injury had been New Zealand by the British [unclear: statesmen] of that day.

As to the Sandwich Islands, the Republic in Government was prepared to support a [unclear: rate] under America and Britain. He Seddon) interviewed John Sherman, for Foreign Affairs, on the [unclear: sub-but] that gentleman told him there was [unclear: danger]. To interfere with those islands Mr. Sherman, would be contrary to the Doctrine, and he did not himself [unclear: ap-] of a protectorate. America, he said, true to her Munroe Doctrine. He President McKinley, who put quite different complexion on the position. "You know, Mr. Seddon, that American interests are no great—there is so American capital there: there is the [unclear: industry] at Francisco, then there bestroot sugar question-—that we find difficulty in our country in that [unclear: re] and it is important to us. And," said "I will urge all I can t hat those islands [unclear: be] annexed to America,"

He (Mr. Seddon) subsequently saw the reprentative of Great Britian on arrival England, and made representations strong-[unclear: ging] that, in the intercuts of t lie Empire New Zealand, British statesmen should their duty and save these inlands. At [unclear: but time] a third of the boats trading [unclear: been] 'Frisco and New Zealand belonged to New Zealand. They were doing a large with Hawaii, and he knew that if [unclear: Amrican] coastwise laws were to be applied, New Zealand steamers would bo shut out. Two of the Ministers of the Isands were New Zealanders, and the majority of the Sandwtrh Islanders wanted the inlands to be British, and his (Mr. Seddon's) idea was to have a protectorate as a step in that direction. Further representations were made in London, but it they were pooh-poohed. America, they said, would never annex; but within three years those valuable islands formed part of the American Republic, and British and New Zealand trede was shut out. Then with regard to Noumea, Sir George G rey had urged, as far back a 1853, that it should form part ref New Zealand, and the chiefs wanted to he annexed to New Zealand—they wanted to be British. Sir George begged Dowmng-Street to make the annexation, hut, apparently from sheer indifference, no action was taken. Shortly after that the Marist Brother there arranged with some agents who were there, the French hoisted their flag, and Noumea and New Caledonia became annexed to France.

These losses were incalculable? and it was a pity that such statesmen should ever have been entrusted with the destinies of Great Britain. The Philippines were, also, American. Undoubtedly America was pursuing an inter-island policy, and had entirely departed from the Munroe Doctrine It was only the other day that Boosevelt said that the Stars and Stripes should dominate the Pacific, He (Mr, Seddon) said that the flag that should dominate the Pacific should be the Union Jack, (Cheers.)

In New Zealand they were face to face with the Now Hebrides difficulty, At one time the New Hebrides actually belonged to New Zealand, having been included in the latitudinal and longitudinal hearings, but subsequently this was altered, and the islands were left out. He wished they had been allowed to remain, They were valuable islands, and close to New Zealand. In these matters the Opposition should join with the (Govemment. He had not received any help in these greater aspirations. In all such matters party should be sunk, and they should stand Wetter for the 1700d of their colony nod the advancement and solidarity of the greatest Empire the world had ever known. (Applause.)

Thus of the numerous islands, many of them of great value both strategically and commercially, which compose the outer belt of what should be Australian and New Zealand territory, Great Britain has permitted foreign Powers to possess groups here and theirs that might have been had by ourselves for the huittin of a flag. [unclear: w] regard to the future, t lie blunt warning of Mr. Seddon who undoubtedly knew what he was talking about, is sufficient!v significant—'Unless statesmen grasp the situation . . . they will discover that the most deadly blow will be struck at our Empire in the Pacific itself."