THE FEDERATION COMMISSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11580, 19 February 1901, Page 4

THE FEDERATION COMMISSION.

Although the work of the Federation Commission is still in the preliminary stages, it is already evident that the present feeling of the community, as far as yet elicited, is overwhelmingly against political amalgamation with Australia. There is no reason to suppose that Otago and Canterbury are influenced by motives which are not common to both islands ; indeed, from their agricultural development, these provinces might have been expected to look more ' favourably upon Federation than a number of other districts. But it is evident that, apart from the commercial reasons which are naturally most freely expressed, there is a strong and widely-spread objection to the loss of our political autonomy. Our readers will doubtless have noticed the singular unanimity with which New Zealanders who returned from the Commonwealth celebrations declared themselves against Federation. This was in no way due to any lack of sympathy- with our neighbours. On the contrary, the mutual goodwill between Australians and New Zealanders during the inaugural festivities was all that could be desired. But the impression received was that our geographical separation and insular peculiarities had produced such marked differences in development that we had everything to lose and nothing to gain by subordinating oui local legislation to the continental Parliament. This view is very generally taken by those who have. expressed political opinions before the Commission, and is certain to be endorsed by the colony as a whole unless unforeseen and potential arguments should be presented by the Commission as the result of future investigation. So far as the inquiry has gone, there would appear to be no grounds adduced for even submitting the question to a referendum. For unless a strong desire is felt by a considerable section of the community it is useless to go to the expense and incur the excitement of a plebiscite. And of this, at least, there can be no doubt: that the Commission has discovered no distinct desire to change our present independent status for that of political dependence upon an Australasian Federation in the management of which we could only have a subordinate, albeit proportionate, voice. We are inclined to think that interest in the business of the Commission will fall to zero before it arrives at what bids fair to be a foregone and antiFederation conclusion.