PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2331, 3 November 1898, Page 57

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Greater Britain ami America: Federation or isolation ?

Last week I gave tbe only armaments 1 have come across against the federation, and some of those given in its favour. One of the writers, after treating the question from an historical point of view, descends to diplomacy and self interests, but favours an alliance rather defensive than offensive. During recent years the diplomacy of Russia has surpassed that of any other nation. She may have an understanding more or less in her favour with France, Germany, Austria, and other States which may do her a favour, or Britain, her enemy, an injury. She has her eve on Constantinople, and ber paw on poo>' China. Her ambition is insatiable, bhe ha* looked with hungry eyes towards Asia Minor, Persia, India, China, and Japan; she is intriguing even in far-off Abyssinia. She has silently and rapidly drawn to herself the nations representing the imperial spirit. She desires Asia, and is willing that France and Germany miy take Britain s possessions in Africa and Australia if in the several division she receives the lion s share in Asia. She is, in short, the most formidable personification of absolutism in the we rid; and therefore she is the natural foe oE Britain and the United States, for the vital reason that these liberal governments arcs a constant and growing menace to the most absolute despotism of Europe's civilisation. Once dismember the British Empire an-1 break the power of Britain on the seas and all free governments the world over must feel the shock. Let the British Empire be destroyed and carved up, and the United States 'would not have long to wait for her turn. The writer then goes on to show what the benefits of a union will be, and some ot them I give : — 1. The union of the English-speaking world in one mighty phalanx would secure the realisation of the aims of Liberal and Progressive Governments by furthering the best interests of civilisation and fostering free thougnt, free speech, and enlarged suffrage. 2. It would be so nearly invincible that there would be very little danger of any war ; and the Anglo-Saxon races would have # a strong voice in the political and commercial affairs of the world. 3. Coaling stations in common would save an enormous expense. 4-. The alliance would make a. mignty brotherhood federation. 5 Though rivals in commerce, they could combine for mutual protection against foreign competition. And he winds up his article something like this : — " The time has now passed when the United States can say, ' We are sufficient to ourselves ; we will go our way, the rest ot the world can go its way.' The question is not, Shall we avoid entangling alliances.' Commercially, racially, religiously, we are allied with other nations, and must continue to be so; so it only remains to us to drift, or to chose a fellowship witb wise judgment and definite purpose. In trade Britain is less inclined to rigidly adhere to Freetrode, while Aye are less inclined than formerly to rigidly adhere to a prohibitive Protection policy. The silver question is a big bar, but silverites are not in so strong a position as formerly; and many of Britain's foremost men are not wedded to a golcl standard." The trade of the far East, if I remember rightly, is referred to, and an exceedingly strong case is made out in theory and practice for an Anglo-Saxon Federation. Now I have giver you the pro's and con's of two writers, one rabidly against the alliance and another, after calmly reasoning the matter out, as strongly for it, basing his decision on natural affinities and the teaching of history. But in the United Service Magazine, a journal devoted to the army and navy, a writer, a soldier and an American, deals with the subject in another way. The article, though, comparatively shprt, i& like most

military writing, much to the point. It is no sentimental blood-is-thicker-than-water I question with him. He writes in a busi* ness-like manner, and bases his decision for an alliance almost entirely on what statistics show, and upon the law of self-pre-servation. I won't give you all his statistics,' but enough of them to show that he has weighed the matter pretty carefully. The merchant tonnage of the two nations is 18,400,000 tons; foreign trade £1,260,000,000 annually. The alliance will give under present conditions (and neither have the continental conscription) 2,000,000 soldiersj with a possible 17,000,000, furnished by 123,000,000; this excludes all but tha whites, so including neither Indian native troops nor Egyptian troops. The territory of the two amounts to 15,099,892 miles — it is calculated pretty accurately, you will notice— or 292-1000fchs of the whole land surface of the globe, 15-28ths of the fertile land, and carries a population of 456,000,000. The wheat crop of 486,000,000 bushels is over one-third of the world's output. The United States and India grow 9,683,000 bales of cotton to the rest of the world's 1,043,000. The two own a quarter of a million of square miles of coalfields, and manufacture two-thirds oi the steel used annually. Coming to the navy, this military gentleman, remembering, I suppose, the deeds of the American navy, is inclined to dance a war dance of triumph, for he actually quotes the jingo lines : We don't want to fight, but by jingo if we do, Wo have the ships, we have the men, vre hare the money too. And then he shows how these ships, and Britain's too, of course, will be distributed. First, as a great manufacturing nation, Britain wants wheat, cotton, and other American products, and each country can provide necessities and luxuries required by the other. With this element of strength fzithin themselves, and with the navies they possess to defend the bread and other trade I routes;, the ability of the AngloSaxon races to defend themselves against the world in arms is unquestionable ; and the great day when tho Anglo-Saxon races shall possess and govern ! the earth, bringing light and civilisation, good government and liberty, to all races oi men, will come in God's good time. The navy statistics I won't inflict you with, but this is how he would divide the. stations. The European squadrons would be fitted out by Britain, and would include the protection of the British Islands and the patrolling of the Mediterranean, The North American and North Pacific patrols would devolve upon the U.S. navy; and so would the bread route across the Atlantic. As the United States would uphold the doctrine of America for the Americans, the British possessions in American waters would be under the protection of the fleets of the United States. The China, East India, Cape of Good Hope, and South American stations would fall to the lot o* the Royal Navy. I am afraid that in epitomising this gentleman's paper I have rather imperfectly; represented his ideas; but to me his arguments for an alliance with Britain rather than with any other nation, and taken on the low ground of self-interest, are worthy of consideration. I have dealt with this question rather fully, for it is fast coming within the range lof practical politics. Many pooh-poohed the idea of a Canadian federation. A fewyears ago one suggesting a federation of the Australian colonies was considered a dreamer; and the same with South Africa. But both groups will soon be federated. Then will come the Britannic federation; and, to crown the whole, the Anglo-Saxon federation. Why not? A dream, think you? Perhaps it is; but you will at any rate admit a dream desirable in reality.

— Only one person in a thousand born dies of old age.

— Workmen in Persia have long hours of I labour. A fair day's work in the manufactories of that country extends from (five in the morning till eight at night. _ — A compressed air locomotive is to bo itried on the Manhattan elevated railway, of New York City. The compressed air locoanotive or motor is little more than a long, black cylinder, similar to the boiler of the preßent locomotive, with the cab at one end. There will be no smoke-stack, no tender, and no dome. The only protuberances on tho cylinder besides the cab will be the whistle mid %h& sand-boat.

i — Chocolate, by reason of ils great ntilriJ,ive powers, has been adopted for campaign use in the armies and navies of almost every European Government. Tho increased consumption in four years is 35 per cent. — A Roman newspaper states that Cardinal Vaughan has informed the Propaganda Fido tliat after the stupendous Encyclical written by Leo XIII on the validity of Angli can orders, many Protestant clergymen have embraced the Catholic religion; and that in the diocese of Westminster alone, between 600 and 700 Protestants embrace the Catholic Ffdiaixm. jartrew mnnfcl*