Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORN, FRIDAY, JUNE. 4, 1901 SHOULD WE FEDERATE?

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 9037, 4 January 1901, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORN, FRIDAY, JUNE. 4, 1901 SHOULD WE FEDERATE?

Mb Seddon is clearly still of the opinion that we should not. Although a great deal of honor has been paid him m Sydney, he perceives that there are also giants m that land,' and that it would be impossible for him to be King of the Commonwealth. Therefore he talks m a grandiose manner about NewwZealand working out its own destiny, and of a steam service across Tasman Sea, with vessels of the class of the best Atlantic liners. He makes a. strong point of . the good feeling now existing between the people of tnis colony and those of Australia, just as if there was any reason for. anything but the very best of good terms between blood brothers of the British race, and confidently talks of New Zealand offering no reprisals. Our Premier professes to offer no decided opinion until the New Zealand Federation Commission has presented its report, but he does not tell people that that Commission is composed for the most part of anti-Federalists, andl does not represent the soundest and best political, business; and public opinion. At considerable expense to the colony, it will, afford the members of which it is composed a very fine trip; but it is not expected to influence the public or Parliament to a very large extent. The fight for Federation m New Zealand will yet have to be made, and it will be after New Zealand has had some experience of the effect of her policy of isolation. When the price of potatoes drops several pounds a ton., oats are m, slump, and maize a drug, because the doors of the Australian markets are closed to us by the Federal tariff, which from all appearances is likely for some years at any rate to be highly protectionist, then, and not till then," will public opinion -*" m this colony be stirred up on the question of Federation. There are some people who think differently to our Premier, and can see advantages that New Zealand would gain by becoming a member of the new nation. One is the able Chief Justice, Sir Robert -Stout, who is a strong advocate of Federation.- Another is Mr Edmund Barton, the Premier of .the Commonwealth, who m an r interview with the Dunedin Star's commissioner m Sydney spoke enthusiastically and freely m favor of the island colony joining the Federation, and professed his willingness to do all m his- power to bring this about on legitimate lines. His great desire was for a United British people, dominating the South Pacific, and joined together by the common bonds of mutual interest and patriotic loyalty 'to each other and the Mother Country. One of the chief benefits to New Zealand, he pointed out, would be m the matter of mutual defence, remarking: "Perhaps, indeed, the federation of New Zealand with us would be of more advantage to New Zealand m this respect than, our federation with New Zealand would be to us. Of course it comes to be partly a question whether New Zealand is of opinion that it can face all possibilities alone, or whethei if will join with us m helping to build up one indivisible Power m the Pacific which will be strong enough to resist all aggression, and to go forward with one common aim and one destiny." 7-> Regarding- the objection of our distance from the continent, and asked whether he would legislate to give New Zealand special consideration on entering the Federal pact, the Commonwealth Premier said: "Certainly, I should be prepared to give New Zealand fhe fairest consideration m the matter, and I am sure the. whole oi the Australian statesmen would be prepared to meet her m. the same way that they met West Australia: You may say that I should be one to lay down a foundation upon .which New Zealand might see her way to come m." .f -A Counter suggestion having been made m the colony to the effect that there should be something m the way. of. a partial federation, witjj reciprocal trade relations between New* Zealand and "the rest of Australia, Mr Barton was asked if he thought such a scheme . feasible or advisable,, and replied : "Well, you know, an .attempt was made when I was m office m New South Wales m 1892 with Mr Dibbs to bring about reciprocity between ourselves, and Tasmania, but we found that it was absolutely impossible to institute any proper scheme of reciprocity without intercolonial freetrade. They tried it between Victoria "and Tasmania, I understand,- and it .failed, and they say it failed between South Australia and New Zealand. You see, there must be twp parties to such an arrangement, and sooner or later it is found that one side gains an advantage over the : other, with the result that there is disagreement. All such difficulties would disappear under complete, federation." Mr Barton went on to state that the policy of the Federation would be to raise large revenues by revenue duties. Incidentally, the question becomes one very largely of the products of the industries of New Zealand; would it be m favor of her industries, whether incidentally or de-: signedly, or would it be more "m • her favor to have that tariff against them? That was a question which he thought New Zealand would not have much r difficulty m answering. Asked if he thought that reciprocity would be acceptable to the Federal Parliament if suggested,. Mr Marton knocked Mr Seddon's dearest hope on the head m this fashion: "I fancy," he said, '"the people of Australia arc -not likely, as a matter of business, to give New Zealand the benefits of Federation" without her undertaking any of its liabilities. That is the crux of the whore matter—the . strongest desire to welcome New Zealand into the Federation is quite compatible with a policy which will enable her to stand outside it, and say she wanted hone of it. The true policy of the whole of the British Pacific is that it should be a consolidated power, and the Australian tariff is likely to aid that policy. Reciprocity is, on the other hand, likely to impair it. Reciprocity, therefore, is not m favor "of the consolidation of the power of our races m the Pacific, but Federation is; that is, one federation — two federations would lead to the. existence of rival Powers, and possibly to future quarrels. Mr Seddon imagines evidently that causes of dissension between rival Powers may not arise. in the future m this ocean; but then Mr Seddon is not a prophet any more than I am. History points to the probability that there might be dissension; indeed, there is no part of history which points to immunity from such dangers. I pay, passing attention to the difficulty of arranging a reciprocal treaty which will stand. We know something about -that m Australia, Victoria tried it with Tasmania, and the arrangement broke down. Tasmania tried it with New South Wales, and the answer was, as it ought to be to New Zealand, that the proper form of reciprocity is federation* with inter-State freetrade. In conclusion, 1 would say that immediate or early federation ought to pay New Zealand best, because m the present state of feeling she will probably obtain terms which could not be so easy to secure for her after a period of isolation."