A LYTTELTON TIMES OUTBURST.

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 8964, 15 April 1890, Page 4

A LYTTELTON TIMES OUTBURST.

The Lyttelton Times lias a keen eye for number one, but it has blurred vision in other respects, especially in estimating the motives of its contemporaries. In its issue of Friday last it devoted a whole leader to denouncing a monstrous conspiracy, which it had just discovered, on the part of this journal and Sir Harry Atkinson, to _ commence anew the pernicious practice of borrowing. The Lyttelton Times discovered, almost without effort—such is its subtlety of penetration —that the Premier of the Colony had incited this journal to approach the subject of further borrowing on the Colony’s part. It is not the first time, and it will not be the last, that the Lyttelton Times has been mendaciously blatant. About as remarkable specimens of journalistic extravaganza as could be desired have been published in that paper from time to time. And what it published last Friday is not one whit behind the rest in wild imagining and leaping to conclusions. The article does not contain one word of truth outside a quotation from ourselves, and the general allegation that we favoured borrowing for a specific purpose, but under restriction we may add." Its charges respecting the Premier are absolutely and entirely false. Sir Harry Atkinson has as much to do

directing the policy of the New Zealand Times as has the writer of the leader in the Lyttelton Times to which we take exception. And we are sure he was as much surprised at our propositions anent further borrowing as, let us say, Mr Reeves, of the Lyttelton Times, could have been. Neither directly nor indirectly did the Premier inspire those prepositions. He had not the faintest conception they were being entertained, and we very much question if he approves them. And that does not concern us at all. We spoke on April 9th in, what we believed to be, the best interests of settlement, of which the Colony stands so much in need, and not in the interests of any one politician or set of politicians. And what is more, we are prepared to speak again in the same strain, uathless the screams and anathemas and the tearing of passion to tatters by the Lyttelton Times and other papers of its kidney. There is one in Wanganui that has been doing a “taegi ” and war dance combined over that self-same article the Lyttelton Times is so frantic about. Well, it pleases them and it does not hurt us a little bit, even. Our motto is, “The welfare of New Zealand in general, and that of Wellington in particular.”