RETURN OF MR. G. G. STEAD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2209, 12 October 1907, Page 4

RETURN OF MR. G. G. STEAD

IM I>KIMAL PI kEFERENTIAL TRADE.

SOCIAL* LIFE IN ENGLAND

the Al.fi RED ROUTE

Snocinl to Times ■WETiLINGTON, Oct. 10 Oil M v Stead's arrival from Iam(lon bv the Al-awn this morning a representative of the press sought hull out- with a view to getting some information from him upon a number of subjects of general .interest. LUr. Stead, however, strongly protested against being interviewed, as he considered interviewing was being very much overdone. Moreover ho added, so many people go to England nowadays that there is very -little thait is new to be said. However, later in the day your representative again saw Mr. Stead .and prevailed upon him to sav a few words for publication. . PREFERENTIAL TRADE. The tirst subject mentioned was preferential trade within tho Empire. So far as Mr. Stead could judge there is .a very strong feeling amongst the mercantile community in England in favor of preference ancl the few persons of strong l<reo trade proclivities whom ho met were mostly .Parliamentary men who had no practical experience of commerce. He was afraid that Mr Chamberlain’s active political days wore over, but were ho able to take tho lead again on the other side. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, would he unlikely to maintain his .present position after a general election. “Unquestionably amongst commeicial alien in England,” added Mr Stead “there is a very bitter feeline .against tho present Ministry and in particular against Mr. M.inston Churchill. Tho prevailing opinion is that tho present Prime Ministei as unpatriotic, and that his ideas an regard to disarmament if put into practice would be suicidal. laie prevailing feeling was neatly put to Mr Stead by a leading commercial man, who remarked that the only loyalists in the Empire were the colonists. Mr. Stead was present an tho House of Commons during tho debate upon Sir Henry •CampbellBannerman’s motion in regard to the reformation of the House of Lords and listened to the whole of tho speeches. .Ho was not much impressed .with the Prime Minister s oratorv, but considered Ins speech tawjly logical, while Mr. Balfour sspeech in reply was a better effort- from the oratorical point of view but Aj as somewhat lacking in logic. A tew nights later at a dinner an one ot the clubs in London Mr feteiul bad a further opportunity of hearing Mr. Balfour on .the same subject, and although the New Zealander was in favor of an Upper House lie was not greatly impressed with Mr Balfour s defence of it. It is not surprising, therefore, that he considers the present Opposition .to he suffering somewhat severely from Mr. Chamberlain’s breakdown in health. Mr Stead had ,th© pleasure of meeting quite a number of the members ot the British Parliament, not only at luncheons and dinners in Bellamy s but also at private functions; but ho failed ito ascertain that there was in the present Parliament any rising star capable of -leading the -Opposition to victory, at all oveii'ts for some time to come.

THE SOCIAL SIDE. Speaking© generally of tho social side of English life Mr Stead ventured the opinion that tho great majority »of people in; England and especially in London led artificial Lives. The wealthy never ceased in their endeavor -to outshine -their neighbors, while their poorer acquaintances were for ever striving to emulate their richer friends. Tio talked to dozens and dozens of .peoplo who frankly admitted that they did not know how their neighbors managed to pay their -way. -Peoplo generally seemed bent more on pleasure than on business. .American society seemed in an equally unhealthy state, but there nearly every one’s chief aim -seemed to be to make money, and yet -there was a difference in England, as it had been aptly put in one of the newspapers: the moment the English stock brokers and merchants finished tlioir day’s work they began .to -discuss ■amusements, cricket, golf, bridge, racing; but when the American stockbroker had finished the day’s work his talk was all about “bulls” and “bears.”'Mr Stead gave two .instances illustrative of the love of show and parade that attracted liis .attention. -One w-as in -connection with -the suicide of a stockbroker in consequence of financial difficulties. The first witness at the -inquest was the man’s own foot-mqn -and eviclenc© showed .that the stockbroker knew for months that ho was in difficulties -and unlikely to pull through, yet he must have his footman. The other instance was .that of a horscdealer who maintained a butler. furthermore, so far -as he could judge, the rush after titles seemed to grow stronger every decade. A-s an instance Mr. Stead pointed to the column headed “London D-ay by Day” in the “Daily Telegraph.” That column began generally with some reference to the King and members of tho Royal Family. Then come to perhaps half a dozen dukes and duchesses and a host of lesser notabilities. Most of these personages wero not even in London on the day preceding tho publication and as for “London ,Day by Day,” the column contained scarcely a word about it. FOREIGNERS IN LONDON. -Mr. Stead is inclined to think that London is changing very rapidly in several respects. .He was par-ticuial-ly struck with tho influx of foreigners. During his last visit ho noticed so -many sign-boards with foreign names on them that he was impelled to remark to a friend that i'f this state of things continued London in the course of time would not belong to tho English. Of course, the majority of the joint stock companies were English, but t-liero was an undue preponderance of foreign signs on slions and warehouses. The foreigner was becoming more anil more in evidence as tho years rolled Oil

■RACING. ■Mr Stead attended a fair number of race meetings and lie was more till all ever impressed witli the fact that horse-racing was conducted in a much better way in the colony. The only up-to-date course ami stands bo saw were at Newbury. There the stands .and general conveniences' were etjnal to anything to be seen in the colonies. In nearly all the other courses the convenience of the public is .scarcely considered by the authorities. In England, so far as he could gather, there were only two classes of people who went to meetings—the men who went 10 hat and those who went to show off their dresses and themselves. To go to a race-meeting for the mere pleasure of the sport, as so many did in the colonies, was an almost unknown thing in England. Then 'ln majority of .prizes were small, except at .Ascot and one or two meetings. The .majority of the races were for stakes of only -about £IOO and the result was that many owners had to endeavor to egyer their stable expenses .by bettins.

THE VANCOUVER ROUTE. Questioned on 41ns subject Mr Stead said the Vancouver mail lo'ite had great possibilities before it, and he earn esUy lie ped that sufficient subsidies would ho fortlieoming from the countries interested to.put it on a good footing. There was, he added, an impression at Heine that the British Government was pledged to support the All-Red Route. New Zealaud would derive great benefit from snc.'i a service, as there was a largp and growing population between Vancouver and Winnipeg, that would he only too glad to get our frozen mutton were it available. Of course. for this trade moderately large-sized steamers would be necessary. There was sufficient population within range of Vancouver to consume a moderate-sized cargo once a month. In addition .wo could send

buffer and produce that would he welcomed. by" the Canadians. The suggestion that the service should bo

a very fast ono, is, lie thinks, scarcely practicable, as for many years to came the cost of such a service would be too great. In these (lays when all important matters of business are conducted hv cable, however, Mr Stead says the question of a day or two ill the mail service between Australasia and the Mother Country is not of the greatest moment. As to the two routes, San Franc.isco and Vancouver, he polluted out that in each case the vessels called at Honolulu, and ns tho distance thence ,to Vancouver is only some 300 miles greater than to San Francisco tho difference is really less than ono day’s steaming, and the Canadians uay that they can land mails in England via St. Johns in a day less than they can ho landed in San Francisco. Under the circumstances a largo number of tho mercantile people in England strongly favor the All-Rod route, and Mr. Stead .agrees that they are right. At tho Imperial Conference Mr Stead said that so far as the Jlritisli Government was concerned they adopted a policy of masterly inactivity in regard to the matter. IMPERIAL CONFERENCE. Asked ns to our Premier’s attitude at the Conference lie said that unquestionably Sir Joseph Ward made a most favorable impression amongst the financial magnates in London. IHO undoubtedly mado his mark at tho Conference of Premiers.