SIR CHARLES CLIFFORD ON NEW ZEALAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 220, 18 September 1888, Page 4

SIR CHARLES CLIFFORD ON NEW ZEALAND.

Sir Charles Clifford, we are told by ;; our special' London correspondent, at a the annual meeting of the #ew Zealand f Trust and Loan Corapatiyi announced "j his firm belief in the future of ibis

colony, and he also stated that in his opinion the depression npvy prevailing- ? had been brought about nbainly by the *■ speculation and mismanagement of in- i diyiduals, and by English newspapers misapprehending the position.;.'■ We are .? at one with Sir -'Charles in anticipating a glorious future for New Zealand, ■; but ( fail--to seethe drift of his argument as to c the cause of the depression. Sir Chas. B Clifford looks at this colony from an ' absentee point of view. He is the \ owner of much land and many fldcks'of ;. sheep, and he is also a shareholder and '* director in some of those large corporations which are so well conducted ; financially, that notwithstand- t ing how long and how great the < depression, - they invariably in aaage | to secure the usual dividend, and \ carry oh annually a goodly;; and even ,-] increasing amount of profit. Its is therefore only natural that ! he should take a philosophical, rather ] than a critical, view of the position. ( He and others similarly situated have -i not seen with their own eyes, as we ■ haye seen, the flower of our population ( leaving the shores of this country with t the great future for other countries ' where the present prosperity is' apparA , ent.. He and others like him have not ] yet seriously felt the weight of the heavy . debt that ; hangs like a millstoneround < the necks of the resident colonists, The J property-tax does not inctfmmode him I or them, and customs duties they are i free of; their sheepreturn them annually ! their usual complement of wool, the •! market value of which is not afiectedyby j depression or hard times in New. Zea- \ land, and the dividends they receive . from their monetary speculations in the ] colonyseldom vary. i Sir Charles Clifford, therefore, after ■ casting] about to discover what is the :\ meaning Of all this putcry about depres- '.. sion oiit here, has at last arrived at the; > conclusion that it is mainly caused by the' speculation and mismanage- ] ! ment of individuals. : By i- the way, < at a previous meeting of a > similar : character twelve months ago, Sir ! Charles ; Clifford attributed the; de- ; ! pression, to quite another cause.; olie '■'. | then put it down to the high y rate of -. wages. "When wages ; come down;" y he said, "to the proper level, New Zealand will forge ahead,' but not before." ' But what we would like to know now is, how it is possible for thte speculations, bad or good, of private individuals, to affect a cpuntry either beneficially or adversely ? The speculation!.'. of private individuals may/ if they end disastrously, ■ ruin many innocent individuals j but the prosperity ot a country is not dependent upon the success of gambling - speculators, t whether they ■be •■ few or many, but upon the laws by which its citizens arei governed. We say, without fear of contradiction, that it it bad legislation which has .brought this country ■to its present pass, and only good legislation can put things on a proper footing. It is a,very curious fact that our people and our. legislators, instead.,bf trusting to their own efforts to make this country what it ought to be, are, Micawber-like,. continually waiting for something to turn up. The goldfields were a god send, and so were the borrowed millions, and even so recently as the opening of the last Parliament Ministers made the Go''yernpr,'in bis"intrdductbiy^speech, allude; to the good"tinies that were coming when the machinery shall be perfected which will turn ;_ fabulous; ■. amounts put of the hitherto refractory ores. But New Zealand ha_ ample 'undeveloped wealth in her virgin soil, iwhich r if occupied and tilledy would make her, great and prosperous, and altogether independent of borrowed millions or of mining .'booms. ' ; .. Sir GhaTles Clifford showed by statistics that there was no scarcity of money in New Zealand. From his point of view there is not. Statistics show that the wealth of this country is very great; its exports now considerably exceed its imports, the yield of grain is annually larger, tlie number of sheep does notfall off, and the big monetary institutions pay good dividends ;. but still, notwithstanding all this, there is a.great scarcity of, money, and the spending power of the people is reduced to a minimum. - " . . .This can be easily; accounted; for on the spot, as it is on the,;spot'the people actually feel, the' pinch. When We take into: consideration the enormous sum '.-'■: that has to, be provided by the' colonists . each for-in-terest on- public .and ;private: loans, .hree-fpurths of: which; in i all probability^ is by .the .foreign creditor, and then- when /we further take into consideration the paucity of the; adult population of this colony upon whose shoulders this burden falls, it is no wonder that the local-spending power is brought so; low as"to'yproduce serious depression in ail classes of business. , As is well known, a very large pejcentage of the wealth of this colony is owned by absentees, and as the incidence of our national taxation is so arranged as to smother the resident colonist and allow the absentee to escape very lightly, the ■ marvel is not that there-should be -depression, but that the colony should be > able to still -stand, lip and: progress as; it is -doing under its heavy responsibilities. If Sir Charles Clifford will look ;a little deeper; into the- question, he will possibly find thefydepressiph^ is not due to.'" mismanaged - ; of y individuals, but tp unfairjtaxation _in the preseh.tand the illilieral and. stupid land : laws of the past.

