Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1886.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1515, 15 January 1886, Page 2

Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1886.

The Premier would appear to be afflicted with what in classical Latin is called the cacoethes he must be for ever making speeches and delivering addresses, endeavoring to set the world right- socially, morally, religiously and politically. One might reasonably suppose that the honorable gentleman had quite enough to do in his various Ministerial offices, and in keeping Sir Julius moderately within bounds, without bothering himself with set orations to his constituents, and disgusting nine-tenths of decent people by selecting Christmas Day for giving an infidel lecture at the Dunedin Lyceum, which was preceded aptly enough by a very feeble farce by way of amusing the Freethought groundlings! The excuse, it would appear, for a second address to the electors of Dunedin East, and through them to the colony at large, was the very able, exhaustive and absolutely unanswerable speech of Major Atkinson at Hawera, wherein the redoubtable leader of the Opposition smote Ministers " hip and thigh," exposed the little financial games of the Colonial Treasurer, and showed up the utter collapse of that veritable bladder—the local government scheme. Mr Stout manifestly wriggled under the well-applied lash, and prudently would have kept quiet until the soreness wore off but he could not reconcile himself to this, but must needs proclaim how sorely hurt he was. The attempt to dispose of Major Atkinson's close and logical criticisms by ex parte assertions and longwinded special pleading was so utter a failure as to be palpable on the most cursory perusal of what we may term the attack and defence. It would serve no useful purpose, and trespass far too much upon our space, to enter on an analytical discussion of the issues. The conclusions demonstrated by Major Atkinson are realised or on the point of being realised in every household throughout the colony—the shaking of credit and the large increase of taxation make themselves felt throughout the community, unfavorably affecting every interest.

Mr Stout, in addition to his labored attempt to justify what is unjustifiable, and to turn the tables on the Opposition leader, made a sort or declaration of policy. It is to Ihj noted that he neither repudiated or adopted the proposals some weeks ago mads public as emanating from Sir Julius, but with regard to which no member of the Ministry las as yet made any authoritative sign. If Mr Stout could be depended upon to carry out in practice the admirable sentiments to v.hich he is wont to give utterance, we should l»e quite satisfied with what he nays relative to further borrowing and the expenditure on public works. Unfortunately, however, his political, and especially his Ministerial,career has been a striking illustration of the old adage, " Fine words butter no parsnips;" he has, in truth, belied all his professions, and the radical reformer of ten years ago now plays second fiddle to Sir Julius Vooel, who neither has nor ever had any sympathy with the people, but on principle, such as it is, does the work of the capitalist, the large landowner, the monopolists and of syndicates who composed these classes. We attach, therefore, little importance to the asseverations of the Premier, to the effect that he will not commit himself to increase the indebtedness of the colony, unless ther:? is absolute security that the money to oe borrowed shall he laid out in such a manner us to ensure immediate returns. This, he must very well know, is not practicable, since the extension of the railway system and the construction of new lines must, of necessity, in a very sparsely occupied country like New Zealand, be financially tentative. The main object of railway communication is to open up the country and increase the field of production ; to these ends railways are perhaps the first step, and they can hardly be expected to pay right off so soon as completed. What Mr Stout is aiming at, and what evidently is the design of the Government, is to fix upon ratepayers in town and country all local requirements—roads, bridges, charitable aid, education, etc., and he would have it understood at once and accepted, if the people are fools enough, as a principle, that the proceeds of future loans shall be devoted exclusively to railway construction, so that Ministers may always have big jobs on hand, involving endless resources for obtaining and maintaining political support! If local requirements are to be met entirely by lccil taxation, and this would, of course, mean actually starving out thinly-settled districts, then there should certainly be a corresponding reduction in the general taxation of the colony. There is no hint of this, nor any proposal in this direction. Ministers require lots of money to keep their majority in the House. Stop the supplies to favored electorates and how many members might not become recalcitrant 1