FEDERALISM TO-DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 90, 17 April 1941, Page 14

FEDERALISM TO-DAY.

POST-WAR SUGGESTION.

ADVANTAGES OF UNION.

Mi. Harold r. Thomas was the speaker at the Auckland Creditmen's luncheon yesterday, when he. dealt with the basic principles of federalism. Guests at the luncheon included Mr. F. Bull, Canadian Trade Commissioner; Mr. L. A. Eadv, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, and representatives of the Rotary Club. Mr. W. H. Fortune presided. The idea of federalism, said Mr. rhoinas, was not a new one, but modern conception had been influenced greatly bv several recent publications on the subject, most of them containing plans for the federation of various groups of States. The greatest example of federation, of course, was the United States of America. Switzerland had also been governed on the same principle for several centuries.

Study of federalism to-day was largely the study of post-war reconstruction, ihose advocating federation were faced with the problem -of what degree of freedom the individual States in the federation were to retain, but it was logical to suppose that while thev would possess a reasonable degree of "freedom in their national institutions, such problems as trade, currency, defence, communications and immigration should be left to the governing body, thus taking out of the hands of the States problems which might lead to friction and aggression.

"If we want a new world order,'' concluded Mr. Thomas, "it must be ba=ed on law and order."