- ~-..■.' .' _ '.. ■- -, -, ' ■ ■ ■ - Captain Edwin wires :at 12:30 p.m. = ."Glass rising soon, and strdngsoutherly . winds." ':;. _ Our Hamilton correspondent writes:—"A; change of weather has set in, and; the^ hue summer atmosphere lately experienced t has. left ub and cold winds are blowing. . irosts too have been: frequent of lata, and have touched.up some early potatoes, bat ha vo otherwise done littlo dam»fiO.' J

A meeting of 'f con-iderine qSE/6r?!^ ?fi'\£^^l -wv&S(a a>aip»te auha Victoria M^S_. »eet»g.» LioutoSanuL^^ in amendments«.«Tha? w • ulu 'a*! Ins meeting that th? lb U^W» Victorian Riae^sociatL^^S -o Uio.neet.ng, and Lie ?.£?*«« Jtder.to decide «ho houlrl °f Strict. thoofeta^Wj^Sl .ob to exceed 500 j^S*! >f tbe meeting we » »: ,-Tll6tfcl gj*^;.4S C^H| jhe funds, S* the pro^l* J 4 tetter *ras received from :am w«ap^ n • he| subscription and coa^QH ' be .Pl^^ the shefof £fl Hazard, who has beer eml^-l :eive moneys in connection S?.*! posaL-.;;.The. suit. .b_.£K I *$-*_1 tho meeting was over andSS?fl there should be three coaMtiftT. fl l e cl de a 8 to tepresentativeWtSl ared on Saturday-- next"uW i™_ ■ ,illbe2o o ,3oo;Va;d hSbl shots at each range ; - the _PTf!.ii*H :.f the following week, ?h e ?i*l*l befiredat3ds,"4oo;J?sßß|}H bhe lust te be held on Saturd»rTM when the ranges will b.3Wa_-'SI with ten shots at each range. (C2H to provide their ownammuniaonSM md to be allowed one sightugrt^jJß The_l_y. A. J. Smith'deliverdikl last evemngin the -Pitt^EM Schoolroom on .«' An EvenineSll tlough," tho chair being oce.S_B Rev. E. Best. The proSES with prayer, , after:'.which WAiS ruado a few appropriate 'i-au^fl rev. lecturer commenced by !&£■ the value of good exam pie,: difdwM an eloquent descriptiony.{,'jjfeJH character, up to.the. period of jl^^H his mother,'after which',!ie§^^B and sank -flown,'untU-.Vhß"ifflß|M delirium tremens, and more t_u°[tiß tempted to commit suicide. Hj jwfl based life for _even years,-'u_HlQ_^H while tipsy, a gentleman iod-ajjfl a. tend a temperanco mcettDg^t^H pledge. This was the tunu_gp«H after a desperate . strujrgl^ £■ fl through his bonds. -:.Mr .'Sb_£'.i^B voted some time, to -pe_j_ing of_&^H work done by the illastrions'tal_.H orator. During .tho evening i_M rendered various musical.eljciii^B tho conclusion a hearty, vote otlß-^B accorded tliose who bad rendered___fl A collection was niado in _ad'o.thefi^H the Newton Branch of tb»_Gct>L'TjH The new number of ytte Tii-^B glancing through/i _)-;j^-jre juitfl struck with its variety «od'ger.enl'.H leuce. The Melboiu^;.£_i_)itio_H The ■' popular' Ki_&lif.: jji^Jliifl Sports of Austi&l-ftvii-WjH issue; Football Wpißfl trations inclade«ffl^feMfeyijiW page reprcscntatiipa:^i^f{-|glitß| played in Au.tra_s:^e4!jifo,|ff W. A Bird's-eye View of Brsue .