"IF I WERE MINISTER OF FINANCE!"

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 263, 30 July 1908, Page 3

"IF I WERE MINISTER OF FINANCE!"

Sir, —I was present last night at tho political social held to do honour to a very worthy citizen, Mi. W. M'Loan. Tho Premier in his addrcsi mentioned that tho cost ■per head of our population would be three half-pence to entertain the officers and men on tho visit of tho American fleet. I interjected that this was three half-pence too much. The Premier's reply was a good one for tho occasion: |"If my friend who made that romark word Minister of Finance he would probably not hand out a single shilling for a railway, I .a road, or a bridge; but would want to keep it and look: at it." -Wo will know ono another better on closer acquaintance. • I I want to say vere I Minister of Finance I certainly should not fly so high as our Minister of Finance docs. I wish I could tako tho pcoplo through both Islands of the Dominion and show tliom tho thousands ujion thousands of acres of Splendid land lying waste. . No; roads, no bridges, thousands of acrcs closo to good seaports, all waste, representing thousands of' pounds. There it lies in scrub and fern, all in waste. Then ask them to look back over tho thousands of pounds ;wastcd in monuments, trips to England and; Australia, and to and fro oyor our own lands by our Minister for purely party political moves. ' . Thon, sir| tho pcoplo would understand what I mem when I say were I Minister of Finance In the position our Minister is in, my expenditure of public moneys in the cities would bo guided by steady remunerative progress in the country. So long as there is plenty of money availablo it is easy to build cities, but. to keep big citics going is quito another tiling;: Had I boon jMinister of Finance your Main Trunk Lino would liavo been finished long ago, and the straightening of tho Hutt and Petone lino not thought of. Dunedin would not have had hor grand railway station for another twenty years at least. ! . Wero |I Minister of Finance, who. had'iusf^

returned from visiting the backblocks, and had to l'aco tho question of new Parliamentary Buildings and other great questions that wero brought before me, I should bo firm and say, "For tho time being largo expenditure on public buildings in tho cities must stop, and all our finance must bo judiciously used in opening up and settling our farm lands; getting good farmers to settle on the land, and send in more produce. Wo must at any and all costs increase our exports. AVe have too great a population in the cities; too few settlors on the land. Our imports aro too heavy, our exports too low. Wo. must curtail city expenditure and got the people on tho land." This buying and selling of farms at fancy prices must be brought to au end. Wo must insist upon steady settlement on the land of the right sort of settler. Wo must stop this rush out of capitalists buying up land and forcing up values to such an extent that there is nothing left in farming for the farmer. I know what I would do were I Minister of Finance, but I am a working man, one who loves his country and his fello.w man; one who does not belong to the Liberal party, but who has been au honest Liberal all his life. Had I tho money that most of tho Liberals of this great party have I would be a darned sight more liberal than they know how to be.—l am, etc.,. JAMES TOOMATH. Wellington, July 22.