Hawkes Bay Herald TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1808. PROSPERITY UNDER LIBERALISM.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 11096, 13 December 1898, Page 2

Hawkes Bay Herald TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1808. PROSPERITY UNDER LIBERALISM.

Waht of average intelligence is not generally ascribed to the New Zealander. His mental capacity and judgment are generally regarded aB being quite above the average — by himself. Tet if that censorious individual only glances at his political history for the past decade and takes an unbiassed grip of the allround progress or otherwise of his country, and the change for better or worse in the condition of the inhabitants, lie will marvel at the fools' paradiso in which he has been revelling. Surely there never was such a case of misplaced confidence as that of a people who have entrusted their welfare to a coterie of political vampires who have battened on the credulity of the multitude by constant misrepresentation, and the meeting of just criticism by absolutely false statements. The success of the " Liberal " administration, up to the preeent has been solely due to ft cleverly designed system of official

lying. There is some consolation in the reflection that no such system and its authora can long. retain the confidence of the country, but those who have been opposed to this political trickery are to blame in not exposing more thoroughly the methods and subterfuges by which the people have been so shamelessly tricked. The fact is that politically the mass of the inhabitants are ignoramuses, and take all the claptrap and profession of those in office for granted. The members of the_ present Administration owe their success in retaining the confidence of the electors more to theii derision of their opponents ac and their declarations oi disinterestedness, than to any performance for the benefit of the country. Too much has been taker for granted, and ao given unscrupulous politicians a handle to work upon the sympathies of the credulous elector. In no single particulai have the present holders of office fulfilled a pledge or justified tin grounds upon which they wer< chosen to direct the destinies of th< , country. Their own figures are th< most formidable indictment that cai be made against tlioui, and these ii themselves are sufficient reason f o their consignment to political ob hvion, and the extinction of a part' which, so far from fulfilling it pledges or realising a single pre diction of that wonderful prosperit' they promised, have landed th" colony in an increased accumulatioi of debt, saddled the people with fa heavier burdens, and dono an in calculable amount of harm withou producing the slightest beneficit effect in the industrial, commercia or social condition of the colony an its inhabitants, We have previously shown hoi the statementa as to increased popi lation are utterly baseless, excep that natural preponderance of birtl over deaths which must have ol tamed under any system of politici and that indeed there has been a alarming exodus ever since th grandmotherly legislation of th Government began to have its del< tenous effect. Mr Seddonandhi colleagues have continuously depr< cated borrowing. They have in fa( owed their retention of office in pai to the fact that they declared the; staunch adherence to a non-horror ing policy. What are the undii puted facts ? Simply that the del of the colony has been increased t the extent of £11,000,0001 Th colony has therefore no far froi paying its way been quietly borrow ing at the rate of over a million year, Mr Seddon stated at th Thames the other day that th capital value of the colony had it creased during hio term of office b £11,000,000. He did not mentio that the public debt had increase by that amount. In 1891 the publi debt was represented by £38,713,06! In 1897 it had augmented to the ci tent of £49,600,618, and yet Mmii ters still have the audacity to stum the country and play upon th credulity of the people by declarin that borrowing ceased when the came into office. The country, taxe as it is up to the hilt, is really reh ing upon foreign coin for its currer administration Then again, in spite of this r< liance on the London market for th conduct of our public service, th burthen of taxation has been ii creased to the formidable extent c £34.2 171 per annum. In 1891 th people contributed by this metho and in 1897 £2,521,91( lhe Government which has don this is the Government which ha been eternally asseverating that it i removing the burdens from th shoulders of the people So fa rrom being relieved they have beei saddled with fresh imposts. Ever toiler m the bush, every mechanic i : the city, even the navvy who is earn ing his few shillings on fine days has had a further demand made upohis hard-earnings, and for what -Che glorification of Mr Seddon an. his exceedingly liberal following Why are not these undeniable fact driven home to the consciousness o the people, so that they can compre hend the extent to which they hay been, and are being, duped by a se of unscrupulous politicians whossole aim is power in order that the' may secure their own aggrandise ment ? This benevolent, this kindly disposed Government increased th< taxation of the population by fou; shillings per head per annum lasyear, and in Bix years the average in crease per head per annum has beei 2s 6£d. Instead of the people beinf relieved they are each of them pay. ing to the tune of 15s more that under the previous Administration Surely this one fact alone is sufficient to prove the incapacity of this great Liberal organisation to fitly govern the country and steer it into clear financial waters. Ministers are constantly stumping the country and deriding their opponents as the possessors of no defined policy. Surely there is no need for any more policy on liberal lines. The country finds it difficult enough to stagger under all the policy so far inflicted upon it, A mere negative policy is the best that could be pursued to counteract all the harm done up to the present stage. The party which will stand up and expose all the fallacies of the present system, and bring home to the minds of the people the injury being inflicted upon them, by the gross impositions, of a self-seeking crowd of politicians, will do infinitely more service than by inaugurating innumerable fresh policies. It must be remembered that the boasted surpluses which have been blazoned forth each financial year do not stand against the accumulated debt. _ These surpluses have vanished in the general ruin. Indeed .here never has been any surplus, but on the contrary a very large deficiency, constantly increasing in bulk. The public services have been choked up with the sycophants of Ministers, and although their condition is much less satisfactory than six or seven years Bince, when the present Government were so zealously retrenching, the number of civil servants has been increased by 453, aud this increase is certainly not warranted by the increase of population, nor is there auy apparent improvement in the ministering to the needs of the people." For all this loss and expenditure what is there to show ? There have been no reproductive works carried on, the excuse being that the Government had no authority to borrow, and yet we were borrowing ' all the time merely to pay our way. ■ Much has been said about the liberal : land policy, but possibly not as ■ much as will be"said hereafter. The J amount of land taken up and the j revenue from Crown lands show a , substantial decrease during the past i iix or seven years. In 1891 there <■ were 2420 selections taken up, and 1 in 1897 only 2173, thus showing a i lecrease of 247. The amount of ' and revenue in 1891 was £352,417, n 1897 it had dropped to £272,904] i nnking a deficiency of £70,4G3, and c ret the present Government arc t ihvays foisting their land policy r ipon the public. We might go on ]■ aking each department in the o xovernment service and the same h amentable state oi tilings would be ivident. The Government have con- J inually posed as the benefactors of Z adustry, yet, although under tie f ireceding "Tory " rule there was a 11 early average increase of 700 hands 0 mployed in the industries of the ™ olony, since the progressive Liberal n Government have been in power so

