PASSING EVENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4824, 29 November 1902, Page 1 (Supplement)

PASSING EVENTS.

(From ITio "New Zealand Hail,") History is philosophy leaching by osamplec. v —Thucydides. Durim' tho election campaign Iho in(leblcdmvvS of tho colony lias been a kimi of chopping block for all Opposition candidates. Tho Government has boc n denounced in no lernis fox’ its having incre;i.-.ed the debt somewhat rapidly in tin; het three or four year.:. But as we have x»rovivn.-d;/ shown, a very ierem proportion of tlm increase lias b(’<M dm> t,o the policy of iho Government, which Juts boon ayain enders: dby IJIO people. Tho Gavern-nn-nt, in pursuance of that policy, has borrowed largely to loud again. and tr> Iho Opposition tho most annoying part of it is that tho prognostications of tho Government’,s opponents that the advances to settlers’ business, and tho re-purchaso of estates, would end in loss to tho country, have all been falsified by the results. Now the* rankest opponents cf tho .Government aro

admitting that the has more than .justified its adoption. But at the saiuo time* they afliriu that tho country is gallopin'; to difficulty and dis•aster financially, because of tho recklessness of the borrowing operations of tlia Government. Those statements are difliculb of adjustment, fer if tito results of tho borrowing policy has justified Itself, and no loss has accrued, or will accrue, re tho country, how is it possible for these critics to reconcile their assertions? They aray that tho expenditure on the purchase of land for settlement and the’advances to settlers is interest-earning, but thev protest that the money spent on railways should not bo included in the same Sir Joseph Ward lias shown, however, that tlio eighteen millions of money spent in railway construction is returning C 3 Os stl per cent.; but his opponents assert that thoro would be a loss even at that of 10s 7d per cent., since tho capital expended in railway construction is being paid for at the rate of 4 per cent. Moreover, it is observed, no business man would conduct his business in the way tho railways are being managed, and it is an evidence of maladministration, it is said, tluit.ono section of the community should bo compelled to make good a deficiency in connection with the railways. These contentions aro thin and finical, and altogether unworthy of statesmen. If tho railways were entirely freo all tho people would bo benefited, and when they aro paying nearly 31 per cent., they must bo regarded as not only well managed, bub tho best asset the colony possesses. Sir William Russell, though a severe critic of railway • management, holds this view, and says that the railways stand as value for half the debt of the country, being worth in effect eight mil-. lions more than they cost the people, livery other consideration apart, tho fact that the major portion of our, clobt is practically the working erventa l > of the country and interest earning, must render tho burden of tho balance light and easy, and by no means depressing or embarrassing.

Tlio prospectus of tlio New Zealand Farmers’ Co-oporativo Distributing Company has been issued. Its capital has been fixed at £50,000, and its objects aro laudable and worthy of encouragement. We aro informed that tho company is being promoted "chiefly for tlio purpose of establishing and conducting a public produce depot in tho city 'of Wellington for tho sale therein of farm, orchard and garden produce of all descriptions.” Tho need of a public market has long boon felt in tho city, and evidently farmers and other producers have realised that they can .do bettor for themselves by tho formation of a company "to act as agents for producers and consumers in tho buying and selling of farm, fruit, vegetables and poultry products in lai'go quantities.” This is nob all. Tlio farmers propose to start pulping, preserving and canning works, and intend to dry fruit for export, as well as to manufacture wino and cider. Should the company ho successful, a

great impetus will ho given to what has 1 been described as “intense culture” among our farmers- Wq consider there is much more benefit iikely to accrue to tho farmer himself aud to tho country as a whole from “intense culture” than from tho attempt to dispense with tho middleman's profits, which is one of tho objects of tho company. Tlio company is desirous that the'fannor shall bo his own middleman. That is to say, tho farmer will j employ a staff of officers to do the business of bringing tho producer and tho consumer together, and that for such services ho will J>ay fair salaries' and secure t ho commTssion earned to himself. Tho dividend on capital is to bo limited to 5 per cent., and the balance of profits is to be divided in the payment of bonuses to employees, rebates on commission charged; and re-; funds on purchase money paid to tho company for produce. Whether all this will bo accomplished will depend altogether, on management; and far-, mers will not have to rely too largely upon this aspect of tho venture. Tho experiment is worth trying, however, and there is no reason to suppose that tins main objects of tho company are■unattainable or Tho company proposes also .to establish a system of grading, by which tho hitter class produce will receive the price to ■which it is properly entitled, and tho promoters anticipate that so soon as this system has been established, the company’s grading marks will become tho standard by which the prices of produce are fixed wherever the oompanv distributes. Tho company -'dl, in addition to its main objects, col.ect and distribute information as to (be best varieties of farm produce for different districts, and tho proper market; for such produce, to'provide its shareholders with tho latest up-to-date information as to the best methods of pro paring, packing and forwarding produce, to provide for its shareholders cool storage, in this way preventing tho glutting of the market' and enabling produce to bo held until such time as tho best price can be obtained for'it. | With such objects as these, many farmers will doubtless he found ready to give tho company their interest support. . 1

