The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, November 5, 1887.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 63, 5 November 1887, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Saturday, November 5, 1887.

Be just and fear not; Lot all the ends thou aim’ot at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT. Major Atkinson has laid before the country his account of the financial position of the colony, and the measures which hie Government believe will be best calculated to relieve its present difficulties, The task must have been no enviable one, for it has been painfully apparent to everyone that for years past the country has been so mismanaged as to be the cause of grave alarm. The Stout-Vogel administration brought things to such a climax that the taxpayers decided by their vote at the general election that men pledged to retrenchment —retrenchment in its widest form—should form the new House. The appeal has been answered by Major Atkinson, as it will be seen by a careful perusal of his proposals that economy is to be practised in every class.

The statement is not altogether satisfactory as far as the financial position of the country is concerned, for it shows how the colony has gone back until the affairs have reached such a stage as to require immediate attention, otherwise a serious position would inevitably follow. The result of the Colonial Treasurer’s investigations have shown him that he has a deficiency to meet in almost every class, and that he has been forced into making a proposal which will meet with much opposition—borrowing. It is necessary, he says, to go once more to the English money lender to borrow sufficient to carry on necessary works.

There is to be a saving of 300,000 effected. This will prove attractive to many in its bare form, but whether Major Atkinson has not overstepped the mark in his desire to meet the wishes of the taxpayers, is open to considerable conjecture. There is one thing the Ministry has carefully guarded itself against, and that is, that it shall not be said that they have commenced at any place other than the very top of the tree, and it is proposed to lop off all the branches until it stands bare, but solid in its root. The salaries of Ministers are to be reduced by / 3450, allowances to members by/i 0,000, departmental appropriations by Z' 2 5 2 >550> including reductions in respect of Minister’s residences, travelling allowances, etc. ; and rates on Crown lands, The fact that the salaries of Ministers themselves are to be reduced, and that the expensive and unnecessary Government residences are to receive consideration in the policy of retrenchment will meet with general satisfaction.

The civil servants have been in a state of anxiety ever since the Government was formed, for it was well known that the several departments would have to be so re-organised as to be made 4o produce considerably towards the total amount to be saved. Beyond stating that offices will be amalgamated, and that servants under ,£l5O a year will not be reduced, the Government are silent; so officers will have to remain in a happy state of expectation until further developments take place. The Government have at last come to consider that the time has arrived to treat the natives with only the -same consideration as is extended to Europeans, that the same laws can be applied with advantage to both races, that the Maori will be liable to the same taxes as the Europeans, and be pen mitted to deal with, his lands in the same manner as the white man (providing that he is left with sufficient for the maintenance of himself and family) and that large tracts of country will be sold in blocks only of a moderate size. Here the Government propose to do what we on the East Coast have always advocated, and the lines propounded are of enormous value to districts such as ours. It is not the wish of the natives to be treated as a separate body from the Europeans, and if they are allowed to sell their lands—or part of them they will only be too willing to pay taxes, and thus become the means by which’the country will receive an onward push.

The trade in native land, and the opening up of the waste lands of the Crown is what we want, and this is what the Government propose to give us. As the Colonial Treasurer says, so do we, there is no way surer of lifting the country out of its present difficulties than throwing open the lands for settlement, always providing that prohibitive prices and conditions are not imposed, as has hitherto been the case.

With regard to railways it is proposed to introduce an Act to constitute a nonpolitical Board of management. This is a step in the right direction, for then we will have a means through which the scandalous political influence, which has so long predominated, will be effectually checked. The appointment of a Civil Service Board is a progressive step, for through the Board the working of the departments will receive more consideration than is at present the case. During the present session the Act to provide for the existence of this Board will not be brought forward, but the main proposals as to reclassification and amagalmalion of officers will be given effect to,

In dealing with the Service, Major Atkinson gives an instance of what he considers unnecessary appointments, and lays down some good sound argument on the proposals he makes.

