THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1906. A COMMONWEALTH POLICY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13305, 11 October 1906, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1906. A COMMONWEALTH POLICY.

The Australian Commonwealth is as yet the youngest of the world's federations, but it must be admitted that so far its political career has not been a very smooth one. There have been frequent changes of Government, accompanied by more or less complete reversals of policy, and there has been a good deal of dissatisfaction in several of the States both with the legislation and administration of the country. In these respects, indeed, the Australian Federation lias been no exception to the general rule. No federation of independent States has ever yet been accomplished without a similar experience ; and indeed in most cases there has been a period in their history when their united existence seemed to hang in the balance. It was so with the United States during the first twenty years of the Republic, and the experience was repeated in the case of the Dominion of Canada during the first twelve years of its existence. It may even be said with truth that the evidences of unrest and dissatisfaction are less in the Commonwealth than they were in either of the great American Federations during the period of consolidation, and there is probably little real cause to fear any serious danger of disruption. Short of this, however, the • questions before the . people of Australia are sufficiently pressing to cause some anxiety, and to import.an unusual degree of political excitement into Federal elec--1 tions. The approaching election of a new Federal Parliament promises, indeed, to be in many respects the most important, and probably the most keenly contested, that has yet taken place since the formation of the Commonwealth. As yet, it may be said, the Commonwealth has developed no very definite or settled policy on almost any subject. There have been Ministries representing themselves as Protectionist, though, in fact, practical protection was forced upon any party holding the reins of power, independently of their wishes, by the need of raising a . very large Customs revenue. There has been a Cabinet of convinced ' Freetraders, and another of Labour sympathisers, with the head of the Labour party in the Commonwealth as its Premier, but in both instances the circumstances were such that little could be clone to give effect to the special opinions held by the politicians in power. To some extent, no I doubt, the situation is still,the same.

A Protectionist; majority in the next Parliament could , hardly hope -to carry protection .. much farther than it has gone at present. A freetrade majority could do little to remove the taxes in which it would recognise the fetters of protection ; and, for the present, at least, a Labour majority could not go very far towards realising its ideals. In spite of. this, however, the issues that will go to the electors of the Commonwealth will be very real issues ; and the results of giving a majority— should that majority be a considerable one— to either party will affect the policy of the future in no trifling degree. There is something refreshing in the straightforwardness of the issues proposed by two at least of the parties for consideration by the electors on the present occasion. The freetraders, under the leadership of Mr. Keid, while still placing the ideal of freetrade before them as something to be aimed at, do not hesitate to substitute anti-socialism as the chief feature of their political creed. The Labour party, under the. able leadership of Mr. Watson, do not hesitate to accept the challenge, and admit readily that State Socialism is the ideal at which the party aims as the ultimate end of its policy. So far as yet appears the Protectionist party, represented by the present Cabinet under the leadership of Mr. Deakin, has not committed itself definitely to either policy, but apparently means to content itself with the position of providing for the present, leaving the country's future policy to arrange itself for the most part according to circumstances as they arise. The attitude of the first two parties is certainly the more interesting, and in the end it may well prove to be the more statesmanlike. Neither the Freetraders nor the Labour party is disposed to ignore present questions of importance, though each of them lays claim to popular support rather as the representative of a great ideal than on a mere administrative policy, rendered necessary at the moment, Each of them sees that the present highly protective tariff of Australia cannot be very seriously interfered with for years to come, and while the Freetraders claim the right to look with a jealous eye on its development rather than a commission to alter its details, the Labour party desires to have the question settled by a decision of the people by way of referendum for future guidance. All parties, it would seem, are agreed as to the need of a great increase of population. The Government in power had already expressed its desire to co-operate with the States in this direction, and the Free Trade party had always professed a strong desire to see immigration encouraged; now the Labour party seems also to have awakened to the absolute necessity of subscribing to the same policy; probably from a conviction that, for Australia at least, the question is not so much one of a white or a black population, but rather a choice between a European population, probably for the most part of inferior quality, and an Asiatic population, which, while certainly inferior, might easily become dominant. So that, after all, the question suggested by Mr. Reid of " Socialism versus Anti-Socialism" is the one likely to influence the electors of the Commonwealth to the comparative ' exclusion of every other. The issue may at present be a theoretical one to some extent, but year by year it must become more practical. Mr. Watson frankly admits that State Socialism is the idea! of his party, and the result to which their policy tends. Should he and his party obtain a majority in the next Commonwealth Parliament, they will not, indeed, attempt to bring in State Socialism at once on a large scale, but it may be taken for granted they will do their utmost to prepare the way for its adoption. For a time the great industries of the Australian Continent may not be interfered with, indeed ; but, should the power be • left in their hands, a few years may see the mines, and perhaps the shipping, of the Commonwealth removed from the domain of private enterprise and placed in that of the State. The people of Australia are face to face with the question it will be both interesting and important to see what answer they are prepared to'give.