SHOULD WE FEDERATE?

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 137, 3 July 1901, Page 3

SHOULD WE FEDERATE?

FINDING OF THE NEW;ZEALAND i&ej „_ COMMISSION.? .*SsSi»-;-"a negative reply, i y '" PEK PBBSS ASSOCIATION". Wellington, July 2. Tie Federation Commission's report ' ; nds that tie f:derat ; on of New Zojtnd with Australia wcuM prejudicially ilFtcb the legislative indrpandence c-f fnw Z'alard. In regard to public finanro the revenue of New Zealand, if ftderat d, wru'd bi dim : ni-hnd by at kast £450,000. Ntw Z*land woull not benefit by the conversion of loans, and her public fimnces would bs seriously prejudicsd in the event of her federating, while her Stale Government would be hampered and embawsed in respec l ; of finance and in the prosecution of any policy for developing her resouics. In regu-d to "defence, the Commissioners are of opinion that, as a s par ate colony, Ntw Ze:>lind would ivnd.->r Austrelin all possible assistance iu war time, and s ; mi ! ar asu'stance would be given by Australia to New Z'-alnnd, The Commsssioners think the Commonwealth and New Zsaland should increase the annual subsidy to trm Imjeiial Governuieat in respec l ; <f tho Australian squadron, upon con ii ion that the number and class of warships on the station ba increased and 'improved. No advantage as regards mutual defence would arise from federatior. As far as postal aDd te'egraph matters are concerned, federation would mean a distincthss to NewZeilani. On the of coloured labour Commissionpra thought thatuuless i) was permitted iu tropical pars the Queensland sugar iodus'ay woull-suf-fer severely, if not die'out altogether. The Commissioners tbkk lha the stretch of 1200 miles of sea be',we;n Australia and New Zealand is a weighty argument against Ne>? Zealand jo'ning the Commonwealth and if she federated much inconvenience and embarrisment must be. exp rieoced in administration of the sever 1 Departments contiolltd by tho Federal Government. Even under freetrade New Zea'aud could lock io !.!■«. c 't 'es of the Commcjnnetlth for a laigo and p rmanent market. The ComrnisMOseis conc'ude that, apart fr m 1 ibour conditions, neither manuf icturers nor tbe working c'asses of Nsw Zealand (with fnw ixceptiors) hnve anything to fesr from freetrade being establi.-hed betwe n New Zealand and Australia. The maintenance of a New Z aland code of labour laws would be extremely difficult under federation, and reduced wages might result. The Commissioners are not hopeful of a wcipr-cal tariff being arrang»d. In cooclusion, they state that tbey have unanimously arrived at the conclusion that it is. not desirable that New Ze-dand should federate with the Austialan Commonwealth.