The “Grants in Aid” it is proposed either to discontinue, or provide for out of further taxation. The former alternative, will, we fear, have to be resorted to, for further taxation in any shape would meet with bitter opposition-

The repeal of the Crown arid Native Lands Act is almost a foregone conclusion, but if the natives are to be taxed, and the Crown lands thrown open for settlement there will be little complaint, for the local bodies will then be in a similar position, if not better, as if the Act were to remain in force. As we before stated the closing up of the native lands has been of considerable loss to the Crown, and the Colonial Treasurer has commented on the amount still due as native fates, the money being a lien Upon the land. There is outstanding at the present time about £322,000 on this account.

The subsidies to local bodies are to be reduced by one half. This will mean a loss to the County Council of /650, and to the Road Boards of about Z3OO. This is to be greatly regretted, and no doubt it will form a bone of contention during the discussion on the question. It is impossible for the local bodies to maintain necessary roads out of their ordinary revenue, and any reduction in the amount they have been receiving from the Government is to be deplored. The effect of the proposal will mean the stopping of many useful works which have been commenced.

The proposal to place the North Island Main Trunk Railway loin upon the London market early next year, is, taking everything into consideration, a wise step, for nothing is more plain than that the carrying on of the work will be productive of not alone immense benefit, but of revenue to the Colony. The importance of the Midland Railway is also recognised, It is intended to effect a saving of ,£60,000 in education by reducing the capitation from £4 to £3 15s, and grant no subsidy to children under six years. This perhaps is the least objectionable method of making a reduction, but the Government will certainly meet with opposition on the question. Jt will be seen that as far as the Public Works areconcerned the Govern, ment have one of three courses left open to them. (1), Stop works for which the funds are exhausted-, (a). Use some of the cash to the credit of the unexhausted accounts, or (3) raise another loan. This being the case the Government have decided to stop all works which will not materially retard the progress of the Colony, and to borrow £ 1,000,000 to carry on necessary works. Taking the Statement all through it must be considered satisfactory in the highest degree.

DISARMING GIBRALTAR. The utter voidness of any advantage that France will reap from the neutralization of the Suez Canal has been recognised by the Press of that country, and it is now clamouring for the disarming of Gibraltar, There is hardly any doubt but that in the course of a year of two, or possibly much earlier, Britain will withdraw her squadron of war vessels from the Mediterranean sea, and retain a small fleet at Gibraltar to aid in commanding the straits, and another squadron in the Red sea to prevent any hostile vessels in time of war passing from the Mediterranean sea to the Indian ocean. If Gibraltar, Shager Rock, and the Red Sea were plugged up by heavy .British fleets, the only coasts with which Britain could possibly have to deal with would be the French, Spanish and Portuguese on the Atlantic. Of course there would still be Russia on the Pacific to look after. Seeing that this plugging of Gibraltar, Shager Rock, and the Red sea must be the future policy of Britain in time of war with any of the Continental nations, it can easily be reckoned what an absurd concession the French are asking for. And it would indeed be the most miserable of Governments that would entertain for a moment such a suicidal action as that of disarming Gibraltar, even if half the nations in Europe combined to enforce it,

ARBITRATION AND WAR. The most acceptable of our cablegrams this morning is the one announcing the reply of President Cleveland to the address presented to him by the British Arbitration Committee. This is another step towards that glorious goal that so many great and good men fancy they can discern in the near future. Alas that such a grand idea cannot force itself into the minds of the chief men of the Continental countries; that Bismarck instead of seeking the aggrandisement of the German Empire by diplomacy in all its crooked ways and inciting other nations to war, would exert his wonderful influence in the direction of peace. Italy and Austria would soon join in the combination that holds that beautiful theory that aims at the abolishing of wholesale murder as a means of accomplishing National ambition. With these nations on the side of peace war would be swept away, and man would soon forget the art of killing by thousands. How grand the thought, but what great difficulties will have to be overcome before the theory is converted into practice. i