THE EX-PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

Evening Post, Volume LIX, Issue 11, 13 January 1900, Page 2

THE EX-PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

VISIT TO WELLINGTON. INTERVIEW' WITH THE RIGHT. HON. G. H. REID. With his customary courtesy, the Right Hon. G. H. Reid, late Premier of New South Wales, who is now on a visit to Wellington, granted an interview to a representative of the Evening Post, and expressed his opinions upon nany matters of a local and international character. IMPRESSIONS OF NEW ZEALAND. Answering the preliminary question of his opinion of New Zealand as far as he had had an' opportunity of studying it, Mr. Reid said : It is \impos&ible for a visitor passing through the country as hurriedly as I am doing on this visit to form any very aeliable views as to the oondition of the people. I have simply been making the best of my time by enjoying myself in a quiet way, and I have already visited the Bluff, Invercargill, -.ake Wakatipu, and places in t±ie neighbourhood of the Lake. I passed through xiie country from Kingston to Dunedm, and after slaying a few days there I arrived at Clmstchurch on Monday evening last, leaving for Wellington yesterday evening. So far as my casual observations have gone they have all been of tbe most favourable character. I have a strong conviction— so far as a traveller can form an opinion 11 — that the people are in a ilate of general comfort. I have seen in none of your towns anything suggestive of the slums of larger cities. Of course, the expression "larger cities" probably accounts for that fact, because one of the great advantages of New Zealand seems to be that the city population* axe split up more than in any Ausu'plian colony. You have four capitals really, instead of one, and the metropolitan population of New Zealand of 220,000 is practically divided uy four to the great advantage of the whole community, I should think. Of course when any of these cities has a population of 300,000 or 400,000 you may depend upon ib you will have your slums and your poor jusb as the larger cities of the most prosperous countries of the world have. Meantime, you don't appear to have tho--e erils, and I can only hope your growth will be free from them. If so, the -Hholc world will come to study the social problem as it is working oub in New Zealand. AGRICULTURE AND LAND VALUES. With regard to the condition of agriculture, I have not had an opportunity of studying that, beyond catcning passing glimpses of fields as I went through the country by train ; but I can say that you have some splendid lands, and your yields of agricultural produce are very much ahead of the Australian colonies. On the other hand, I believe your agricultural lands run up to a rather high price — so I am told. I »iavo been told that your valuable agricultural lands range- up to £15 per acre. Our wheat lands (New South Wales), I should think, as a rule, would not range more than from £2 up to £5 01 £6, but they arc a longer distance from markets tnan yours. But we have. certain parts of New South Wales, where lucern ip cultivated, where the land reaches £80 per acre. We have on the lucern fiats six to eigb.%