Tlicro lias been a good deal of oonerori r-y n-siwctiug tin- or ill «if vets of ili'i ITciiiLors’ Conference ami Air S'lidoii'-i visit to Ciruat Britain as tin-' ropi-esemauvo of Nov Zealand, The j'rciui- r inis been severely criticised because Im had the temerity to -.eye: at tho e-dablixhinent of a land force iu this country for .service abroad. But tin's smyeestiou did not meet v.icli general approTi Lion, and it was, of tnm-sf. dropped. Since tlicro is no inedibility of its lieing carried into effect. tho ib'einier’s critics have little to find fault -.villi ulieu they continuously harp upon at! misnptiortcd suggestion. Tlio peuplo of this country v/ould not, in tune of Imperial need, such as the South African war presented, fail to send men to ligiifc tho battles of tho Empire; and when that spirit prevails among a people it is perhaps belter that its voluntary and practical expression should be depended upon than that tho people, should bo burdened with the upkeep of a force fur an emergency that might not arise amain for a generation or more. It is snliicient for us that wo train our youths to bear arms and to become accurate and reliable shots; but it would be a loss to tbo country were largo numbers of young men. drawn continually away from industrial pursuits. No man realises this more than tho Premier, and it is evident from Ins anxiety to see the returned troopers settled upon the land chat lie is keenly alive to tho welfare of this country and its people. AV'lien ho delivers ids statement to Parliament (and it is a pity in one sense that ho was not able to do so immediately on Ids return to New Zealand), tho people tyill.be able to understand something of the great a.ml valuable service tho Premier has rendered to tho Empire and this country at tho Imperial Conference, Notwithstanding tho statement of adverse critics of tho Government, the country must endorse the action of tho Premier in securing tho strengthening of flic country’s coastal and trade defence. V.'o will obtain as the result of Mr Soddon's action a superior class of warship iu these waters at an increased cast of from £IO,OOO to £17,000 a year, with such privileges in connection' therewith as will bo advantageous to New Zealanders. As a matter of self-preserva-tion rids is necessary. We cannot imagine what would happen to this country and its over-sea trade should it ever happen that Great Britain was worsted in any conflict upon the high seas. With the defeat of tho British Navy, tho self-governing portions of tho Empire would bo at the mercy of tho enemy, and would bo immediately placed under tribute to a foreign potentate, who would deprive us of all those rights and privileges wo now enjoy. While such a contingency is scarcely possible, yet it behoves us to prepare for our self-preservation by the creation of an adequate land force and of sharing as onr means will allow tho cost of tho Empire’s first lino of defence. It would bo mean and cowardly to do less.

Sir Joseph Ward's speech' at Winton. was certainly ono of tho ablest deliver- ; ances made during tiTo political cam-, paign. Tile Postmaster-General was particularly effective in his reply to the assertion that the Ministry had benefited the working man at tho expense of tho farmer. He admitted that legislation had be'cu passed for tho protection of the weak against tho unscrupulous, hut it would bo found that tho legislation of tho Government was not | “class legislation,” nor was its policy designed to promote tho interests of any particular section of tho people. This view is generally endorsed by thoj country, hut it may nob ho amiss to observe to what extent tho present i 'Ministry has assisted tho farming popu-; lation by its legislation and administration. As far as tho railways aro concerned, the Minister’s own words i will bo found to bo interesting and to tho point. “Wo have reduced.” ho ! said, “tho livo stock rates £25,000 per annum, or a total of £02,500 up to tho end of September last. Wo have reduced chaff and lime £3OOO per annum, or a total of £19,500. AVo have reduced agricultural produce £IOOO per annum, or a total of £14,000. AVo have reduced manures £IOOO per annum, or a total of £3500. In tho free carnage of limo we have givdn hack £SOOO per - .annum, or a total of £17,500. AVe ' have reduced frozen meat £4OOO per annum, or a total of £22,000. reductions together amount to £78,000 per annum, or a total to September JO last of £305,000. Besides this, farmers have participated in tho reduced passenger fares, and in tho abolition or tho extra penny per ton on goods car- f riod on branch lines of JTheyi ( have also had tho benefit of the free car- 1 ' riago on return journeys of stud stock* | for breeding purposes, arid they havtv

participated with others in the general, jail-round reductions that hayo hconij made.” Fanners cannot complain that . I their interests as users of tho railways ' haro been neglected, and when it is [ considered that tho establishment of j i tho Advances to Settlers Departmen t j | has displaced dear money by cheap j I money, the^benefits to tho farmer can, I hardly bo over-estimated. It is pos-j ! siblo that interest would have fallen to borrowers: without tho intervention of tho Government, or the institution of i this hew department; but it will not j bo denied that tho policy of tho Gov-! eminent rapidly cheapened money and reduced to a* "bagatelle tho initiatory expenses to borrowers. If wo say that ' the Minister claims too much when he, considers that tho scheme of the Gov-| eminent has reduced the rate of inter- , est by three per cent., and affirm that tho reduction to tho farmers has been: per cent., then tho saving in inter-; est alone on the total mortgages of tho, country would bo over half a million | sterling annually. Tho claims of thoj • Government upon tho gratitude of the, 'farmer are reasonable, and the farmer^ 1 on the whole lias not been unmindful of his duty to tho Administration that | hail done so much for him. 1 Here is a Yorkshire criticism of “The ' Toreador”: —"It is no worse than some of those other musical plays, so styled, that are reckoned ‘good business’ nowadays; and in one or two respects it is ; rather better. But th»n these produo- ; tions are invariably made ,to reach a j level at which they can be yoted ‘ripping’ 1 by pit and gallery, and accepted as ‘jolly entertaining, don’t-cher-know,’ in stalls, i and boxes. Perhaps it is because tho j ..numerous authors are not trammelled by I many canons of high art or refinement j , that they please the public so well as | they seem to do," . |