The Federal Commission.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 48, 26 February 1901, Page 2

The Federal Commission.

[nx TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, last night. The Federation Commisioners opened thoir Wellington sittings this morning. As the Hon. Mr Rollcston is detained at Auckland, it was agreed to accept a written statement of his views. Mr Nicholas Reid, Chairman of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, doposed that he was not in favour of Federation because the loss of self-government would far outweigh any advantages. Tho revenue of the colony would bo reduced on many products in which wc could not compete with Australia. At tho Federation Conference Samuel Brown, coal dealer and produce merchant, President of tho Wellington Industrial Association, had no opinion one way or the other whether New Zealand should federate. Tho workers of New Zealand would be affected less by Australian competition than that of Germany and America. From an industrial point of view New Zealand needed Australia more than Australia needed New Zealand. In the not distant futuro we would want the help of Australia if our workmen were to maintain the present standard of comfortable living. New Zealand manufacturers would suffer from the effects of federation at first.

Mr Martin Kennedy?, said he had commercial connections with Australia of twenty, years’ standing. In his opinion it would he better for New Zealand not to federate. Our present constitution was sufficiently elastic to develop our resources. Mr Kennedy said Federation would have a disastrous effect on manufacturers, because manufactures in Australia wero more developed, and New Zealand would be a dumping ground for their surplus. Mr T. G. McCarthy, brewer, said he would prefer New Zealand to remain as it was, at any rate until the question of freetrade or protection and the racial difficulty in Northern Australia was settled.