WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6964, 2 November 1909, Page 5

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

We have passed through a year of d predion, which followed at the heels of ; time when the people of this Dominionctte o vor-bor.ro wod and over-spent. Now tin Government gives people every encouragement to again over-borrow and over-spciid and very many of them will respond.Wairarapa " Times."

On a previous occasion the passage of Mi Ilogg’a Flour Duty Abolition Bill was only defeated by one vote, but on Thursday the majority against the Bill was increased to seventeen. Why this odious and unnecessary tax should lie continued is a puzzle, and ono is forced to the conclusion that influences arc at work which quite ignore tho public weal.—Dannevirk© “ Advocate.

If a number of European landowners could pool their land, pay no taxes on it, and refuse to cultivate it themselves or to dispose of it except under short leaser, an outcry would lx* raised at once, and legislation would be passed to break up the monopoly. But when the Maoris do th-s, all is well in Mr Carroll's eyes, and ho stands firmly in tho way of any change.‘Tlangitikei Advocate.”

Tho educational system followed in the Maori village schools now approximates as closely as possible and as is considered judicious in tho interests of the Maori, to the aystem obtaining in the schools for European children, but that is not enough. Merely to pass thorn through tho standards is not a full preparation for tho life work they intend to undertake, even for European children, and still less so for the Maoris.—Horowhenua ” Chronicle.”

Thera then remains but one question that matters. It is; shall tho Dominion cease its public works in order to cease to borrow, or shall it continue to borrow in order to prosecute xiublic works? If the Opposition is honest—to make use of a rhetorical contingency applied by tho member for Bruce to tho Prime Minister during the debate —it will admit that it is eager for public works, and that therefor© its alleged hostility to borrowing is mere pretence,—Napier “ Telegraph,”

Perhaps, after all, the people of New Zealand may hare to thank the Colonial Sugar Company for warning them of the dangers of monopoly in time; and wc hope that tho vigorous response made by the Liberal Government to the appeal for protection for tho consumer against the exactions of a foreign trust will have tho salutary effect of impressing upon all such organisations tho advisability of dealing carefully with tho rights and wants of tho people of Now Zealand.—Auckland “ Star.” ,

Tho foot ia that Labour does not know where to atop. For many years it has been the motive power behind the Liberal party, which it used as it liked. Bp to a certain point that was an excellent thing, no doubt, hut every year Labour became more greedy in its, demands, until th.o Government saw that it had gone far enough—too faJ*. in facl>-aud refused to do •what it was told any longer. Siqce then tho Government has bsen everything that is bad. and no abuse seems harsh enough, or coarse enough for Labour to hurl oratwhil© protector.—Dannerirko “ News.” W© have advocated that on certain lines, whore it does not pay to run a fullyequipped train, with a locomotive, entailing tho employment of, driver and stoker, passenger cars, goods wagons, and guard s van, with a guard, it might well pay to run a motor coach, in charge of ono man, with perhaps a trailer to carry luggage, parcels, and light goods. Such a service would bo carried out at vastly less expense than an ordinary train, and would enable a. fairly frequent passenger service to be maintained on the lines in question, while the heavy goods traffic might bo carried as circumstances demanded. —"Taranaki Herald.”

It is just as well to accentuate the fact that the Liberal Government has effectually sounded the death knell of the land shark, tho land company promoter, and the financial institutions that fattened on tho industry and labour of tho farmer. Tho days when men had to sacrifice farm, stock, and homo to tho money lenders have gone: they no longer have to struggle under an incubus as powerful and as mcrci less as the tenaoles ot an octopus; and^ under the Advances to Settlers Act and other kindred measures, whore there has not boon a penny loss to the State, they arc able to reap tho reward for their labour that they deserve.—Thames “ Star.”