AUCKLAND FEDERATION LEAGUE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 210, 5 September 1899, Page 2

AUCKLAND FEDERATION LEAGUE.

The weekly meeting of the AucK land Australian Federation League! was held last evening in the Harbour!; Board Office, Mr C. E. Button presid-; ; ing. A number of members of the; Auckland Trade and Labour Council;; were present by invitation, and sevi-: eral took part in the discussion, whicK| was a very animated one. The Revi) Canon McMurray, Mr E. Bell, Mr &''. W. Burton, and others supported Fe3-' orations while -Mr Richard Hobbs and Mr Arthur Rosser spoke on the othe£ side. Mr Hobbs in the course of his, remarks said that no one knew what' the cost of federation would be to the* various colonies which joined it. Mr. Rosser laid stress on the industrial; side of the question, and urged that New Zealand must protect itself and; not allow its workers to be driven out; I of the field by duty free goods manu-; I factured by Australian cheap labour.- 1 He said that the struggling industries..l of the colony had to be considered; 1 and protected, and if they federated': 1 with Australia the consequences j might be very grave for New Zealand. J The Chairman said that what the-; S League was striving for at the pre- 1 sent time was to create such a popu- J lar interest in the matter that Parlia- j ment would have to refer to tip, elec- 1 tors of the colony the question whe«' I ther they would or would not join thaf ■:, I federation. At the close of the public | meeting a meeting of the Council of j the League was held.