^Bas a coloured piippieiep^Mj™ idea of tho stridesthe;ej,yhyPy-'Mt thought itVas>reaßo'n^rji||^^R ness that the drink, tbe ffiffJ» curses, had been kept out ofgSM Having pointed outdo* ;«£■ fits all classes, the,^|*» eluded- by bating.tbUlfc^» published in the Starr«|gM( hie ■to prove' thejlobgewXlOTßl, drink oler'those'who.^Agft able address, in vhic h^MK thought the tcmHc"raßC^SM t gratulatc themselves u^.e«Pg» their cause *a jf^SCM other countries. H^?*'d__E this .question, wasoccup>ng|^| of nearly all our those in the Chute jf^l, Auckland was indeed for;^« U secured such Wellington. Mr Ju.» J••.>'-. fefc wllicl , %**»&SSm He referred tc t^.^E^iW thing "that could P*.^'-5H} with an address, ! njJ£,fiJ!» people of Kiogd"^^>fel»t Lnply keeping t!g^ ;j| m but to go ?sjr£imsmL He I»^ h MW'»g» ftem this tembfr-fog-flgM from Mr C^^JJj« them to '"/ U,wJ? 0 SwtW,":Wjß. " looking *rf aS« ology brought the P»«|m Mr'tfaS^ been tnet-e fallj **^$m£ disbourced 'J^^mgmbi i which wMb^Bj,,,^^

:'-'^oo*ZO!^-^:... .• ■ j. ieres t in this msm B/ P irlv' promise of fur- #^ h L' *orth - a '"/ion of ■*« words 'i< -?i' 'T'° S"popular ballad *fihf* at,leS£hK» from. the ,-,gJ tbflt , are Bng^.,. This is "* WitfimZ^- ■ . Mhiibif Richardson, £^S Bast Coast settlers. tt^-, iikftwise given of the f^^jS the ■»S**; -SStog several interes*. i ~red spire, anak ~» tbe -building of ?Slf*: an(l effl" Our volunteers ?_unl6Bse«: Wnrk " and lovers It? ,'^ buI Q a fl D^ h nterest several fit &!*£££ especial benefit. ,»PrS"£fSrV.«~-inoet <fflre; S&^Meily every department B^ffi'Sein"-represented in.one 51. hoiisebold hem x kl bud . 4^f end." R'B now issued, feller. ' thfl . ral »■BS>' lbe _L nnmber of vagrant curs fe ~aVfi SialoftheCityCouncil i^faS?rardk^taken up the good #$?« than 1,079 dog* have been ■** **> t 1887,488: dogs were caught ■Jr^-iifwere drowned?the rest being W llßT^ sold In 1888. up to. I ft 6i 609 dogs were caught, of fe&Sd^d'and 30£ I either BlSi'ov.re S coedbyold_ones.0edbyold_ones. *„f the marvellous are promised a I 3 evening, when the cele<£o Canaris, is to make „s audience at Abbot, s mJ? The conjurer has been fe'SS e'reatsaccess in Sydney.and l' _ r ft me ago concluded a tnum- £; B A— He.istoamve fcSSto-fflorrowmorning by the s.s. Ww^m be accompanied by '* „i,w_t_rv benefit was tendered to * ■ !i occasion ol his departure Tsr aThe vouritedrama'-Collcen. SCpUced, but failed to draw iiSii&ttendance,' the -house being A Z til or £8. The drama was perIftflS and the only matter for SSJ poor-attendance Mr AlexX 5 the parfc of, 'Myles-na-Coppaleen S mA renresentation of tha i ier: The Bily O'Connor of Miss Violet S^BS. gracefuland.simple port™t, rf^e "Colleen." Thisyouuglady, m P«P« of Miss Georgie Smithson Lapiomise;o! being an able actress; all Lib _int3idc-.ro and study. The 4,-paifg'wre taken ,by local prolesiOMmtean, allot whom did their leftpinke tb performance a success. ' •V]iiMcr-loTr.ther"epresentatiye of Messrs