The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-05-06

lsNlt h.fA = 80 ~ 10 A'tihN = 50 u.s.
,p' lena a, Victoria, at least eap
>}oo il 70 ways and wat,rwotk> the .
iuiI value OF Aet Indebtedness. Her
i'm urs, however, exc, ed her Xports
by 1000, 600. But, rs Mr.. Parkin
states: "lhoughLiul Australians re-
co4ulHy that they have Immediately
before them IlmtJ which cannot
safely be passed, where the courage
of their statesmen and the mOdera-
ton of the people will be put to a
severe test.
The same causes which have been
mentioned, led to the demand for u
Protective Tariff, in order to create
and sustain manufactures, which
would furnish employment, and keep
up the wages Of the artisan class.
This policy has carried the day in
every colony except New South
Wales. Gu the other hand, the delu-
sion of cheap money finds no adj
herents in Australia, which is gold
country. Nor did Henry George
meet with much success there. The
Gland hunger" of the artisans, who
had become freeholders, was too
much for him.
From want of time, omit my re-
marks on the distinctive Characters
tics of the several colonies. The
Youngest of them, West Australia,
separated from the rest by thou
sand miles of desert, became free
and self-governing only last January.
Of New Zealand, l must say that
it is no wonder that her people are as
yet unwilling TO enter the Fedora
ton. Separated from Australia by
1850 miles of cold stormy ocean, 1t
is a perfect contrast TO 1t in many
respects. With cool moist climate
like that of England without its fogs,
with the lowest death rate in the
world, with territory equal to that
of Great Britain and Ireland, capable
of supporting twenty millions of
civilized people, with perhaps the
most beautiful scenery that the sun
shines on, with her fertile soil, her
noble forests, and mineral wealth,
why should she become u depend
ency of Australia? The only FEEDER
alton that her people care to enter is
an Imperial Federation, provided that
she can obtain from Australia the
boon of Commercial Reciprocity and
a combined policy in the Pacific
Ocean.
On the other hand the six Austria
lan Colonies have behaved very much
as if they had been founded by dis
tinct races, speaking different Ian
guages. They have maintained GUS
tom houses and guards along arti-
fetal frontiers, to keep out each
others products and manufactures,
unless duties were paid on them.
Strange to see the children of Chart
lists advocating Corn Laws at the
aDtipodes!
Each colony has its own postal
regulations and its own postal
stamps. The attempts made to
bring about postal union have been
so far unsuccessful. The gauges Of
the railways are different, so that
there is break at every frontier,
where the travellers luggage is liable
to be examined. f. q. Queensland
has the narrow gauge of SIT Gin.
while New South Wales has the Eng
lsh gauge of Aft. sim, and Victo-
ria the Irish gauge OF oft. Bin. These
are all Government railways. Again,
| New South Wales disputes the right
of Victoria to take water out of the
river Murray, (Which forms their
boundary, for irrigation purposes.
1t is time that these miserable quar-
rels were ended, which remind one
of the Scotchman's prayer: ''Lord,
bless this house and a that's in this
house, and a. within twa miles lka
side O. this house. O bless the coo
and the meal and the kail-yard and
the muckle toon o. Dumbarton.
The subject of Australian Fedora
ton has been frequently proposed,
but the different colonial tariffs have
always stood in the way of any salts
factory arrangement. III 1884, sew
eral causes, such as the common OPP
position of the colonies 10 the French
penal settlement on New Caledonia,
the agitation for the annexation of
New Guinea, and the visit of Gen.
Edwards to concert plans for their
combined defence, all tended to
draw them together. Accordingly
an intercolonial convention was held
at Sydney, which prepared the draft
of bill to constitute a Federal
Council At the request of the
colonial legislatures, an Imperial Act
was passed, creating an Austraasian
Federal Council, with very limited
powers of legislation, no powers of
taxation, no revenue, and no execu-
tive. New South Wales and New
Zealand have never joined this weak
and nondescnpt institution, which,
it was hoped, might be the germ of
true federation.
In 1889, New South Wales made
overtures to lbe other colonies, point
ing in the direction of a Federal
Parliament and Executive of the
Canadian type. The proposal was
taken up, and two delegates were
sent from each colony to a Fedora.
ton Conference, which met at Mel.
bourne in February, 1890 A grand
banquet was given in the magnificent