Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-04-20
THE COLONIAL MINISTER'S
Entertained BY Field Marshal Roberts
At Pilgrims Society At London.

London April l9-F'ieId Marshal Lord
Isobert presided at banquet given
this evening at Claridge'S by the Pill
SrmS Society in honor Of the various
colonial prime ministers who are at
present in London to take part in the
colonial conference. 1t was the most
brilliant Of the honorS accorded the
visiting rrcmicrS since their arrival in
this city. The members of the society
and their guests numbered 90: twice
that number would have attended. but
many applications We're refused because
OF the lack of accomOdat lions. At the
same table with Lord Roberts sat
Whiteluv Reid the ambassador Of the
I'nitcd States. Sir Edward Gray. the
foreign secretary. Lord StrdthcGnd. the
canadian commissioner. Alfred Deak-
in. the premier of Australia. and the
Duke Of DrvOushirc.
The government wa~ represented hy a
majority of the members OF the cabinet,
ana i'll addition many ~ III" most
prominent men AT tln har. III III"
church and IN TN" commercial World
sat dcMu Ll the tables. TIC Duke "t
Argyll. Austen 'uuu o"ll Iii'. y 'n'j"h
Spencer Churchill. Lore tdlrlIH, Lord
Fitzlnduricr. Rider fiagg'"d. L'tu
ltnnaird. .ArchdcHrou sinclair. ~"
Duke 81 Sutherland. F'icIG Mtr+hai Sir
George White, General McthU"n. On
cral Nicholson ara Harry +. Rrtti&n
were among those present
Sir Wii.rid I.aurirr. tnr premier -
Canada. General Loris B"taa, prcin'"r
of the Transvaal and D". JHm"S"r, pre-
micr 81 cape Colony. were absent ,tnd
Canada alone among tn" colonies was
without a spokesman.
Those who delivered speeches were
Sir Edward Grey. Alfred Dcakin. 81
Joseph Ward. premier Of New Zealand.
Alfred I.yttleton. +. ". SMART. the
commissioner Of public works FOR tape
Colony, who spoke for Dr. jameson who
Is i'll, the Duke of Dcvonshire and Lord
Roberts.
Sir Edward Grey. in his address. re-
farred to the mistake Great Britain had
made in her colonial policy in former
century and said he WAS sure that this
would not be repeated. Lord Roberts
and Mr.. Smartt spoke of the reunion
of the Anglo-SaXun nation and remind
ed their hearers that Americans were
taking part in the celebration Of the
evening.
The most striking addresses were
delivered by Sir Edward Grey and Al
fred Deakin. Sir Edward remarked ne
feared the coiuniStS found the colonial
Office much farther from the colonies
than the colonies were from the colonial
office. Mr. Deakiu talked from the
shoulder and deal; with intcrnationa!
problems with straightforward words
that undoubtedly will make tho care
full British diplomatistS shuGdeT. He
said il was a fac: that ;hc colonial "
flee was farther from the colonies than
the colonies from the colonial office ana
he emphasized the claim that the col
onies should be independent nations.
H.. said it was Refreshing" {" come to
London and talk with The government
face to face. He promised that Austria
lid next year would inaugurtte SyS-
TEN whereby she would defend herself
in the event of war without assistance
from the mother country. He emphasi-
zed the fact that the problems OF Aus
tr;llia were not the problems of Eng
land. saying the mother country had
no Asiatic populations as menacinS
rivals.
Then referring obviously. to the Ger
man occupation of the New Hebridies,
the premier of Australia said he wish
cd it to be noted that England had not
allowed a rival European nation to Sc
cure q foOthold close to Australia
without a warning from Australia.
While the British navy had not been
called on in a test of sea
supremacy during the past century.
the speaker said this would
happen in the next hundred years.
Without mentioning nations by
name, he predicted pointedly that
there would he war FOR the supremacy
of the Pacific with Germany and Japan.
China and Japan tt tween fAe.n pro-