THE COLONIES AND THE MOTHERLAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2465, 1 April 1909, Page 5

THE COLONIES AND THE MOTHERLAND.

CGMMENTS OF LONDON NEWSPAPERS. VICTORIAN OFFICES IN LONDON. United Press Association —Copyright. (Received March 31, 9.40 p m.) LONDON, March 31V In the presence of 150 persons, including Lords Ranfuvly and Strathcona, Sir Reginald Talbot, the Hon. W . Hall-J<fnes, the Agents-Gcneral, and the leading ■ merchants, shipowners, bankers and financiers, the Earl of Crewe, Secretary of State for the .Colonics opened the Victorian Government offices. He expressed the hope that the Commonwealth and ~ the other States would build on adjoining sites. He especially referred to the good management- of the Y ictorian railways, and complimented Victoria on its great prosperity. The “Daily Telegraph,” in a twocolumn leader dealing with the opening of the Victorian agency-general, suggests that the Imperial ideal is at last finding expression in; London ar-. chitecture. The Commonwealth, New Zealand, and South Africa must follow with edifices, as expressive of the greatest factor in modern political life as the medieval cathedrals were of tlio life of the Middle Ages. The paper says the offer of a Dreadnought recalls the action of New South V ales in sending a contingent to the Soudan. The “Morning" Post” says that Geiman battleships have aroused the overseas dominions to a full sense of the necessities* of Imperial defence. Aftci tho splendid 'offer of the Australasian States fiscal changes are inevitable. The “Daily Express” says that the Australasian offers are the siher lining of the naval cloud, and that Imperial preference must be the outcome of colonial Dreadnoughts.