The Press. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1899. NEW ZEALAND AND FEDERATION.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10422, 12 August 1899, Page 6

The Press. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1899. NEW ZEALAND AND FEDERATION.

The Committee of the Canterbury Charabei of Commerce appointed to consider the ques tion of Federation, have presentee their report, which will be found in anotliea column. Like the public at large, the Com mittee evidently regard the question as tc whether New Zealand should become a parfrj to thje Commonwealth, as a very large one not to be decided witihout the most serioui consideration, but they realise that it is o great importance that we dhould, withoui sacrifice of our independence, maintaii friendly reciprocal relations with the Com rftonwealth, in the {matter of trade, anc uniform legislation on matters of commoi interest... They, therefore, recommend tha , the Governcient be urgently requested to con sider, and, if passible, arrange a. treaty witl the Australian Commonwealth, having fo: Its object uniformity" of .legislation and actioi

iipon various spiffed/ to also %; provide for the " certain produces between : KW "the Australian colonies, and "regard to the conservation " factoring industries." """ , ,|plfjfp| The first criticism that presents' it*sr%|l||§l regard to this resolution is that Committee evidently want is thak °$Mo*o' , > Zealand should get all the advantag^'^'^fjfp' Federation without any of the disadvafltiuMf^l& , while the last clause suggest* would also like to get tie advantages reciprocity without any of its Wβ think it may be taken that ideal to which we shall not attain. 2£ do not federate, it is highly probable* we shall not secure by treaty anything the same market for our products that come to us by entering •within the diaixaj^fK l -' * circle of intercolonial Freetrade. If iai|B|sS • a recipocal tariff treaty, we shall give as well as take, and it may be .thai' 5§KS^f v - concessions on our part will be to'the Commonwealth which do notm^E v fere to some extent with our mamifa^aw^w- 1 ing industries. On the other ha-nd, federated, there would be no question 'irKifc'' V? y*> ever of conserving our industries; i% just have to take their chance ia ,v, tion with the other colonies. If they °~f ; survive without tarifE protection, well "■ good; if not t-hay would have to go wall. "; : %C The question of uniformity is one that rests, to some extent, in our aeSfK ) ' hands, whether wo federate or not. v <$&:,•- r wisfh "our luws to be ! the same as those' of " Common-wealth. in regard to -trade and Wip^f 3 -' merce, defence, lighthouses, astronom^l^ "^' observaltions, fisheries, quarantine, , currency, banking, insurance, weights 'Jkad'r , ' ", measures, bills of exchange, copyright, naturalisation, foreign corpws4* - 1 ' •tions, marriage, divorce, invalid end'old 4gi>v'',v. ' pensions, service and execution of civil criminal process, influx of criminate, i' affairs, and other subjects referred to \ Committee, we can secure that os we ourselves are concerned, bgr,Arbjpmg^ our own laws into line with those of.'.tfcSr""--'*-■ Federal Parliament. It is the "'-■'! a market for our products, / -7--, is chiefly agitating the Boinds of ' are turning their attention to f edera'&M^ : .'...' we do not think the Premier, in ihieepl^' in the House, treated this subject seriousness its importance demands It',i£_- v■> * very unlikely thaib iihe Federal ParSiaimeat 7 , v , j "will adopt a (free-trade larifi, and it is fiib- -„ eund to suppose that Hi substantial have to toe paid on our exports to Sydney T.VV it will not have a material effect in chwldng.vjfe; trade. Again, we have not only to conaL* •-c ";:-;" der the fact of pur easing export trade 'ci /« t Jf ">-' £700,000 or £800,000 per annum being V' placed in jeopardy, but elso itihe poesibiii- ? A \f, r - ties that would open to us were our products <;:»- ; ." granted free admission, not to Sydney alone,-- •-. "'■ but to all Australian ports. . y;K Of the material advantages to be secured * : ( by Federation tliere is no disputing that they . would be substantial. The question is, what ' ,Ji ~ is the price we should have to pay for Fedf& •- ation, and it is certain that thp price would be a heavy one. We have already'jctt-j^.j t > ferred to the fact that our manufacturers and - , : producers would have to hold their.own as ;v;~r best they could in competition with ttfe pr^ , \ u f ducers and manufacturers througbout4ku6tt£-, lasia. That is a prospect which, 'on tip vhole, we do not think-they, need/tegatd with any great fear. The point as to sink-V . % ing our identity and giving up a good deal, of our independence is not so'lightly to H -I'-■----dismissed. We should still retain our k . Parliament and the control of purely ■ offairs, but in regard to many importt^.. r ,v- ;' questions we should come under the of the Federal Parliament. That ■" at once take the customs and excise _._ out of our hands. The famous " 3rwM<^*; >• clause provides that during a period oOWv£ years not more than one-fourth of the ;«#;;£- revenue from customs and excise shall % ✓■ applied to Commonwealth " balance shall be paid to the several Within two years of the eetabMehmeni W*& -^*T, Commonwealth unifontt duties' of '-. must be imposed. Until then the . wealth shall credit each State with collected therein, deduct therefrom the o* transferred departments end a ■ "

ktion) of other Commonwealth . penditure, and pay the balance t-o the state. As soon as the uniform is imposed there is to be absolute tree Wd^f, Vv f between the states. During the years of the operation of the uniform the -book-keeping system shall be contrary* *,l as before, and -the 'balances paid to the 1 Afterwards the surplus shall ba datribujpjy j on suoh basis aa the Federal 1 deems fair. There are no fewer than. five questions on whdch, the Federal fr ment has power to make laws finding *T )\ Ithe states. These include trade, borrowing money on the pubKc credit o* $*?-■**?. , Commonwealth, postal, telegraphic and t*-*^' phone service, banking, marriage, old age pension, immigration and *&%£?£■' ; / tion, external affacra, conciliation and ; *sf£'<;*--tration, etc., etc. One naturally a#! *#*. £_ share of representation would New . possess in the Parliament making ' ; v'< ; j laws? " In the Senate or Upper House '• state has six representatives, co we sfomd on an equal footing. In tfoe Hou £ e, we should have only fifteen xepiWgV* '•'■' tabives in a House of ninety members, * other colonies of the group being fhne:—N.S.W., 26; Victoria, 23; knd, 9; South Australia, 7; W. Aw*c«»»;;fr •'. 5; Tasmania, 5. On any subject on the continental colonies pulled together, should be in a very helpless position- , *5&-sff " oar d-dtance from the Federal capital, r Tvhich we diaU be separated by 1200 e !||fr%p stormy sea., will be a double tons. The Australian* tooW nothing of our local conditions, and it w>l be very dimoult to find men of •baity on our side who could spare «» WSjlgS. to attend the Federal PajfiMWfc* only too therefore, that our sentatic-n would drift into the hands . politician* With the mental objection against mergsßg , ' onr tity we need not at present dent there are aeriou* of New Zealand *A*«

Paod we regret to see that the m declined to give any facilities neat debating it. We think (he ight to do is to set up a Cwnmitict exact information, particularly omxnercial and economic aspect of «, and then give Parliament an pof discussing the Committee , *