teo'J«ai:<iCo., provision agents, LoniißriH arrived in Auckland on Sunday illSther earlier than was anticipated, fo"! irk-all yesterday engaged in ■_i^'_atter3. o To-day he has been lie-fed by Mr Spragg, manager of the felaodyDairy, Association, and also ii Reynolds,1 the Well-known Wai■dairvrnan, He. was not shown , In of butter by either of these awn, bat .from- tlieir -descrip- , ol their dairying plant .and appoint- | flMrMeadoivs concludes that they are , jrk..tt;ine-sin (ho export line, and sol Udo it ne]/. lie called at ; s&_i«!_ui_imejiD of Messrs Ambury Al'.^_-,:k. >-as shown samples of !i.er*!iit.]B-/oniid to be of excellent nitty.■• lis bat was quite equal to jM m A London, and if New li-dkilef'och as this can be landed _ f 1 nW4;Bj«J-condition it will secure or ligh ,j_ife) and compete success! ully , ii *_eDini'4 or Dutch dairies. Mr ,j Mm temdera that, tlie New Zen- . fed ri__.!.'b splendidly adapted for , ratypor.it.! no country is better suited is Mm in tact, and an extensive and v 'V-to trade misht easily be established. if. .pJleadows will bo in Auckland . ick fa:revwalday8 l and will be glad to see any'f «?WestedinVthe question of dairying, i-'i jttogi?. information regarding the trade » |iiafeK.fiyyy''-- ■ yy, f. S jt rloWellington "Post" feels sore over \ d I,^'word for the colunv as , 1 RjMta.Transattfo'ife.-of tho New j I M H tate anr! iuofced by "8 the , 1 *[%■ This -bo-.ved that of all the it .« faf?rfe(ifrom 1801 to 1887, Welti) Kir ?,rf B thaa onc-bali' a3 its fih»rc- » Ufl that this number is ' i* !f" l f2 r^el,in Sto". a»d BtultiHea its : j^b7*M>g.: r «Aßtotheinßtru. i* acil^ um '' wearc SOTry to.-ay d 0 «■<* m of tho class which 'can't lie. or. S Di» m'-ans t? he depended on for fa Si-fr^-^^eeLves felt very I* S VlMa,o^q«ite- close to the b» vt r -,r U! V lich the Beismo•tt y>! atcly dcdai'ed there eh 5 Wfti no earthquake at all. ride J- ™ only recorded 74 shocks v «;„f^ }' Cftrß> instances of its i Hi.^,SH?. tyyh,a^e:,oecurred very S f°r We aro q«ite certoin there ' :ial ».u„- V-.7- mu,-h lf,r '-,el, number of »* S "VlthmJ l,at Period- The re■:tr t'fe-S°^ r "3 reeards Welling- « |4; ola Place in a presumably scientific lri° !V> ■■ -1 ■ e«" >«C 25 ;. ha- vo Ju" st Co»Pleted ,J i-M^P1-^ ln re9P°nee to an •' l£ii m. TaJ,ran^- Tho vehicle I If fordone up » lirs^lass "An,A»cir--a Ste L i P^ erß ure about to visit ETV I.'- o°e of 1 the team d Hs&fel^' f!"a"«"of-a-.nile vott ,;, m "c under four minutes " *} P^Siti? 6 A»^«*y W 1! Hall i"?*« VIS wen "ig >n tho ttc -.W "? Vanity," should be in-S.-V",: : " '",:. / ,J a. UK\ n«tdancewi!l cl* || !otr^ (Wednesday) evening. SfS St E/ elf fc 80«al^as held ii S>'B.sonn" _^ n.lnp v"3 3G^" 3 Ip^Sn?^l Up tiU a,i *^i^K^^^2*3<SJ_™^*lc wffi^riDßtS 0 crj.«rcKatio,,, and 8'»S ufc£_ J);UT,r o,i acc°«^ r^_k^'eaßb_TO K«Ut-ftdN In .«A*?. -Z rin^/ t ror» WasUiur and