NEW ZEALAND AND FEDERATION. [LYTTLETON TIMES.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1794, 5 January 1884, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND AND FEDERATION. [LYTTLETON TIMES.]

The mouths of babes and sucklings occasionally give utterance, we are told, to things worth listening to, but, as a rule, it is wiser to trust to the observations of age and experience. The Melbourne Age, for example, when it speaks about the relations of Australia and New Zealand, is worthy of attention. This is especially the case when its remarks amount t) an honest confession of Australasian selfishness, and a warning to New Zealand of conbequent breakers ahead. The Age takes up its parable on Federation, and reads us a lesson thereon containing words of sensible advice. It so happens that its views exactly coincide with those expressed in this journal, in an issue published a few days before the the receipt here of the copy of the Age containing the remarks in question. They point out that the behaviour of Queensland and New South Wales on the Question of Annexation in the Pacific amounted, at the Sydney Conference, to a virtual shelving of New Zealand and her especial interests. We noted the same thing, atd pointed out that this was merely an earnest of the sort of treatment New Zealand must expect in any Australasian Federal Council. So long as Queensland and Sydney _ can secure the annexation of New Guinea, and the expulsion of Foreign Powers from Melanesia, they care not a jot what becomes of islands to the east of Fiji. New Zealand may secure Tonga and Samoa if she can, but it must be without their help. On the other hand, New Zealand must, of course, help them to secure New Guinea and Melanesia, and must bear its share in the cost of

managing these, to her, utterly valueless possessions. Mr Whitaker seems to have done his best for tins Colony, but , his arguments fell powerless before the solid selfishness of Sydney, Queensland, and the other Colonies, who, Victoria expected, declined to consider our particular wants as coming within the province oi an Australian Council. Thus it lias been, and thus, we venture to prophesy, will it always be when New Zealand interests clash, or even are more distinct and separate fiom those of the continental colonies. Those twelve hunched inilfs of sea which separate our isl.mdeis from other binds, disconnect also and cut off our interests from those of other colonists There can be no real community of interest between us and New South Wales and Queensland. Were the British Empire; to fall to pieces to-morrow, or weie England to cast off her Colonies, it is just barely possible that for thp sake of the appearance of external strength which unity gives, we might think it worth our while to federate. But as there seems no immediate prospect of the dissolution of the Empire upon which the sun never sets, and as public opinion in Great Biitain is setting more and more steadily and strongly each decade ;\,«ainst looaening the ties which bind England's daughter nations to their mother, it is at least an open question whether New Zealand cannot well afford to wait. At present the tie which binds us to Austialia, our common membeiship ot the British Empire, is strong enough to meet the "sentimental" call for union on the ground of race kindred. At the same time it is loose enough to allow either party to manage its own affairs exactly as it pleases. Some day there will be a Federal Congress of the British Einpiic in which we trust that both New Zealand and Australia will bo leprestnted. Until then would it not be as well to allow no supeuor ovpr us except Oueen Yictoii.i and her Government ?