that increase has dropped to 351 per annum, _in spite of the increase in population. Our import and export trade has decreased to the extent of £2 4s 8d per head of the population. The number of people dependent on the State in 1891 was 4717, and in 1896 7501, an increase of 2784,' which fact is hardly in accordance with the declaration of the Government that the condition of the masses has heen improved. Besides this, there are 18,000 unemployed who look to the Government for assistance, and strange to say, the unemployed were an inconsiderable element previous to their advent upon the scene. There is also a decrease in the development of the output of our local industries of no less than £1,286,035 per annum, Where, then, is the boasted prosperity of the Liberal regime ? What other conclusion are we forced to come to than that the present Administration is utterly unreliable and non-pro-gressive ? Is it possible that in face of the all round degeneration in commercial, Industrial, and social prosperity, the people can be any longer hoodwinked into giving the present injurious system of government a longer term of trial P It is plainly the duty of every honest elector^ and to his own benefit, to endeavor to curb this headlong rush to ruin and national bankruptcy we have been indulging in for far too long a period, The National Association requires to wake up, They need some fresh vitality in their ranks to strenuously oppose this bastard Liberalism. No elaborate, new policy is needed. Just a more summing-up of the accomplishments of the Liberal Administration, and their plain and straightforward elucidation to the public is necessary to show the country that anything is better than the present corrupt and ruinous system of government, What is required is not so much a change of policy, or even a change in the incidence of taxation, thougb that is debateable, as the assurance of purity in the administration and the honest disclosure of the rea! Btate of the finances of the country so that the necessary remedy ma^ be applied. If the mass of the people were educated up to the rea state of things Mr Seddon and hii colleagues would, so far from enjoy ing their confidence, meet with th< opprobrium they so justly merit.

