FEDERATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11346, 14 April 1900, Page 3

FEDERATION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, May I'crave space from you to reply to your correspondent. Mr. Ralph Potter, on 5 the above subject? That gentleman starts his letter in your issue of the WW inst. by statins that I said in your issue of the 3rd " that it could not be too Widely known throughout the colony that our AgentGeneral. Mr. Reeves, has done his level tel. to wreck the passage of the Commonwealth Rill in the Imperial Parliament. 1 invite Mr. Potter to look up your files, and see it I have uttered a falsehood. Your correspondent says: "Our close commercia relation, demand that wo should keep, on the most friendly terms with Australia. But I should like to ask any sensible man if he thinks the actions of our Agent-General in London within the last few days will produce those friendly feelings towards us by our brethren on the mainland? I deem it lmncssiblo for this country and Australia ever to federate while feelings of hostility exist. There is nothing I should deplore more earnestly than to feel that we, through tho notion of our Agent-General, had been the means of preventing the union of those colonies who have passed the Commonwealth Rill joining hands and giving us an object-lesson, thus showing us the advantages or otherwise of combined action. Your correspondent has misquoted me, and makes it appear as though I said that Mr.' Seddon fails to rise to the present occasion. Wot so, sir. What I said was simply: "To send delegates to the Federation Conference • in Melbourne or Sydney was a duty to this nation. -It-; would ; have been common courtesy to our brethren on the mainland. But Mr. Seddon failed to rise to the occasion." ; And from that statement 1 will not retract, as it is a truth acknowledged by every thinking person. Your correspondent states that every public man in New Zealand has taken the same view, of federation US himself and Mr. Seddon. Pardon my lefthanded way of - putting it;.but let me; say that j your correspondent is again , wrong, | for Sir & G. M. " O'Rorke, the r; . venerable) Speaker of our House of Representatives, is 1

strongly in favour of New Zealand becoming : a part I of the groat' Commonwealth nation. The 1 Hon. Mr/ Reid, late ' Premier : of« New South' Wales,' was strongly opposed; to Australian federation, and ; not until .the peoplo| of that colony took the matter up in right earnest - did he' give ' way."';" And 'so •it ' will be with Mr. Seddon. He will wake up one of these fine days', and tell us how he had done ' his best to obtain federation from the t very first. lam thankful for the information . ho Rives us from so reliable a soureo as that, of • Mr. Lippiatt, : ot -Otahiihu, who says:' " Australia can equally' produce enormous! quantities' of fruit as this country." ,: Yes;;, that ■is so and : why should our great mass; of people be denied the moans' of obtaining; good fresh fruit from our brothers over the herring >. pond ,at', a reasonable : price?. ■• If ' they can send us early fruit, we can; send them late fruit. If we had federation, our.i fruit industry would not suffer. We should devote -more attention to tho fruits whichl developed later, and depend on Queensland - and New South Wales, with their dry climate and early seasons for cur early traits.'.'/ And then about the grape or vino industry. Why,' we ought to be able to get lOlbof/grapes, for Is, or they are too dear to eat.; : \\e can devote our attention to indoor grapes • and stock tho Australian markets out "of sea"-'-son, but we cannot excel' South Australia and Victoria in the growth of the field grape. % In this question, parish politics and ; provincial jealousies must tako a back seat,* and we must look right out intoiho great' near future, where there are heights to reach and depths to sound, while the broad Empireof • Britain lies before us, where there shall be one people, one destiny, one flag.with the glorious knowledge of peace for all where the Union Jack flies I am, etc., • ■ ■ '»" mi, ; ,„„« G - ,T - Garland April 11, 1900. • .