The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1890.

Evening Star, Issue 8364, 15 November 1890, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1890.

It speaks volumes for the good sense of the electors of the Wakatipu Ministerial «jat , th ® ir appreciation of Policy. the late member is so manifest that the Opposition dare not put a candidate forward to contest the seat with him. How dearly they would like to oust the Hon. Mr Fergus is well known, for he is a power in the House and a veritable terror to evil-doers of the obstructionist stamp. It is specially characteristic of the honorable gentleman to cordially hate shams and pretences of every kind, and he does not attempt to conceal his contempt of the brummagem patriots and political mugwumps who have found their way into Parliament of late years. Every exertion, we are aware, has been made to induce some man who might have the ghost of a chance to try a throw with the Minister of Works, but no one can be got exactly to see it; labor in vain, and considerable trouble and expense being about all that could reasonably be looked forward to. Mr Fergus, there is very little doubt, will be among the few candidates at the ensuing election who will have a walk-over ; and, in our opinion, he fnlly merits this manifestation of confidence on the part of the constituency. He has fairly won his spurs, and entirely disappointed the anticipations of those who were inclined to cavil at Ms assumption of parliamentary responsibilities, believing that he would be entirely out of bis depth in office. Throughout the Lake district there is now bnt one opinion—that he has been the right man in the right place, and the residents feel a just pride in having been represented by him. “ Nothing succeeds,” it may be, “ like success " ; but the success in this instance has been real, and certainly well merited. Speaking so soon after the publication of the Ministerial manifesto, Mr Fergus had necessarily very little to say in his address

on Tuesday evening at Queenstown which was In any respect novel. He had, in fact, to traverse beaten ground, following in the footsteps of the Premier. . .Holding, as he does, the portfolio of Public Works, and thus having had lils attention, in a manner, specially directed to the raising and expenditure of the loans and the operation ol the Immigration and Public Works policy generally, the hon. gentleman took Occasion to enter very fully into the Subject, which ft one far from being generally .understood, and afforded the opportunity of explaining the intention of the government on the important question of providing ways and means to meet expenditure which has hitherto been charged against loan. We would commend to very careful consideration the tables prepared by Mr Fergus in illustration of his statements, which contain exhaustive statistics in connection with immigration and public works undertakings “indicating “ progress due, inter alia, to the construc- “ tion of railways, roads, goldfields works, “ telegraphs, school buildings, immigration, “ and purchase of Native lands.” There is also an interesting and instructive return of lands selected during the tenure of office of successive Ministries from July, 1878, to the 20th of September last, which shows clearly that under the GheV and Stout-Vogel Administrations there was “ much cry and little woolln respect to bona fide settlement-; whilst under the Hall, Whitaker, and Atkinson' regimes —particularly the latter—the area sold for cash has borne but small proportion to the lands disposed of on settlement conditions. Under the present Ministry—t.e., from October 8, 1887, to September 30, 1890 the aggregate area selected was 1,414,103 acres, and of this only 201,127 acres were sold on immediate cash purchase, the average of the holdings thus sold being 123 acres. These facts speak for themselves and sufficiently refute the audacious misstatements of Opposition candidates as to the laud administration of the Government being directed to the furtherance of the acquisition of large freehold estates. Mr Fergus explained very clearly that whilst only about £14,000,000 of the money borrowed under the great schcftie initiated by Sir Julius Vogel has been expended on railway construction, the colony has had good value for a great deal of the balance of the loan expenditure, although he admits there have been extravagance and Waste. On roads and bridges, for instance, works absolutely necessary, if the country is to be settled, nearly £4,000,000 has been spent, which could never be expected to yield direct returns. Immigration has involved an expenditure of over £2,000,000 ; public buildings, exclusive of schools, nearly £4,000,000 ; School buildings, about £1,000,000 ; purchase of Native lands, £1,125,000. Mr Fergus evidently regards the idea of selling the railways as economically preposterous, as well as entirely opposed to the interests of the community. He points out that the running lines arc now paying 3 per cent, on the Coat of construction, and “ every year, as population be- “ comes more doefic, and as more country is ‘ ‘ taken nn and fresh settlers are located on onr “ waste limds, these railways will contribute “ more and more to the revenue.” The first purpose, he properly declares, of the railways is to aid in the colonisation of the country, and cheapen the cost of production by reasonable freight rates. It would be a mad freak to sell the railways—a veritable killing of the goose with the golden eggs. The Government being distinctly opposed to the raising of further loans, the main question with which they have immediately to deal, the honorable gentleman affirms, is how to find the means to maintain certain classes of expenditure, which the revenue would not be able to bear unless augmented by additional taxation. The Government, he says, are “ resolved to pursue a policy of “internal development, aided alone by our “ own revenue and that which we may 1“ obtain from the people by way of taxation;” but whilst thus a number of recurrent charges hitherto met out of loan will be provided for out of revenue. It is plain that if the settlement of the Crown lands is to proceed, and the lands in the bands of the Natives to be opened up, it will be necessary to provide otherwise for the absolutely requisite expenditure. The proposal is—and we may note that this originated with Mr Fergus himself, who sketchedoutsuch aschemeearly in the present year in addressing his constituents—that “authority should be taken under existing “Acts to borrow money in the Colony on “ the security either of Native lands to be “ acquired or of land to be opened up for “ settlement, making the money to be “ borrowed a first charge on those lands, to “ be paid off in instalments extending over a “ period of years.” This, we take it, is likely to be the cardinal point of the policy with -which Ministers will meet the new House ; and we feel confident that there will bo no practical difficulty in giving it effect. There is a general conviction among the people that the efforts of the Government and the Legislature must especially be directed to the settlement and close occupation of the country. Other questions sink into insignificance compared with this one, on the successful solution of which the progress of the Colony and the prosperity of all classes depend. We have only been able to refer to one or two leading points in this very interesting address ; but we may note in conclusion how entirely silent Mr Fergus is as to his own parliamentary and administrative work, in which he has done notable service. The electors of Dunedin may reflect on this, and should realise the truth of the adage “ Empty barrels make the most noise !”