On the fourth page to-day -will h found letters to the editor, a report o the business at the Magistrate's Court sporting news, and our Hastings an< Danevii'ke correspondents' communica tions. Messrs Baker and Tabuteau's business announcements are inserted to-day on ou: fourth page. The Elingamite brought over to Auck land from Sydney a Brindisi mail. Detective Benjamin, of Napier, ia a present doing duty at Auckland, watch ing the light-fingered gentry at thi Exhibition. The firemen desire to return theii thanks to Mrs Skidmore, Mr 3 Leask, am Dr. de Lisle for thoughtfuly providing tea for thtJul after yesterday morningi fire. The postponed cabmen's sports wil take place on the Town and Suburbai grounds to-morrow, when the promoter! promise their patronß an enjoyable daj should the weather prove fine. Firemen generally may be interested in a patent, for which the complete specifications have just been accepted, oi Wong Young Wah, for an improved fastener for affixing hose-piping tc nozzles. Constable Harvey arrested a mat named James Madigan at the Spit yesterday, charged on a warrant from Pahiatua with having obtained the sum of £2 from C. Benzie, boarding housekeeper, by means of false pretences. In case country people are under the impression that Mr Blythe's season's stock has been destroyed by yesterday's fire, he announces that tho reserve stock only is gone, and that in the main shop full provision had been made for. the season's requirements. Word was received yesterday of th« arrest at Mohaka of a nigger named John Anderson, on a charge of stabbing a laborer named John Milligan in the arm The latter was conveyed to the Wairon hospital, and Anderson has been remanded until to-morrow. Mr Leslie J. Park, A.1.A., of Melbourne, general manager of the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society, arrived in Napier last evening and is staying at the Masonic Hotel. • He is making a tour of the colony to inspect the society's investments, branches, and agencies, and ia accompanied by Mr Gibbs, the sooiety'a seoretary for New Zealand. In connection with yesterday morning's fire, in addition to the insurances mentioned in a previous issue, Mr Rathbone's buildings were insured for .£IOOO in the New Zealand office, Mr Walker's effects for £100 in the South British, Mr G. E. Smith's stock and furniture for ,£l2O in the. North Queensland. Mrs Derbyshire, of the Napier Dairy, did not have her effects insured. A Gisborne drunk said to the Magistrate : " Will your Worship kindly give me a month in Napier gaol, I can do no good for myself in this district. If you send me to Napier I might do some good." The Magistrate .- "We will first take a month's work out of you, then if you do not behavo yourself we will send you to Napier. You are sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment in the Gisborne gaol." The weekly meeting of the Wanderers' Bicycle Club was held last night. General routine business was conducted. The report of the treasurer showed that ihe club had no liabilities, and that a substantial balance stood to credit at Dank. It was decided to suspend the isual club runs from Wednesday next ratil after the holidays. A moonlight :un will eventuate shortly, the date for vhich will be announced in due course. Owing to the rain yesterday tho parade if the Hastings and local volunteers ailed for last night was cancelled. The uen will meet at the Drillshed to-night .t 7.30, and, with tents and baggage, uarch to Baffles-street and pitch camp, nd remain under canvas for six days, jast night the men went through a course f instruction in the Drillshed in tentitching. It is to be hoped the weather olds over until the tents are pitched, as fter that is done the camp can be proeeded with. Captain Edwin wired at noon yester_ay:—Wind, strong gale from between north and east and south-east at all places northward of Napier and Eaglan, ', and strong from same direction at all ■ other phces. Barometer fall everywhere, j Sea heavy on eastern coast and on west i coast north of Cape Egmont, also between \ Stephens Island and Westport; rough ( elsewhere. Tides good on all eastern ) coasts, moderate but increasing on all i western coast. Eain is to be expected in { all parts of the country. ( The annual singing competition of the t Cathedral choir boys took place last c night, and resulted in the first prize in i the senior division being awarded to * Master Harry Elmes for singing and d chanting ; the second prize was secured r by Master George Norman. In the junior fc division Master John Hartley took first t prize and Master Keith Lines second, il Prizes for regular attendance have also a been awarded to the following choristers : g -^Masters John Hartley, Ernest Dinwid- *» die, Bernard Dinwiddie, Gordon Aitken, b Albert Young, Harry Elmes, Herbert id ilason, John Mason, Charles Eobinson h William Carver, George Norman, and t< James Haguo. Tho good conduct prize H has been secured by Master Gordon b< Aitken. The prizes will be distributed s: by the Dean at the sohoolroom on Wed- hi nesday evening, when the chorister boys v: will be entertained at tea at half-past 6 o'clock. After tea to-morrow evening a te musical programme of glees, duets, songs, hi &c, will be contributed by the adult tl members of tha ohoir, commencing at 8 n< o'olook. et At the Athenreum yesterday afternoon ' 31 Miss Matthews gave an "At Home," in ?' connection with tho Qirls' High School, to bofora a large audionco of interested co parents and friends of tho pupils. Tho nc programme was ono of much exeollenco, ?.' and sorvod to show the musical' abilities "I of the girls, and the good progress they ab have made under the various tutors °^ These latter are Mrs Maofarlane, Hisses I 6 Le Meroier, Henn, M'Harg, Mr W T bu Sharp, and Herr Wender. The pro- „ gramme was as follows :— Duet, " Eondo " Ml (Weber), Misses K. Leithead and K. M ! Maokenzie; solo, "Andanti Con Moto" (Mendelssohn), Miss V. Wilson- solo "Allogro Assai" (Mendelssohn), Miss T Floraucoj duet, "March in B Minor" toi (Sohubeit), Misses 0. and E. Ellison; s solo, " Consolation" (Dussek), Mies E, our