The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1889. HOME ROLE AND FEDERATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2086, 13 March 1889, Page 2

The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1889. HOME ROLE AND FEDERATION.

A member of tiie House of Representatives, Mr George. Hutchison, who Bits for Waitotara, has contributed to the . journal of the Home Kule Union a brief ' essay under the above title which has ; now been printed m London m pamphlet i form and issued with a preface inscribed to the Irish members at Westminister. . A copy of the little brochure, the i entire contents of which are comprised ! within the compass of four pages of large ; print lies before us and the drift of the I author's argument may be set forth m a r very few sentences. Mr Hutchison after referring to the notoriously inefficient state of the fleet on the Austra lasian station, and to the scheme lately , determined upon for the building of a special service squadron, to be equipped and maintained at the joint cost of the ' Mother Country and the Colonies, sees m i this the opening up of the way to the i possible solution of Home Kule for Ireland and other parts of the Kingdom. These are his concluding remarks, which contain the pith of his argument. "The i people must be heard. They may feel themselves somewhat exceptionally 1 treated m being call upon to bear m addition to the heavy expense of local defence, a share of the cost of keeping ' the open seas, but they will probably be 1 prepared to respond to any reasonable proposal which preserves the oonstitu- , tional rights they have learned to i prize. It may be fairly claimed, now > that they are expected to contribute to ' Imperial defence, that they shall have . representation m some Federal Council , or Congress dealing distinctively with i the affairs of the Empire. The subject ; of Imperial Federation has hitherto | been treated as one remote from practical ( politics— as a theme around which sentiment was slowly building up opinion. JJy the course of events arising out of the proposed partnership the subject has , suddenly become one demanding im mediate consideration. On the mighty issues to whioh this century is moving m respect of granting legislative rights to Ireland and other portions of the Kingdom, the claim by the colonies to i representation m the Councils of the Empire has a bearing which may show such interests to be identical m the establishment of a Federal Parliament." There are more unlikely things than that Mr Hutchison should prove to be right m the forecast thus somewhat i dimly shadowed forth, and it may easily prove that the defining of mutual ; reiponsibilities m respect to the Australasian special squadron may lead up to an adjustment, as between the Imperial centre and its many parts and extremities, of mutual privileges and responsibilities involving the accord of Home Rule within certain prescribed limits, and on principles not inimical to the maintenance of the Imperial authority m and over all parts of the Empire m matters of Imperial concern.