THE New Zealand Mail, PUBLISHED WEEKLY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1901. A FOREGONE CONCLUSION.

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 34

THE New Zealand Mail, PUBLISHED WEEKLY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1901. A FOREGONE CONCLUSION.

When the Federation Commission was set up, certain grumblers alleged that its constitution was such as t.o render its finding obvious, before its labours commenced. The ready reply to the objection was that the members were chosen for their representative character, their knowledge and their ability to deal with the weighty -subject remitted to them ; that their opinions on the merits of federation with Australia were not taken into account; and that, if the majority of them were opposed to New Zealand joining the Commonwealth, tliat was an indubitable proof that they were representative of :lie community. The evidence so far tendered to the Commission favours the assumption that at least ninety per cent, of New Zealanders are opposed to the destiny of this country being closely and irrevocably linked with that of Australia. This attitude is not the result of narrow insularity, of ignorance, or of judgments warped by one-sided advocacy. The Ministry and Parliament have made no attempt to dictate to the people in this matter. The press in general lias taken a judicial view of the question. If there has been any endeavour to influence the public mind, it has come from a section of the press which, under the glamour of Australian grandeur and association, argued strongly for this country allying itself with the Commonwealth. In these circumstances, the almost unanimous hostility shown to the idea of political union wHh Australia is a striking evidence of agreement on a subject of great complexity. The experience of the Commission in the South is likely to be repeated in the North Island ; and, unless the evidence that will be thereafter taken in Australia should be of overwhelming power in the opposite direction, there cannot be a doubt as vjfco the nature of the report; that will be presented to Parliament. While the majority of witnesses have locked at the federation question from the viewpoint of personal or national gain, there are not wanting those who take a broader view and consider the effect that would be produced upon national character and destiny by a po 1 !- tical union with Australia. There is a strange contradiction of opinion, however, in this wider field of controversy. While a shrewd business man like Mr Donald Reid, of Dunedin, holds that the result of federation would be to dwarf the minds of our people on political subjects. an equally capable and intelligent witness, Mr G. T. Booth, of Christ-

church, expresses the opposite view, and declares that only by uniting our destinies with those of Australia will our people escape from the curse of narrow -insularity. It is. useless to expect agree!Ament- on such a hypothetical aspect of the question a.s this; but it might be well to remind Mr Booth and + hose v. bo think with him that New Zealand may be saved from pettiness by cultivating closer relationship with the great British Empire, and by more fully realising her oneness with it. Much lias been made of the great losses our trading community might suffer by a policy of aloofness from Australia: but in Dunedin manufacturer after manufacturer came forward and told the Commission that federation with Australia would mean not only dislocation of trade, but the closing of their factories and the throwing cut ef employment of hundreds of workers. Em ploy ess’ representatives told the same tale. They feared they would be swamped by cheaper labour and cheaper products from Australia. Those engaged in the boot trade were particularly emphatic. They now struggle along under a twenty-five per cent, tariff, maintaining a high rate of wages to their employees, but if that tariff were reduced or abolished, the "boot industry of this country would he irretrievably ruined. Even the local fruitgrower saw his occupation gone if freetrade under federation were established. One gleam of sunshine amid the general gloom of the evidence came from Mr Morrison, .of the Mosgiel Woollen Manufacturing Company. He believed that federation with Australia and a uniform tariff would give an impetus to the manufacture of woollens for export. As things ai*e, the trade in woollen piece goods to Australia has averaged £9OOO a year for the last seven .years, and more than half of that amount entered Australia by the “open door” of Sydney. The contention is that with inter-State freetrade, and New Zealand a part of the Commonwealth, our export of woollen goods to Australia would largely increase. Iu flat contradiction of this, we find the managing director of the Kaiapoi Woollen Company declaring at Christchurch that federation would prejudicially affect the woollen manufacturing industry of this country.

Reasoning from the standpoint of personal advantage, exporters of grain and other produce have expressed themselves favourably disposed to union with Australia. In like manner, the producers of such commodities as Australia requires, especially R time of drought, may be found to be supporters of federation; but our farmers will not forget that Australia can in good jpeaxs produce more than she requires, and that ITer people would be compelled to buy our commodities in years of scarcity with themselves; and, of course, any protective duty imposed on such goods would not be paid by the producer in New Zealand, but by the consumer in Australia. The political considerations against federation were emphasised at Dunedin by Mr Scobie Mackenzie, who declared that we would practically lose all power of self-govern-ment. It is evident that under federation we should lose tlie control of our Customs, post and telegraphs, marine, defence, census and statistics departments. Other important! branches of government, like lands, education and railways, ivould be retained; but H is a moot point whether the departments we should lose would be better administered than they are at present. Apart from that, there are obvious reasons for having the administrators of the departments named nearer to the people affected than fifteen hundred miles. The Commissioners will doubtless take these matters, and that of expense, which is at present unascevtainable, into consideration when compiling their report.