The Northern Advocate SATURDAY, DECEBMBER 2, 1911. THE PAST AND THE FUTURE.

Northern Advocate, 2 December 1911, Page 4

The Northern Advocate SATURDAY, DECEBMBER 2, 1911. THE PAST AND THE FUTURE.

MR PURDIE is to address the electors again to-night, and we hope that he will say something that will be worth hearing, and that he will not occupy the time of the audience witn a lot of high-toned language about the past. The past has gone and is done with. It is the future that concerns the people, aad the electors desire to know Mr Purdie's policy before considering whether or not to vote for liim. He wants; to give his dews upon the leasehold i-nd the freehek tenure and the Native Land question. He will need to say if he is in favor of tlu. Government allowing a private, syndicate to acquire a large olock of Native land und then commence to do a land traffic while hundreds of men with moderate means are anxious to get on the land at first cost. He wants to say if he thinks it is right for the party which he says that he will support to use the borrowed money to bui'.d railways through large blocks of Native, land and consequently enhance, beyond all measure, their value. He wants to say if, in his opinion, it is true Liberalism for the Government to then buy the land at the enhanced value and sell it to the white settler who desires to develop the country. He wants to give his own views upon such questions. Then he needs to deal with the borrowing policy of the Ward Government and to tell the electors if we should continue to borrow three millions a year. He needs to explain why so much money is spent in city electorates and the country .listricts are left .'eglected Then he should deal with Mr Millar's and Sir John Findlay's aspirations to the Premiership, and say if he would support them to hold such a position. So far Mr Purdie has Dut forward no platform he has not given words to one original idea. If he is to make any impression at all he will need to show the people why they should vote against Francis Mander in Mr Purdie's favor. He will probably say there is no choice between the two candidates; but there is. We all know Mr Mander, and we all like him. It is not a party question either, for Sir Joseph Ward will be Prime Minister again. It is a question as to whether the Ward party should be increased or decreased in numbtrs, and for the safe-guarding of the country from heavy borrowing and increased taxation the Ward party shoo.ld be decreased. It is essential to a town like Whangarei that some check should be placed upon the Ward Government or we will soon be so heavily taxed that the little money we do handle will be of no use to us. There is need for an Opposition party in the House, and it needs to be sti'engthen-

cd. It is all. very well to borrow, borrow, but who pays ? The working man and the producer pay, because there are none else to pay. The worker produces all, and all that is in- f volved in over-borrowing comes back; upon him. Therefore, instead of the Ward Administration lightening the burden upon the worker, it is onlyincreasing the load. The producers know that they pay either directly or indirectly, and Mr Purdie will need to tell us how taxation can be reduced. ______________