New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4948, 31 January 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1877.

.Tlje' speech’ Vof'Sii/dlmicbnES, RoßiifSpN has Vevived/ih Englandthe'. of colonial federation; ‘ andf J Judging; ;by> 'the telegram pnhliahed, in ourissue pf,Jfetnrday, a- very ; interesting. artd/ jtlioughtful discussion has taken -place ohithe'subject tho iColonial- Institute.'’ ■ Prom ; the character -/of the -speakers the-disouafiiQn could not-have been 'bthferwise; ,r i! A!ll' the gentlemen named; have either - ' filled high and.resppnsible positipha; in the! colonies’, or have by/ long , attention , to colonial matters and official connection -with,Colonial interests - attaineda.knowledge, which iaust qualify them to apeak .with authority in:£h«tdebate; on thejpaperbyMr. Poaßifcß. We' sh»l I wait repor'ts-ofihe cuwion, hot- thata«uch< practical (effect is 'to be anticipated/still less; that there 1 , will be? anything specialfy’/apd 'pSMiculiply interesting to New Zealand in the raatter, ; aio. fat as, her prospect of/Co-oporation with the other colonieß“is .concerned/ : The fruthis,' that ]in//tKe',,way /pf.‘MjAustter lian 'confederation thore aro ,',rnany and serious.! practical .difficulties.;,; Sir ,'Hbe. l ctJLES .the ; federal , tosfn, as it has; j called} Hoff 1 Alburyj on ■ the; boundary- f ;‘the<'itwO! gfeat colonies' of ; A-ustraha/’ in full view Ofdhe aiiiibyancea- and tho 'drawhacka L to;tfitde caused by th« andSith »/lively recoHeotiph/, df; harder duties' J /d|aßu^^di'BpUtea'' whiph led 'to a'jealousy arid hatred,not less fierce ,pr r lgps bitter thanthose..which iii .older eoHntrjea haye .led.to civil strife—-might well sigh for '■'» united dominion ofiAusl tralia, .and,dwell!inflowing language on the .benefits to be, d'envod from federation. Biitdid SikSEKCuhiwl^ Has he y e t'taken / account of the practical drftfiutufe' 0 the wjs f j ,'Bo pleaded ftjha common ratotoFChstdhis duties’in all the colonies upon importations from without ahd upon ,'wifhihVa, gelieral system of railwaya,.eyen ’ to uniformity, in gnage,'! in. and in fares'and freight r>tos ; comhination for the pur T poses of • complete immigration, isoheme; and unity. ■ in. tedil Iter vices, ocean telegraphs, : and. - 'defence. The 'Spasmodic effortsoftheiseveral'coloniofflnrrespectto these matters, h e ,deplored,. and pointed to the one 'effectual '' and ‘ permanent cure, namely, rtherblotting out altogether of all artificial and ‘unnatural bouiidary lines, in a word—federation. But he did not show that tho several colonies were prepared for federation —as a con-

temporary put it at the' time,' 11 prepared to surrender their independence,- and to submit themselves to a federal authority, which might use its power in a--manner adverse to their peculiar views and their owniTespective interests.” - Beforo-there. can be federation in the Australian colonies, the vexed question !pl* |V. Free, Trade must be settled. coles Robinson ‘and the' colony of- Sow, South Wales take free trade as the basis; of- federation. The sister- colony—the: colony which, by the way; claims to the most advanced in the group might with equal justice' ask that the doctrine of protection should be extended throughout the confederation. Who, then, should decide,? The two coloniea eould approacn the question with equal honesty. New> South Wales,,'has adopted free trade, because she believes it to be wisej and profitable' ‘ for a " country. The public mind of Victoria, as reflected) in, its Farliamept, is just ~ as firmly, made up iii ‘favor of the rival system, and .. inoreoyer,. could point tOj the United’Stales as a great confederation carrying.out Protection in most "literal meaning. Sir George, Bowen does .jOpt . seem inclined to go sa far as his brother Governor, He says confederationt jneans: ‘ ‘ Home andj explains his idea of it to he that matters affecting'; the ogeneral' in teres t’-khbtfld 'ho, dealt, with by the Federal Assembly, the) fullest powerdli: bther ,f 'Bal#tthrß'’’bf>ing 'iitill,' reserved to the severalrParliaments. Ifi this be;really,the propositfop;(Cannot the; object be as readily,carried