THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1884.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7001, 25 April 1884, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1884.

Major Atkinson, .. in addressing the public at Dunedin last night has, with his usual pluck, invaded the enemy's country and made war on those who had not only attacked the Ministry but decreed that it should no longer exist/ There is nothing like taking the bull by the horns, for even though the attempt to throw him should fail, he is'yet made to feel that mere brute force is not an object of terror to a man of daring. In this spirit the Major made straight for the newly formed Constitutional Association, and delivered it a blow clear from the shoulder; and the blow was the more effective that it -was jocularly said to be delivered by a man much' dispirited in consequence of the organised attempts to overwhelm him. The alleged extravagance of the Government and their . favouring the North Island, being the.. ostensible reasons for the formation of the association, these were first of all disposed of. Of the ..£19,250,000 borrowed since IS7O, '£17,000,000 had been spent in public works including railways, roads, public buildings, telegraphs, etc., and the total amount spent in the North Island was £6,550,000, and in the South £10,700,000. According to the proportion of population the North Island had got about £300,000 more than it might be held entitled to; but then the Maori population, had not been taken into account. If this were taken into the reckoning the borrowed money could not- have been more equitably distributed; It had baen alleged also j that .the Government was a wasteful one, and this charge Major Atkinson : disposed of as easily as he did that of extravagance and favouritism. Referring to the laboured attempt made by Mr. Reynolds to draw a distinction'.between productive and unproductive works, in which latter were included some railways, he said the -whole amount that had been spent on what might be called political railways, was only about three or four per cent, of the total. amount expended. In connection with this it was very pleasing to find Major Atkinson chivalrously defending ' Sir J ulius "Vogel from an attack made on. him in his absence by Mr. Montgomery. The charge was that Sir Julius "Vogel had himself stated that he had spent £1,500,000 in securing .the support of members to the carrying out of his schemes. 'To"thi3 the Major gave an emphatic denial, and maintained that what Sir Julius did say was that the provincial authorities, finding the General Government, could borrow money so much cheaper, had put such pressure on him as to compel him to extend the scope of his scheme. This certainly is a totally different thing, and, as the Major remarked, not very blameworthy. In a similar way the charge of corruption which had been brought against the Government was dealt with. It was maintained that he, as was responsible only for the amount he had borrowed, or recommended to be borrowed, namely £6,500,000, of which £2,000,000, had yet to be raised; whereas Mr. Montgomery's friends in one third the time he had been in office had borrowed and actually raised £7,500,000. According to these facts the charge of corruption fell back upon the accuser.

As compared with the speech at Hawera, the one made at Dunedin by the Major -was vigorous and outspoken. His ..remarks., on the causes of depression -were much more pointed, and had less of an sesthetic look about them than those made by him on the previous occasion. He spoke the hard but plain truth when he said that the real secret of the depression was that the Governnientwasnow spending about one and a-half millions less a year than for years past had been spent, and that instead of extravagance being the fault of the Ministry, its economy was the real " head and front of its offending." The circumstance that this statement was received with mingled "hisses and applause was evidence enough that it was there the shoe pinched. If instead of making this economy a grievance against'the Government, people undertook to regulate their expenditure according to their income, ; that of course would tell on the revenue temporarily, and to some extent accounted for the deficit of the past year. But in the long run the practice o£ economy would prove a benefit to the people and. a gaiii' to the colonial revenue so soon as it returned to its normal state. Thestatement that one of the things that, had caused stagnation--was the abandonment of the immigration scheme/- and that this had been followed by a decrease of wages, wasperhaps a bold one to make. It. seems to have- been received with- disapprobation ; but the Major is not a man to be intimidated, especially if conscious that

his position is sound, as inthia case it was.: In fact, there is nothing brine* out the Major's power like opposed* His leading or constractive speeches jr. seldom successful, and this accounts for the comparative tamenes3 of hia utterances at Hawera. There h was. cock of his own walk, and could cry a<s the ordinary But in Dunedin he felt himself in the midst of antagonists whom he needs must fight. The cavalier way in which he disposed of the Constitutional Association shows that he has neither . fear nor faith respecting it.- And the advice he gave its members to renew their, faith in themselves and in their country was well timed, and breathed as it sought to evoke a sturdy patriot, isrn. There can be little doubt that the address of lasfc night has greatly strengthened the position of the Mirt. istry. .For even the bitterest opponent of any man cannot help admiring pluck, and it is not at all unlikely that many of those who had hitherto declared themselves against the Ministry will come to think with Major Atkinson—though he said it in joke—«that it would be a bad thing to turn them out."