The Press. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1892. COLONIAL FEDERATION.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 8350, 8 December 1892, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1892. COLONIAL FEDERATION.

The aelvooate3 of Imperial Federation are doing what they scan to create a fictitious opinion on the subject. Our cable messages tell us from time to time- of • the- doings of the Federation League, and if we were to .estimate the importance of the iquestion bj the apace which reports respecting its proceedings oocupy in .the newspapers we might assume that there was aa immediate prospect of the scheme being taken up as & practical question in*the immediate future. The truth is, however, that there is no demand for anything of the kind. A few fussy individuals have succeeded in gamiag for -thomse-k-eg a kiad of position beoause -of their Advocacy of the proposal. But outside a very limited circle the great mass of the British public know nothing of the subject, and care less. We notice that Professor Brtcb has been interviewed on the subject, and has admitted that the Government >are considering the feasibility of holding an Imperial Conference to discuss the problem. He cautiously ex.plained, however, that he did not regard it as expedient to conaider the Imperial question while that of colonial federation was atill runder discussion. This was, of course, a prudent and diplomatic way jo£ putting it, and if adhered to, will Telieve the Government at Home of ;any responsibility for many years to come. Australian federation is evida&tly further off now than it was .several years ago. The Conference of 1891 and the reoeption which the Bill then drafted has met with, prove that there is practically little common ground of agreement between the colonies. The public men in Australia have evidently not been a&le to come to anything like an understanding on, the vitul question of State rights and the amount of freedom the individual colonies would be allowed to enjoy. At the veiy time when &QSQO oi her public -men profess to be still, eager to push federation to a pracfel issue, the individual colonies are actiiig as if the great end to be attained'was to set up as high a tariff walL-ioimdLjgach possibie. Xfew South Wales has acted" on at policy- of protection, aad Victoria haa just been, engaged ia the task! of converting many of her duties into what are practically prohibitive imposts. The explanation of all thie is tnat federation has never been really taken ap by the jieopje of the colonies as a live question. The politicians have done their utmost to galvanise it into life, but they hav-e beeu quite unable to give it - eyen the appearance of vitality. The farmers of Victoria want to; *be protected against the cheap; cattle of Wew South Wales and Queensland aud against the oats of ".New Zealand. Tho farmers of New , ■South Wales desire to have the pro* diidts; of New Zealand excluded from their ports, and hence the duties which are being levied upon, the agricultural produce of this colony. liooal selfishness, is a far. more" powerful .factor in Australian affairs tban national sentiment. Even the abortive Federal Council which meets at Hobart nest month, has leased .to. attract the interest ot the different Governments, as only Queensland, VfcWia, aid Tasmania will be; represented. Those who -imagine that Imperial, Federation ia practibable, even were? colonial federation appear to; Bβ to be entirely ignorant of the: thoughts and sentiments of the great mass of colonists. Were the Australian Colonies' federated, a first step would be taken in the direction of independence. Io is a notorious iact that there is a growing feeling mi some of *ho continental colonies ia% favour of an Australian Republic. The evidence 'that this desire is increasing is apparent in a variety of vraye. fiepuolioan literature in Australia is extensively read, and journals; which are avowedly looking forward to independence receive a very larger amount) of supporfc. Those who hold', soeb. opmitms may not be in v. majority -r-they, are certainly in a great? minority in Kevr Zealand—but those | uno *are quite contented with union witfh the mother country would not tfe* prepared to see their country involved in a scheme which would involve it in indefinite liabilities and] gncvß TBsponsrbiHties. Tire present bond of union is enough for them. Under it the colonies have continued ) to grow and prosper. The link which: binds them to the old land ia strong enoegh, to keep them within the empire, and yet for all practical purposes they are! absolutely, free to manage their 6wn afi&irs ift their own way. From time to time questions of great importance to colonies arise, and they are solved ia a practical way. That) of defence is au illustration. It required no federal machinery to provide the means of coming ta an agreement on the point. We began first of all by taking gradual steps to protect our own shores against the danger of attack. The prospect, some years ago, of possible war wifeh Russia, rouasd the colonies to the danger ia which they were placed, and as a practical people they set; about the . task of foitifying their ports. Thea came fche problem of naval defence. The Imperial fleet in the Australian waters was considered inadequate to the proper protection of the merchant fleet, aud as a result negociations were opened which ended in the colonies

agreeing to contribute so much annnatly lowards an increased navy in these waters. Here then we have practical Federation. Other questions may arise from time to time demanding similar treatment* aud when they make their appearance they will, we may take fear granted, fee dealt with in a similar spirit. The Imperial Federation iste ea» not satisfied to allow time to work out the solution of the problem. They wish t? start into a brand tiew eoflstUjutiou which would inevitably lead to difficulties of the most dangerous character. They refuse to learn the lessons which history teaches, namely, that all the stable Governments are the outcome of experience and the result of circumstances. Were the Imperial Federation League by any chance to succeed in imposing its unpractical project upon the Empire, the disruption of i that Empire would ba much nearer than is the case at present.