out by means of the intercolonial cpnferenpep at present in, vogue ? True, the delegates at these con-' fefeheea Ka%lnot;tli6rpSlf®l© absdltitoly. bind represeijt, so that all agreements arrTvedat areeuhject tb rati-, fication at the hand? of. the seyeral Par- 1 liaments. But it will be necessary'for the federalists to .be very persuasive to induce the colonies' to accept : ' , 'uiireßervedly any decision, of. a federal despite its antagonism to self interest. As it has been in the,past, so it would be under the proposed new - regime. .; - Arrangements would be abided hy so long as it suited a| colony to abide by them,, and no longer. There are many other difficulties in the way, which'it is unnecessary ‘to'refer to, being ematters" of; detiil3|2llut'iWe 'might add that the ; -site ,o% !; federal city -alonewouldbea knotty-pointfco-deeider-It| should.be,either at Sydrtey and two ports' whifch fought for years for, the privilege ;6f being the 'terminal porq i of the' service would Scarcely fad less quarrelsome' in the matter of the federal cify. In .theory.aiji Australian j Dominion ‘ is a grand thing ; and it is a matter for discussion; as.to whether it w oul A by this time have been -tin fait accompli, had the early, policy of'.the'Colonial Office) been different to it-was.. The, SvAney' Morningtfp[gld._- pays ;—‘‘Tt .basj often been,-pointed, put-j that the British -Government-fa responslble -for I AnatfiiHaL bavin® been sub-j divided. Tt ( one; undivided territory,' aii'dlhad tlie Govern-, raent'‘always -wished'to .keep; it ; one, .itj could; 1 by providing;: ‘when the whole: legislation was in its Own hiiids, for a; complete system - of lo(^; ; an'd municipali .Belf-goverriment, ,have.kppt one 'Gdverrior; )af the in Aus-| tralia. Downing . street; was' .either -indifferentl.toHthe matter'or;.was; anxious to preparo.ihe.way; for a. speedy; separation ; and. 'independence* of -Arts--; .tralia.'' A feW E years ago tKak r was : ; the favored' polifeydii official circles.' Now a. change has taken, place. It-was found; that the great miaspf the workihgpebplej of England—£He 7 -new^masters.of r ßngliahl noWf'pfpathise ini-this matter; with the’ Manchester school. The polo-1 -niita, (too, witb pne .consent, declined”tb| accept that policy. The Conservative j party, with/sCom»idead>lfe tacb,i has boldly j annoancedi-thaft it isjto./avor of mauitain-i ing the integiityiofu the (Empire. - It is! not' easy,) howeVifep,' ; ili; <rf a sudden, .to re- j verie the midts’pf%ikit ; ljbliey. isj clear th‘t£t j itg communications with Dpwnirigjpbreet ' wduld M | , colonies -being federated. All J.ntptpbloriial aifficulties'.will then not | Imperial. r ,PP| which' collision might be possible bet ween i the Australians-and; the,BritishJlxeoutive would be diminisheiin’ nnmber,.while. all -qiiesiiohsi relating-to . defence wimld lbe Alllthi«e ; things!are asicWatin^he^lo'niedWthey »%e in -thepnpther cduriiryit i: b9t "irhat'xs'more' clear ;in ! 'the colonies than it is in the mot}ier : cbuntry is the amount” that has been’ afloireiFto gri»Br Up aiid get a footing. The afhas cpnxpjele}y-Bp-paratoGoveTOmehlis asif they were separate nationalities ;-theycannotcoerceieach other and they cannot now: be coerced ah extra." To a-certain extent there was an*attempt; to keep Australia an undivided territory,, for the’iiwhole, of the, settled parts of the continent,’"'and Tasmania as welly were, gdyorhed ■ from and recognised only '"as dependenoies bf New South Wales. Had the: provincial policy which has built up NewrZealand been adoptedrinrAustralia-, 'the' federation agitaitiqn would b*ive ‘taken the fopm thO demand for Ihe abolition df provincialism has. taken, in, this colony. -The weight of; a united, public . opinion would have' been sufficient, to have overborne purely provincial interests and jealousies, .though it may not be powerful enough to withstand : the .Aifficnlties colonial sentiment,and interests set up as a barrier to federafiom The early mistake madeinAustralia -was—an-.attempt—to ■govern from' * I dentre before tlie colony was ripe - for- 'such 'ah ‘administration. The distant:settlement6Compl«ined Of-an unfair use df!tßvehufe, ’pha c fdlt'theffiselvdß powerldSs fc< ni 1 ; the" CounciT beiauae; bf thd distance repreiieh’tatives ’ had*'to 1 traVef; and the and easy means of communication between different ports. ; ;-As ; to thh.