The Press MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1897 THE COMING AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9670, 8 March 1897, Page 4

The Press MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1897 THE COMING AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH.

The" election of ' members « of the Australian Federal. Convention seems to have resulted. in the return of a good representative selection of able public men, and the progress of their deliberations when they. meet will be watched with very keen interest in all parts of the English-speaking world. The business of the Convention, we need hardly remind our readers, is to draw up a constitution for the Federal Union of the Australian colonies. It is to be in the form of a Bill for enactment by the Imperial Parliament. After framing this momentous document the Convention is to adjourn for not less than sixty nor more than 120 days, during which time the constitution is to be considered by' the Parliaments of the several colonies represented, and any amendments desired by the several Legislatures are to be remitted to the Convention. Oα the re-assembling of this body the consti , tution is to be reconsidered, together with the suggested amendments, and is then to be finally passed by the Convention. It has next to be submitted to the referendum in each of the colonies represented. The elector.? , are to vote aye or noon the question of its. acceptance or. rejection. If. the constitution is accepted hj three

colonies both Houses o! Parliament of those colonies may adopt addresses to the Queen, praying that the constitution may be passed into law by the Imperial Parliament, and such addresses are to be transmitted to the Queen with a copy of the constitution.

It will be at once seen that it is no light op easy task which the members of the Convention have before them. They are laying the foundations of a great State—one that is bound to play a prominent part in the future history of the world —and the work will demand the highest qualities of statesmanship. Those of our readers who wish to know what has been done iv the matter of federation by the nations of the world from the Greeks downwards, and what are the problems pressing foi , solution in this particular instance cannot do better than procure a work which has just been very opportunely published by Messrs. Angus and Robertson, of Sydney, entitled " The Coming Commonwealth," by Mr. Robert Randolph GAttRAN, B.A. It really gives in a very succinct form the gisfc of all that has already been written on the subject, and we cannot but regard it as a public boon that such a book should be in the hands oi Australian electors at this important juncture. One point brought out very clearly by Mr. Gabban is that the weak form of federation —the Confederation or Staatenbund, in which the Central Government deals only with the governments of the several States and not with the individual citizens, has always b&Qn a failure. If Australia is to be made into a true and lasting federation, it must go in for tho Bundestaat, in which the central authority acts directly on each individual citizen of each State. The Central Government, in fact, must have its own executive, judiciary and all the powers of a complete national Government. It must have the power of taxation, and herein lies the great difficulty which the framers of the constitution will have to contend with. They will be able to decide, with comparative ease, at any rate i the leading legislative questions which ought to be left to the decision of the Federal Parliament. Obviously such matters as rtefonce, navigation, currency, postal and telegraphic services, marriage and divorce, and quarantine, ought to be settled by the central body. When it comes to the raising and spending of revenue the real crux of the position will be reached. As to Customs duties, excise and bounties, we assume that these will be made uniform throughout the Commonwealth, and that no tax or duty will be imposed on any goods exported from on© State to another. There must, in short, be freetrade within the Commonwealth, or the so-called federation will be merely a mockery and a sham. Are the colonies, I however, prepared to see all the debts taken over by the central Government, and will they be content to give the latter unlimited powers of taxation to meet its responsibilities ? These would seem to be essential if the federation is to be real and effective, but it is obvious that it will not be easy "to make a settlement on such terms that will be satisfactory to all parties. ' Fortiraately the Convention is not without a precedent for its guidance. It is now just thirty years since Canada took a step similar to that contemplated by the Australian colonies, and the experience of the former ought to prove very valuable to tha latter. The Dominion at its foundation, as Mr. Garran reminds us, took over the public debts of the provinces, and also the greater parfc of the public works. The Dominion, moreover, was given foil powpr to raise money by any mode of taxation, while the provinces were restricted to direct taxation for local purposes. So far the Dominion Government has found the receipts from customs and excise, and from the public departments sufficient for its purposes, without imposing any direct taxation. Under the constitution it is bound to grant annual subsidies to the provinces for the purposes of provincial government, and tho I amount of these subsidies, based on j population, debt, and other factors, is fixed by the Imperial Aofc which brought the Dominion into being. The system is not without serious disadvantages, inasmuch as it encourages extravagance among the provinces and leads to a great deal of jealousy and heartburning. Perhaps the Australian Convention may ba able to devise some more excellent way. It is obvious that a great responsibility rests not only on the members of the Convention just elected, but also on the electors of the several colonies interested, with whom the decision ultimately rests. We in New Zealand do not see our way to join in the movement, but none the less sincerely do we hope that our neighbours may be guided to a wise conj elusion in this all-important matter.