FEDERATION WITH AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11203, 25 October 1899, Page 6

FEDERATION WITH AUSTRALIA.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—The more I study the Federal Enabling Bill, the more I am convinced that it would not be to tlw advantage of New Zealand to join Australia on the terms proposed, but if suitable terms could be arranged, then federation would have many advantages. Most people imagine that Australia is now federated, but this is not, so. West Australia, which is more than one-third of (he whole, has not joined, and special terns mo offered to induce her to do so, therefore there is little doubt that New Zealand also could obtain spocial terms if she were disposed to treat for them. For instance what possible advantage could it be either to New Zealand or Australia that our railways, provided it is intended to deal honestly with them, should be controlled by a Commission in Australia. What is there in common between the Australian railways and ours ? No question of gaugo comes in, for they can never be joined up; no advantage can possibly ac--1 erne to us, for wo should have no influence whatever over the Australian railways, but by a manipulation of our railways or theirs, in spite of free trade, all our products could bo shut out of tho Australian markets. It i is all very well to say this would never be done; it has been done, and is still being i ilono in many countries, and it has been done largely in this country. For many 1 years the rates were fixed 60 heavily against Auckland producers, that Canterbury could, and did, boat us out and out, in our own . market. It was only after tho exposure I made of this shameful practice at the inquiry of 1886 that the gross injustice was done away with. What the South Island did to the North, ' Australia could do to Now Zealand. _ Why i should we run the risk? If ever we join this i federation, we must retain control of our railways. I merely mention railways as one . item. There aro others, in which owing to our complete severance from til© continent, . it will bo necessary for us to carefully guard. The time has hardly come to discuss what . these should be. The federalists talk as though federation with Australia would bring about an immediate "boom." My opinion is that it would bring a depression that, would last for . several years. If any good effects aro to ac- ; erne to New Zealand,, it would be in the ' future, not in the present. To begin with, Wellington would receive a shock she would not recover from for many ! years. "The biggest wooden building in the world," and many lesser buildings in that ' city would soon present a very desolate r*p- ; poarance, and every other centre of popu- • lation would in a lessor degree suffer. It . would be impossible to remove all tho General i Government of tho country to Australia, ■ without this colony suffering severely. There i must, of course, be a large exodus of our 1 Civil servants, but wo should havo to pay i their salaries all the same. i Many of lis have a very painful recolleci tion of what Auckland suffered through the • removal of tho seat of Government to Wei- • lington. That event cost mo the 25 best years of my life. I should bo sorry to see similar less inflicted on my Wellington fellow i colonists. Quito recently Auckland sensibly [ felt the removal of the headquarters of tho • ; Bank of New Zealand to Wellington. This i ; was a very small affair, and was only as bo- [ : tween one part of the colony and another. . What, then, would be the result of removing tho entire General Government of New Zealand clean out of the colony to a point fully five days' steam from it? I venture to say that so far from there being any "boom,' - ' it would take us at least from three to five ! years to recover the shock. i ' Another effect federation would almost cer- , tainly have upon us would bo to greatly cur- [ tail our direct trade with Europe. Up to the end of tho fifties, when Customs duties both in . Australia and hero were nominal, compared , with what they aro now, nearly the whole of [ our trade was done through Sydney, Under 1 federation we should most likely revert to ; that position. Looked at from an Imperial point of view, , one disadvantage in federation will be the - doing away with the Governors of the rolo- , nio3 federating. The, training and know- . ledge these statesmen acquire when Gover- , nora is no doubt of groat advantage to the i Empire, and their presence with us keeps ! alive tho Imperial feeling. Should' wo federate as an original State. [ then one great evil will be that we shall . certainly have a largo influx of Chinese and , other coloured labour. This would be a very great evil. It is one that wo must strive to avoid. After carefully studying the Australasian Federation Enabling Act, and considering the whole question with all the care I can, my opinion is that for New Zealand to join , an original State would bo one of the greatest calamities that could befall her. As Mr. Rcllcston has pointed out, it would mrnn amalgamation—l should say absorption— not federation. I may, of course, bo mista'cen and shall bo glad of any fresh light on this vast subject. Again, let mo point out that what wo ought earnestly to work for is Imperial federation, Compared with this, federation with Australia is a mere side issue. In the Imperial fedoration it is impossible that all can join on exactly the same terms. While there would no doubt be a common Ccstoms and excise tariff, and a general scheme of defence, all other matters would no 1 doubt be loft to the different contracting parties 1 Ins would be our chance; we need not trouble ourselves much about Australia. Wo ought by overy means in our power to strive to cultivate friendly relations with her. It would have been a nice tiling if, when the five Australian States agreed to federate, our arliament had sent Australia a " congratulatory telegram." Why was this not done? -I am, etc., Sajidel Vaile. Auckland, October 11, 1899.