(Msi^on,r.l^e^3Zeqlkhd:o.cpupies in reference to , the proppsed fedarar tion little need be written. Distance aloq«.xw(n#li;h*T;«\ against '.our_i6ining_ svich a federation. case whonhe said i far as Ndw Zea-land-is conoerned T-am-bf-opiniqil-tliat-it Will'not'be'tO'theiriterastqfNb# Zealand tp i6ih ; inf;-Shcffi federatiort;’.- - Wd’Wfc more distant iivNewEealandAliandtheycirilwed douhtrifes fl6m"anyfother'fedufrtft^ < i N&Vir Zealand’hatibfteh'biied feUWd th^'Britaiii of Hie South.', But two hours,from the: epast. ,of, Trance,'' and four dayef will take 1 you’- id 1 the most distant part' of the Continent -of’ Europd. But four days will Scarcely takd ydu : from New Zealand to the' nearest , point - of Australia; ” J Roebuck, in' his'' Tvork pa whioh lias'** special reference to .the 'A.nstKalfan colPniee and New Zearahd|; writes in. a somewliat- similar' strain; trdatihg the New f Zdaland little !pr no; affinity, in dirbumstancoßta the ■ ''}■ 'i A peculiar constitutional question has arisen in the adjoining - colony., of' Tasmania.: Some fear, weeks ago it appealed Ahat owing, to ; the faulty wording of an amending. Jury Act of last scssien, the whole of the jury law ' was swept away, and that in reality no machinery for the trial of criminals remained in opera-

tion;' Under the circumstances the Execiilive decided to i advise" the Governor to call pqj-lia-ment together to pass anew olswaation-'was' issued, aid -the .Parharnent duly assembled. But then v arose the constitutional question. It seems that in a very Stormy session’! last yeary-in-which the • Upper House, rightly or _ wrongly, effectually thwarted continually the) acjipn ■ I 6P the Government, the Colonial Treasurer made a 'speech' which that august bddy deemed highly insulting to itself,tandr. thereupon, by way ofi ■vindicating—its--dignity^-adjourned for three, months (till 17th lebruary next). * There was no: alternative from a prorogation, and the Parlia-, ment was therefore-prorogued till 9th Febru-; ary. On the House meeting on 18th inst.,, the Opposition, lawyers took-the,objection that under the Constitution’ Act of-‘the colony the! Governor,.aftey,. jssuing. thei proclamation of the: 20th NoVemhef'proroguing Parliament till the; 9th Februar,y, had no furtber power till afier the: 9th February to'eallParliamenttogether. Under 1 the 4th section of that Act the Governor could fix .such time for holding the Parliament, and; alter'l’tho same’ in such manner’as he thought; fit j but it was urged tbeie was nothing in it: : affecting prorogation; -No pbwer'w’as given to; revoke a proclamation,.and thus the j-roclama-;,tlpn<jo?iling. jPais,ai)>ent .together for the 18th} ;bf’January '“.next" ’was stillin .exjstence. Itj ’'was alleged such a power did' not extend toj her Majesty the Queen until a special Act, was passed enabling-her-to call Parliament to-| pother which; time, however, was reduced previous to, 18701 to six days by Mr. Gladstone." It did not ap-j pear, that,the Government; of ,the ; , colony had; any such power. In' reply tP" Opposition| ,Bpeakew, .the ) Attorney-General, relied upon} the Constitution’ Adt, viz., 18tn Victoria, 1 No.| :T7, blaiise ’4/ r which' ran thus The Governor shall fix such times and places for holding;the first and every other session of the Parliament of the, said cokmy. and vary and ‘alter,"the same respectively in such manner as he may} think fit, giving sufficient notice thereof ; and, also from time to time, prorogue the said Par-i liament, and dissolve the said House, of Assem-} bly by proclamation or' - otherwise whenever he| shall deem it expedient, provided always thatj nothing herein contained shall be. construed to, empower - the Government to dissolve the: Legislative Council.”'' A motion - was tabled) to. refer matter to the Supreme Couit for settlement, but tlie debate was hot finished! when the Albion, which brings the latest files,) left Hobarton.