THE FEDERATION COMMISSION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 54, 5 March 1901, Page 2

THE FEDERATION COMMISSION.

(Continued from page 5.)

TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS

The Federation Commission resumed this morning at 10 o'clock, the following members being present: — Col. Pitt (chairman). ITon. C. C. P.owen, Messrs Roberts, Millar, Leys, Luke, and W. S. lie id. A FEDERATJOKIST'S VIEWS; A. 15. Donald, ship owner and trader, was the first witness examined this morning. Mr Donafd said, he was strongly in favour of federation. It would be lor the benefit of both Australia and New Zealand. It would have a tendency to iuerea.** trade, give more labour to the working classes. and if Xesv Zealand industries were affected prejudicially at first, the,y, would soon conic to the front. New j Zealand had nothing to fetor in competing' with Australia. Then- was no difference ill the rates of wage* between this colony and Australia, or if any, the increase was on the Australian side, especially '.'or h>.'i\<U- OS. departments. Auckland shtpowmrrS round that if •they uarit/u! their ship? repaired and overhauled it was cheaper to have the work done in Auckland, because the cost .of labour was less. Some people said federation was a mere matter of sentiment, fn his opinion sentiment was the secret of England's growth, and was at the bottom of oil svreat enterprises. He thought Australian statesmen would try to do justice to New Zealand, u.ul if'the latter sent capable representatives to Australia, this colony would not be neglected. Jt would depend j upon the people of New Zealand j themselves whether their interests j were neglected or not. I To the Chairman: New Zealand j would in a. few years be quite able !o compete with Australia. He had not considered how federation would affect the finances of the colony. I To Mr Leys: Federation would be a stepping-stone to a federation of all the British colonies with Britain herself, because it would call tii« attention of colonists to the subject of Imperial federation. The idea of. federation tended to enhivato high ideals hi our national life. Up though Ijt would bo a great advantage for us if the Federal (iovernment took over our railways and other public works, lie would'not like to give an opinion as to whether our public department"? would be ''better administered from ( Australia. The distance between here j and Australia would be bridged. ; in time to come by faster steamers, lie admitted that the Australian press ciid j not give much attention to New Zealand affairs, while the other'colonies were all dealt with daily in the press there. For a time we might suffer from Australia's ignorance "of our requirements, bul if our repro.ei! iaH lives were capable men that would lie I remedied. i jTo Mr Luke: As a South Sea Island ! ■ trader of :.'.") years' standing1, he was! thoroughly convinced it would be ■•■ \ very unwise and degrading thing for 'white men to attempt the work now j being done on the sugar plantations of j Queensland by black labour, lie did j jiot think the blacks would be liable fco ■ over-step the boundaries of the -f)hj>- j j rations and tlood the other parts of tiro ' Commonwealth. To Mr r.eauchamp: He _was not! necessarily a free-trader, but he j thought our manufacturers were overprotected. H(> did not believe, our manufacturing1 industries would sue-1 cumb If we federated. The tendency of protection wa.s to supply a a inferior article. He- was in favour of federating under the present Federation ' Act, notwithstanding the disfranchise- j nient of the Maoris aaul the wome.u ol'j New Zealand. ■ j To Mr Millar: The benefit to the: colony through federation would re- j suit from the increased faciltie* for] trade between here and Australia. T'»! muke slaves of' their employees in j order to make cheap good.-;, so us to I undert-sell rival manufacturers was..aj degrading business. It was better <oj be cultivating the land than to be nrvft- j ing cheap shirts: factories did tiot ■make a nation, lie admitted that at the present ti-me manufacturing- wnsj having a good deal.to do -with the pro-.-.! gress of (ireat Britain, but he did.no' j consider the .making of cheap shirts or cheap boots was a high ideal for a young- nation to aim at. To Mr Roberts; "Tie. would favour federation even though it cost this colony .£OOO,OOO a year in loss of customs and excise revenue, and other contributions to thf; Federal (Government. Mr Donald, at the close of. his evidence, was asked by the Chairman to request any of his friends- who held j simitar views to himself, to give evidence. The evidence heard yesterday had been uniformlyng-uinst federation; and it would be disappointing if the Commission could' not hear the views of those who took the other side. THE IKON INDUSTRY, T. T. Masefield, iron founder, said he had been forty'years in New. Zealand, b.ut had not, been to Australia. From a manufacturer's point of view federation would not benefit New Zealand, fn his own trade the-result would be. very .detrimental to -New Zealand, as the protective duty here wan very small: labour and material in Australia were cheaper, and even under .intercolonial free trade the New Zealand iron trade would suffer, and might be crushed altogether. There was about 20 per cent, difference in the price of labour. Financially, he thought we woidd pet more justice if New Zealand spent her own money in her own way, than if a Federal Government spent, it for her. To Mr. Millar: The iron trade here would, under federation, be probably confined to repairing, instead of in^ eluding manufacturing us at-present, aud the rising generation would need to go to Australia to learn the trade properly. The iron trade in Auckland was not nourishing just now. To Mr. Luke: Material was cheaper in Australia because freights on iron were considerably cheaper there. NEW ZEALAND'S DESTINY. Wesley Spragg, manager of the. New Zealand' Dairy Association, said he was at the present, time unfavourable to federation. As far as his own business Was concerned, it ■would be a slight advantage, 'because' they .would have a larger market than heretofore. Apart from that, he thought, there, was a great deal more to lose than to gain by federation. The financial aspect was a roost B«rious one. There would be a lai^btitpfit of

