So New Zealand elected to stand alone; and, this done, the question immediately arose--Was she, with all her natural advantages, with her remarkable progress, to remain a mere undistinguished unit among the crowd of dependencies, simply one colony among a number of other colonies? The answer came as immediately--No! The New Zealanders determined to find a suitable designation by which their country should be honourably distinguished. What was to be that designation? It remained for Sir Joseph Ward to answer that In May, 1907, being in London after the Conference of Colonial Premiers, he wrote to Lord Elgin, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and repeated what he had urged at that historic gathering; that, "having regard to the position and importance of New Zealand, it had well outgrown the 'colonial' stage, and was as much entitled to a separate designation as the Commonwealth of Australia or the Dominion of Canada." He further declared that "the people of New Zealand would be much gratified" if the designation chosen were "The Dominion of New Zealand." FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 70: A pool of smoking sulphur.] CHAPTER XXX THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND I THE PRAYER _Resolution by the Parliament of the Colony of New Zealand_ "That this House respectfully requests that His Majesty the King may be graciously pleased to take such steps as he may consider necessary in order that the designation of New Zealand be changed from "Colony of New Zealand" to the "Dominion of New Zealand"; and that a respectful address be presented to His Excellency the Governor, requesting him to transmit this resolution for submission to His Majesty." II THE ANSWER _The text of His Majesty the King's Proclamation, conferring the title of Dominion upon the Colony of New Zealand. Read by His Excellency the Governor (Lord Plunket) from the steps of Parliament House, Wellington, New Zealand, at eleven o'clock in the morning of Thursday 26th of September, 1907._ "Whereas We have, on the petition of the members of the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives of Our Colony of New Zealand, determined that the title of the Dominion of New Zealand shall be substituted for that of the Colony of New Zealand as the designation of the said Colony. We have, therefore, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council, thought fit to issue this, Our Royal Proclamation, and We do ordain, declare, and command, that on and after the 26th day of September 1907, the said Colony of New Zealand and the territory belonging thereto shall be called and known by the title of the Dominion of New Zealand, and We hereby give Our command to all public departments accordingly. "EDWARD REX." III DOMINION DAY "_Ab actu ad posse valet illatio_"