The Dominion. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1908. SOUTH AFRICAN FEDERATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 290, 1 September 1908, Page 6

The Dominion. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1908. SOUTH AFRICAN FEDERATION.

Writing on this subject at the end of last year, wo said, amongst other things, that " Federation was how within the range o£ practical politics . . . but that all parties throughout the country, whilst desirous of obtaining federation Quickly, wore keenly alive to the danger Of forcing it on with undue hasto." Since then, federation or unification has become tho one and only issue before the South African public. But one of the political partios has, of late, shown a desire to force on tho matter with an amount of speed that may easily lead to tho do* struction of the whole projcct. An InterState Customs Conference was held at Pretoria in May last, tho delegates to tho conference being drawn from tho Ministries of tho different colonics. As wo know, Cape Colony, tho Transvaal, and the Orango River Colony havo Dutch Governments, and tho conference was thus composed of about 75 per cent;. Dutch and 25 per cent. British representatives. The members of the conference had hardly taken their seats bciore the question of closer union, an expression which, aptly, covors both federation and

unification, came to the front, and all questions of customs, tariffs, and railway rates wcro temporarily and, as it proved, finally, put on one side. It became clcar, and it is hot denied, that in this matter the thrco Dutch-governed colonics were actiiig in unison, and in pursuance of arrangements previously made outside the conference. It also appeared that Natal, the one British-governed colony, had been kept in ignorance of the resolutions intended to be proposed, and even of the intention to raise the question of closcr union. What would have been said in England of this procedure, if the positions of the parties had been reversed: that is to say, if British Ministries had' been in power in three out of the four colonies, and if the British majority had come to tho conference with a cut-and-dried programme in their pockets, of which they had given tho Dutch minority no inkling? There would have been an immediate and great outcry, and, for once, it would have come from all political parties. The (British) colonial Governments would have been told in very plain language that, at the outset of the most delicate and momentous negotiations it is possible to conceive they had sacrificed our national reputation for fairness, .These developments placed the Natal delegates in an awkward position. They were fully instructed .on cvory point of customs tariffs and railway rates that was likely ,to arise. Their briefs were bare of any instructions on closer union. If they pleaded "no instructions," tho conference would be abortive, because the majority refused to discuss tariffs and rates until the closer union resolutions had been disposed of. If, on tho other hand, they took part in the debate, they would Stand to be told on their return to Natal that they had no authority to do so, and, therefore, could not bind Natal by their votes. They, however, decided to attend the discussion, and in tho result six resolutions wore passed. The first formally recorded an opinion that tho early union of < the self-govern-ing colonies under tho Crown of Great Britain, was desirable.' Tho second provided for the entry of : Rhodcsia into the union at a later date. Qjho third provided for obtaining the consent of the various legislatures to the appointment of delegates to a national convention, to report on tho most desirable form of union, and to draft a constitution.' Tho fourth provided that the number of delegates should bo: Capo Colony 12, Transvaal eight, and Natal and the Orange River Colony five each, and that tho convention should be considered in being as soon as two colonies had appointed their delegates. Tho fifth decidod that tho convention should gazette the draft constitution "as soon as possible," and, in consultation with tho various Governments, determine the further steps to bo taken. The sixth, and j last, provided that in the convention tho voting should be per capita, and not; by States, tho chairman to have; an .original as well as a casting vote. ■;

It is obvious that in a matter of this kind the most transparent good faith is required from all parties. Without it, thero • cannot be a satisfactory closer union. Without it, there probably will not be any 1 union at all.. Any attempt at " slimness," or any attempt to gain a racial advantage, is likely to defeat the whole scheme. These resolutions, howover, seem to conflict with all the .requisites mentioned above. . All pretence of equality between the four contracting States is destroyed. Then, curiously enough, considering tho precedents, all mention is avoided of an ultimate referendum. Natal, under the arrangement proposed, would be placed moro than ever at the mercy-of the Dutch Governments, and no doubt it is.becauso of this that she has not endorsed the action of her representatives at 'the confcrcnce. The extreme haste with which tho Dutch are pressing on the matter is suspected to be duo to a shrewd idea on their part that the days of the present Imperial Cabinet are numbered, and that matters might not work out quite so. smoothly with a Unionist Government in office.