crops a your, and the land yie-lds a return of quite equal to a capital value of £100 per acre. This, however, is exceptional. Take tho v. licit lands of New Soulh Wale* generally, they may run up to oven £20 per acre ; but the average would run down to £5 or duo. I may say I don't s>peak from expert kmowledo;o. LABOUR CONDITIONS. "iTavc you formed any opinion regarding tho labour question in New Zealand 1 : 1 ' Well, there again, I am quite in tho dark, except fiom the casual observation of a, visitor ; but it seems to me the labour question in Mew Zealand is in a very comfortable condition. There in a solid, comfortable, healthy, industrious and prosperous appearance about the' community. That is the stamp which the population bears in my eyes. Of course, New Zealand lias practically ail her troubles ahead. Her troubles will begin when the margin between population aud natural resources becomes s-mall. At present, that margin is normal. The same thing can be said of the colonies on tho "mainland," if I may use an expression thai, may not he agreeable to Xew Zealanders. There is another observation which occurs to me, and that is that whilst there may l»r a large number of small fortunes in this colony, there is a very ismall number of large fortunes, which is a very go «? state of things. The peoplo also seem to be a more serious class, but I take that to be due, first, to the strong Scotch element in the population, and, secondly, to climatic conditions. When you consider the enormous overgrown population of cities like Sydney and Melbourne, you really can account for many of the conditions, which are more satisfactory in New Zealand than in New South Wales and Victoria. To make my meaning clearer, let us supposo that Sydney, instead of having a population larger relatively than London, had half the people settled in the country districts — instead of a population of 430,000 had a population of 215,000, the other 215,000 being engaged in' the outside districts — you would then find the condition of the country transcending that of New Zealand. Take London, the overgrown city of tho world. London, relatively to. the United Kingdom, is not nearly so populous as bydney relatively" to New South Wales. London has one-seventh or one-eighth the total population of the United Kingdom, while Sydney has very nearly one-third. It is a fact like thai that has td be remembered in order to -draw a just comparison ; and yet, in spite of the overgrown population of New SoUth Wales, it there were a demand for ,5000 men upon the labour market of Sydney — able-bodied men, I mean — it could not be satisfied. OUR TAXATION. Of course, the taxation of New Zealand is extremely heavy, and, from my point of view, that is a hindrance to the natural development of the rural industries — using 'the term hindrance in its broader sense, and nob as considered in tho Arbitration Court of New Zealand. Bub no doubt the people stand the taxation Y ei 7 well. They would not be so resigned if they saw on the label of the goods thej' bought the .difference which taxation makes. But that is one of the charms of indirect taxation. They never know what is taken out of th«ur pockets, and ib is therefore more popular than direct taxation. A man will fight far more over a tay of £5 on land or income than he will over £50 taken from him through the Customs. But I don't want to digress into the fiscal question, because I am a great believer in the people being allowed to mould their own fiscal policies, and I give them leave to know moTe about their own affairs than I can profess to do ; so that I do not wish to express any controversial opinion. LABOUR LEGISLATION. "What are your views, regaiding the Labour legislation 'of New Zealand, j.u.r. KcidV" I haver not, said Mr. Reid, had an opportunity of studying the effect of the Labour legislation in this colony. I^hope, during my stay in Wellington to be able to do co. "Have you considered the question of the arbitration lawV" I am particularly interested in the compulsory arbitration law, believing that we may have to carry, our legislation on to your point in New South Wales. We have gone, by a law passed a year or two ago, as near as we can, but we must go further if necessary, and I fear it will be necessary. NEW ZEALAND IN THE FEDERATION- SCHEME. "From local observation, have you formed any opinion of the feeling in j.\ew Zealand as to Federation with Australia?" So far as I can judge, whilst there is a widespread uneasiness and interest in tho Federal movement as it is de\ eloping in Australia, there seems to be no defined popular opinion upon the subject here. Considering the distance which separates the two countries, and the singularly independent position which nature seems to have marked out for New Zealand, this is not a matter for surprise. So far as I can see, there is only one point upon which New Zealanders are quite clear, and that is to geb as much out of the movement aa possible without any selfsacrifice. This, I may remark, is an old instinct ; people in all ages have tried to make as much as they can out of other people, giving them as 'ittle as possible in return. The situation is simply this: We in Australia recognise the difficulty in the way of New Zealand, and therefore have not endeavoured to use any strong influence to induce her to come in. It is really a matter for New Zealand herself to decide; but I think I may say that if New Zealand did make overtures to join the Federation, she would "be heartily welcomed. On the other hand, if she prefers .to stand out and study the at leisure she must take all tho disadvantages ot that attitude as well as the advantages. She will occupy to the Australian colonies federated, exactly the same position which she occupies in relation to Victoria to-day. I have never made any secret of the fact that Federated Australia will find it impossible for a long time to come to raise its revenue without a comparatively heavy Customs tariff, and you people of New Zealand must take -the risk of that. You cannot expect a New South Wales tariff :rom Australia. At the same time, I believe that the tariff will not be what is called a scientific protective tariff, because the necessities of the revenue win compel federal statesmen to go in for what I call a revenue tariff. There will be, in fact, a reasonable compromise between the extreme free trude notion and the extreme protective notion. The fiscal necessities of the situation will kill fanaticism of very kind in connection with that question. It was only when I became convinced that the Federal movement was something higher and greater than my fiscal faith that I cordially embarked upon the task of bringing it about, because I felt that— at first, at any rate — Federation could nob enable us to preserve the simple tariff which exited in New South Wales, and which iia-s enabled that colony to make her position! of supremacy in the Southern Seas more and more apparent. RECIPROCITY WITH AUSTRALIA. If New Zealand refuses to federate, will a reciprocity agreement with Australia be, in your opinion probable?

