DR NEWMAN AT PETONE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1106, 12 May 1893, Page 38

DR NEWMAN AT PETONE.

Dr Newman at Petone is always moderately Socialistic and elastically popular. He cooks a policy for the masses, and he serves it up oh an imaginary wharf with a municipal sauce compounded of gas, drainage and the electric light. At the other end of his constituency they want no wharves, or electric lights, or gas, and they detest Socialism in any and every form. At that end he generally keeps clear of those matters. Nevertheless his ideas for the benefit of the masses' are good. The masses would be better; pleased if he did more for them in thel House. For example, he might give a less modified support to the Conciliation Bill which he has taken to praising so highly. If he and those with whom he acts were to lend their best energies in that direction something good might be done. That would be bettei than referring to Sir Robert Stout as a politician hankering after the spoil! of office. That sort of reference is in itself a small matter, but it is importan as showing a lack of knowledge. Th< leading fact is that to Sir Robert Stou the ' spoils of office' take the form of diminished income, and politicians wh aspire to lead should not be ignorar of leading facts. But these things at nothing. The Doctor, eoaring above th

Wharves and gaspipes of Petone, presented the country with ft great progressive policy. We are dawdling, he Said, we must push the railways, more particularly the Grand Trunk of the North Island* and we must buy all the Native lands right off. Ministers, he denounces as keeping the country bacfc, departing from the ideal of the early colonists, who settled the country, from the Doctor's side of the House this criticism about not settling the country is indeed refreshing. But for the big policy, where is the money to come from ?, We say nothing about the Maoris and their lands, except that the statement of their readiness to sell at once all they have is a little novel. We only ask where is the money to come from for all these land purchases and all these great works? The Doctor says severely, 'no dawdling,' and his political friends say with equal severity" 'No borrowing.' What they will say to his policy of raising ten or twenty millions we cannot imagine. We must leave him to the severe Sir John Hall and the uncompromising Mr Roilleston. We may say at once, however, that he is not likely to emerge from the interview as the Colonial Treasurerelect. His best course will be to meet the remonstrances of his friends by ' winking the other eye,' and getting them to assist him in supporting the Government on social questions. The Doctor has a grand opportunity.