SOMETHING WRONG-A REMEDY.

Evening Star, Issue 8529, 30 May 1891, Page 1 (Supplement)

SOMETHING WRONG-A REMEDY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib,—Many people think there is something wrong with ouroensus returns. Some aay that we ought to have more population. Now, sir, as a matter of faot, we have far too many here. It is high time that our surplus population were quietly put out of the way, and I would suggest that Mr Fish (the working man's friend and the publioanß' friend) should bring in a Bill to exterminate the old people, lunatics, all in receipt of charitable aid, book fiends, and those who cannot find profitable employment. Many are qualifying themselves for Seacliff, Sunnyside, and other suoh institutions through worry. These should be despatched as quickly aa possible; get out some new and improved machinery, whioh will do the work of those in employment, and then there will soon be another batoh ready for extermination. It is high time the survival of the fittest had it all their own way, I read the other day of a lady in Amerioa inviting ten guests, who only had L 40,000,000 amongst them. Of course there is no necessity to exterminate those in possession of millions of money. Oh, no 1 Let them live on and enjoy it. It is theirs, no matter how they got it. Speedy extermination would be humane in comparison to what is going on now. Of course I could give another remedy, but it is too much to expeot that it should be acted upon. I could point to New Zealand and say here is a land whioh haa one of the finest climates there is on earth; a colony whioh is oapable of keeping five million people in luxury ; a land that can already export far more than it needs to import; and yet its M.H.R.s cannot contrive to find employment for the handful of people who dwell within its boundaries. I would auggest— nay, I have auggeated years ago through the columns of the Press that party government should be abolished, and that our M.H.R.s should study the welfare of the colony. We have a post office savings bank; turn that into a State bank. Don't tell me that our people are too dishonest to be trusted with running a bank when the Government already run one. What about our insurance company, our post office, our railways, and customhouse ? Are they not managed as well as if private firms were running them ? We have money enough in the colony laying idle to complete all necessary works. Wake up, you M.H.R.s, and see the chance you have to fetoh back your lost population. Either do one thing or the other: go in for extermination or making your country blossom as the rose. My private impression is that there is room enough for all, even our poor. God has so blessed this colony with abundance that the little they would need we should never miss. Govern well, and poverty will soon be EXTEBMINATKI). Dunedin, May 25,