That is a matter upon v, Inch il. is impossible to express mi opinion at present. The diilieukioa which ;have existed during tho pasb twenty years in tJie way of reciprocity treaties between (he Australian colonies after Imperial legiNla-' tion was granted for the purpose of enabling them to bo made must wain you thill such a treaty could only bo nriivcd at, in all probability, after protracted negotiations, if arrived at at all. EFFECT ON THE COLONY OF NONFEDERATION. In tho event of New Zealand refusing te federate will Australia bo likely to practically close her markets to New Zealand .produce? I cannot answer that question. I think nature will practically do it because with Australia's enormous area suitable for every kind of agricultural product, and her small population, tho prospects of New Zealand are very poor. POLICY OF FIRST FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. I intended asking j^ou if in your opinion tho lira t Federal Parliament will bo freetrade or protectionist, but you hnvo already indicated what your view is. Yes, but I may repeat that in my opinion the first Federal Parliament will be dominated by neither froctrudo nor protectionist notions. THE PACIFIC CABLE SCHEME. With nego-rd to the Pacific Cable Scheme? I am strongly in favour of tho scheme. 1 consider the latest movo of tho Extension Company is simply designed to kill it, and lor that reason, while I was in office I would not lend it the slightest countenance. I think the negotiations arc in a healthy state. The Times took the matter up so strongly that i\ quite alterod the views of the Home Government, and induced the Imperial Treasurer to lendfa more favourable ear to the scheme. If the colonies interested will only stand firm, and- not be. led away by the apparent liberality of the Australian Extension Company, the scheme will be carried . out. Of course West Australia and South Australia are' opposed to it, because they prefer the scheme, that comes nearest them ; but tho danger would lie in Victoria. If she we,re deluded by the Extension Compnny's liberal offer, that would be a serious blow to the scheme ; bub, even then, I don't think the other Governments would allow that to interfere. They wou|'cl make\up the difference. So far, however, the Victorian Governmoat is thoroughly loyal to the project. THE BUSHMEN CONTINGENT. Questioned as to what he thought of the Bushmen Contingent project, and how many t effective men of this class could be raised in New South Wales for service in the Transvaal, Mr. Reid said: I think the project of sending a detachment of Australian bushmen to South Atrica an admirable one. An enormous number could be raised in New South Wales, but I don't think more than 500 now being got together will be required. THE PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT—ADVANTAGES TO THE COLONIES. Speaking of the advantages certain io accrue to the Australasian colonies from the patriotic movement which has led to the' sending out of contingents to South Africa, Mr. Reid observed: We must never forget that when the war is over the chief benefit derivable from the patriotism of Australasia will be to give the colonies hundreds of disciplined, experienced soldiers, who have had the finest object lesson, and gone through tho best, military education that the world can provide at the present time. They will return and form the backbone of our military system. That suggests a further consideratipn, Mr. Reid, you considered the probability of a large number of young men now going out to the Transvaal being induced to remain there. Do you think the British Government likely to offer them inducements to stay in the country, and that if inducements are offered they will be likely to influence any considerable number to remain? ' I don't think that the British Government will do so. It would not be wise policy). It could only be done in connecbion* with similar inducements to the British soldier, which would raise a very serious question of Imperial policy. I don't think, in any case many of our men would stay away— homo ties would be too strong. The only inducement that could be offered would be by way of land grants ; but in considering how the Australians came to volunteer I think the Home Government would pause before taking any such step in connection with our men. It would seem a poor return for the generosity of the Australian Governments in sending them out. It would • convert them from Australians into quite another class of individual, so that I think the Home Government would fight shy of it. They would probably ask "What probability would we have on another occasion of securing assistance from Australia if we take advantage of this occasion, and keep these men away from their country?" In my opinion, the men will be returned to their respective colonies under military law. If subsequently they choose to exercise their rights and go to South Africa on their own account no one can blame them. But the y> British Government are under obligation to send them back, and to provide the necessary transport.