A Light of other Days.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17811, 10 July 1923, Page 6

A Light of other Days.

With mingled surprise and pleasure we received yesterday, and print to-day, a letter from Mr G. W. Russell. "We mentioned Mr G. W. Russell yesterday, in a casual way, and merely to illustrate a point we were making, as the author of an uncommonly silly denunciation of the Government's wickedness iu ruining the country. He chooses to suppose—what was notinour mind at all—that wo were issuing a "ehal- •' len.ge to him as a "ieg-puiier,'' and his letter is his reply. We prefer to continue to regard him only as an illustration of Liberal die-hardism, and as one, therefore, as little to be quarrelled with as is a quaint old historical document. His reference to tho settlement of land in Canterbury can be. disposed of in a short table, taken from tho Year-Books: Area X umber of Occupied Date. Holdings, macros. 10LI (at the end of 20 year:-; of Liberalism) ... J 1.576 6.587,-58" IG±l fat the end of 10 vears of Reform and'-Ruin") 13,359 8.114,144 If .Mr Russell will take tho trouble go into the subject he will find that land settlement is almost t-he issue upon which the Liberals can least profitably attack the Government. But our point is that tho Liberal die-hards shouted ''Ruin!" and that tho statistics, supporting the opinion that plain men base upon the plain facts, show that the shout is absurd. Their attempt to deceive the people failed—failed as completely as an earlier dodge which, since Mr Russell has risen up our. of the pa.sfc to speak, we must nob lose this opportunity of mentioning to him. It was in tho Phillipstown School, in those glorious days when tht Liberals were still in power, and Mr Russell was the speaker. He solemnly gave his audience his word that the Reform Party, if it got into power, would abolish the old-age pentiitjns. The public did not believe him then; it did not believe him when h'j was shouting "Ruin I" limes change, but the Liberal diehards' methods are always the same.