money, with only a problematic return. Then the lack of community of interest appeared to be an objection. In any case, he failed to see any disadvantage in waiting to see how Australian federation was going to work out. His observation had always been that people looked best after their, own" concerns, and" to relegate the government of this colony to a distant centre would be unwise. A. federal sentiment was a more desirable thing than a legal bond of union. He felt that our island had a destiny, and that we could work out that destiny better by ourselves. Some of our successes in social legislation had al« ready been an object, lesson to the world, and he considered New Zealand would best serve the Empire and herself by working out her own des--1 in v.

To the chairman: Federation with Australia would bo a disadvantage to our manufacturers, but he believed in the theory of the survival of tire Jfittest. In natural industries—gold, limber, -etc, —New Zealand could compete with Ihe world. New Zealand; wa? likely to bring in n free trade ; policy more speedily by herself than as part, of the Commonwealth, To Mr Leys: The first result of Federal ion would probably be the lowering of wages here, and the shutting" up of,,some of the smaller industries. Any sudden (tißarrangeroent of our manufacturing trade by joining Ihe Commonwealth would be miscftievous. Our agricultural interests as; a whole would, he feared, not be :ulvancetl by Federation. lie thought there would be no difficulty in finding markets for products shut out of Australian markets by a protective tariff. To Mr Upid: By waiting they could come to a better judgment later on, and the result would not, he considered, be prejudicial to us should we desire to Federate at some future dr.te. The dislocation of trade in New Zealand—representing 49,000 workers, nn annual output of about £15,000,000. and a total capita! of about £9,000,00© —was in his opinion a most serious .matter. THE FRUIT-GROWING INDUSTRY. Mr Shirges, vice-president of the Otahuhu Fruitgrowers' Association, said Federation would be iiymieal to the interests of New Zealand. Th/» admission of coloured labour to Ausf.nlia might have a disastrous cflV-i socially. The distance of New /a::ilund from Australia, was another serious objection, and Auckland's isolation from Wellington was a good object-lesson of what might be tlw re:-ult to this colony in ihe waiter of allocation of fs.r.'K for development works. New Zealand fruitgrowers could not nossibly compete with t-hose |of AtiHiralia. under Federation. Th" : cost of labour at Mil dura (Vie.) wns j one-third cheaper than what frr.ii;I growers were paying in Auckland1. To Mr Luke: I'ruler Federation they could not grow fruit and export it ! profitably to Australia. To Mr Leys: In Unie. no doubt, our j fruitgrowers would cultivate suc'li fruits as Australia could not grow. There was,a lur-re population in the : North dependent on the fruit trade, ilis main objections to Federation, however, were on genera.! ! grounds. | (Proceeding.)