LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1177, 12 July 1911, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

AN OCTOPUS GOVERNMENT. Sir,—You complain in your issue of t'o* day (quite rightly) of tho misleading report of the I'ress Association, re the htrong resolution carried at the conclu-. i-ion of Mr. Mawcy's late meeting, lJut that is nothing to what is being carried on. There is such an army of men mid women now in Government employ that nothing is reported correctly by the press except what snits these people. We cannot hold an agricultural meeting anywhere now without seme officer of ' the Agricultural Department being there ■ to watch that nothing is being said against (he Government. And if it should be, to fee that the press doesn't report it. 1 was nt such a meeting lately, and was astounded at the way tho particular officer nf tho Department managed to get what he Said altered. The, Hon. Mr. Mackenzie nt llawera said "that it was deplorable Komo one or two agriculturists in the south had given utteranco to the opinion that the Agricultural Department, should be dispensed with as a State institution, and tho farmers do as the Danish farmers, viz.—co-operate in all things and have their own testing and other inspectors and experimental farms." Mr, Mackenzie was horritiod at such an admirable utterKiice, and begged the Hawcra farmers "to rally round the Government" in bavins inspectors (I might add spies) everywhere stamping out liberty and free opinion in l.ho Dominion. Ho was like another oi the dreadful men wo have.now as Ministers, who begged tho people to return, "borrowing members" to enable the. Government to pursue its vicious policy of ''borrow and spend, borrow and spend." Mr. Mackenzie should ■ live in Siberia, whero all manly self-dependence is crushed out. That is what the Government requires—an absolute cringing to their auto-: cm tic sway, and no spirit of self-help in the people left.

But this'is not all, by any means, to where the tentacles of this octopus-like Government extend. ]jook at any of the other Departments—tho Railways, Telephones, Public Trust, or anywhere you like. Political appointments—political appointments everywhere. I say that tlw people of New Zealand must loso .contidenuo in tho Public Trust Office dirwtlj upon this account, I further say thai the army of 130,000 men,- women, and children depending now for their living upon Government pay is a- disgrace to our true spirit, of freedom aud manly independence. And I further say that this army has had a good innings, and time it is (if we arc to continue the disgraceful policy of utter snhsarvicucv) for the people, who have had none of the Government money to get their turn. Wo must have a change a> those who are in the Government service are becoming more and. more subservient toasot of Ministers, the majority of whom I would not caro to bo on terms of inljinacv with.

So shameful luis the state of matters become that we are all now indignant at iho Judges, Stipendiary M.igislrates, and J.P.'s being brought under the octopus, and the Legislative Council too. A strong feeler is round that Clumber, aud I, for one, advise tho people of New Zealand to light manfully at the. next election to rat those tentacles away, and make a bold, bid for freedom again. I say that if Mr. Massey goes in ho should impeach the Wards, Mackenzies, Carrolls, and others for the ovils they have brought upon us; for their political corruption, waste, and extravagance in so heaping up debt and taxation. .When , tbo Colonial Bank books were burned, tho last vestige of freedom in N"c\v Zealand went by tho board. I wishf.d to refer to an account I had in . tho Colonial. Bank recently, but tho bookn had been burnt. Sir Robert Stout was iiot the Judge who gave the order to burn them.

Your complaint, therefore, that the Press Association is one with the Government is but a mild view of tbe position. There are ten thousand of thess tentacles, and they pcrnioalo every branch of our■ public life. And this must bo so so long ' ns we give any set of Ministers power to /■■ plunge us million by million into debt. < This is where Mr.■ Massey fails in not,' opposing absolutely tho hideous policy ofi borrow, waste, and extravagance. Surely our future public works can l>3 done by i private enterprise. If Mr. Jlassoy bor- : rows another sixpence ho makes himself > directly responsible for the .£81,000,000 of < public dubt, a& his duty is to slop the ■ borrowing altogether and pay off the debt. [ It is beyond nil reason for him now to., say that he believes in "moderate borrowing," yet disbelieves in whal the Govern- i ment has been doing. He is not sound < as a. leader therein, as lie has voted fop ( some of the very loans ho now disbelieves in. Let hiiu say at once "that he will ' borrow no more," and the country will then know to whom it has to rely upon, ] as we believe in his honesty of purpose. That is what ho mast say as the future ■. leader of New Zealand. If he dees not. | say so he will not get tho full publio support he asks for. No matter what our i position may bo; no matter how far we ' are unablo to meet the interest upon ourv enormous debt, what I contend iV that it is better for us a hundred ways , to meet the evil now whilst times are prosperous than have to do so wheu tintea :, aro bad. New Zealand must free itself from the.'e terrible Government tentacles, ' stretching themselves everywhere, owing to the mistaken borrowing policy which John Hallance.eondomned. 1 call upon Jlr. Masi-ey when ho becomes Premier 'not only to m.ilip ;i searching 'inquiry into the Hiiie charges, tho MacDoua.ld case, nnd the Rarotongan nutter, but also why the Colonial Bank books were burned. I call upon him to empty tho Government, pigeon-holes for (ho past twenty years and tell New Zealand what has really 1)2011 done; how our loans have been floated, and who has received the commissions. We want no new policy from him, but a strict investigation of the past , Government methods. Tho wheels of time grind slowly, but. they grind extremely small. J think Mr. Mas-fpy. will restore our Parliamentary, liberties, lest now in every direction; but what I ask is'.that tho wrong-doers—the men who have'betrayed" the people—shall be brought to the' Bar of public, opinion, and shown to be what they are. I. am not revengeful, and I do net seek their punishment unless the people wish it. .All I nsk i,s that the crimes nijainst ■ pure. froo institutions shall be sheeted home upon tho heads of those who have, betrayed us, and they nt least shall be dismissed tte public" scr-vice.-lam.etc.,. " July 8, 1911. ~■,,'" ...