THE NEW COMMONWEALTH.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 137, 10 June 1909, Page 4

THE NEW COMMONWEALTH.

The great movement toward the federation of the South. African States is now Hearing, its final accomplishment, in spite of obstacles that at first seemed almost insuperable, all the self-governing colonies but Natal have- accepted, the draft constitution; and even in Natal the concessions offered by the Transvaal, and the -unmistakable- sincerity and honesty of the Boer and Afrikander leaders have at last produced a, favourable impression. The position of Natal is to some extent exceptional among the South. African States. It has a native question of more serious urgency than any of its sister colonies, and for various reasons it has been allowed to deal with, this difficult problem and to manage its, own internal affairs with a large measure of independence, and freedom from Imperial control. The people of Natal have always been peculiarly jealous of their political privileges; and the friction that has arisen, between, them and the Imperial authorities lately over •the treatment of the Zulus has tended rather to quicken their fear that if they accept Federation they may sacrifice too much of their highly-prized autonomy. Moreover, the racial ill-feeling engendered by the Boer War has survived longest in Natal, which suffered co severely from the Boer depredations, and on the whole Natal has all along been the least pro- j mising field for the labours of the Federation propagandists- But within, the last three months the tide of public feeling in Natal has clearly turned, and the resolutions carried at crowded and enthusiastic public meetings recently in Pieterindicate plainly enough thatthe results of the referendum, which is to be taken in a few days, will be favourable to the Federation proposals.

Such a consummation of this long and hitter controversy is on all accounts devoutly to be wished. 'From the point of view of the projected Federation it would, of course, be most unfortunate if any single State should elect to 6tand aside. It may occur to some of our readers that there is come sort of resemblance between the position of Natal as regards the South African Federation and the position that New Zealand took up toward the Australian Commonwealth. But such an analogy '.'a altogether misleading- New Zealand, from its local position, could never (have formed an integral part of the Commonwealth on the same footing as the other Australian States. Divided as they might be on other questions, they could not fail to agree in regarding its interests as always more or less distinct from their own; and a political union of the kind then contemplated would have been to the last degree artificial, irksome, and ineffectual. But in South Africa the case is entirely different. The South African States are to a large extent homogeneous in their local characteristics and their potentialities. There k nothing , to prevent them from uniting in one great Federal State except the lacial distinction which will be slowly, but surely, obliterated; and in face of the great Native problem which they must all alike attempt to salve, there is no hope of peace or safety for them, except in Tiarmonious and unanimous action. In the highest interests of South Africa it is imperatively necessary that all the States should form a political unity; and in the interests of Natal itself, Federation is at least equally desirable. For what would be the fate of any single colony or dependency that chose to I stand outside the union, and maintain, as j long as possible, its own independence? j Even without any conscious effort on j the part of the Federal States they would automatically draw together and combine, to push their joint interests to the front; and what chance would Natal alone have of competing successfully against the combined wealth and political influence of the Cape Colony and Ora.ngia and the Transvaal? We do not wonder that the force of this argument has been felt even iri distant Rhodesia, where a movement in favour of Federation has begun; and we can hardly doubt that Natal, in its own best interests, will agree to forego some email share of its present independence for the sake of the larger advantages and fche wider prospects offered to it by Federation.