Daily Circulation. 1640. The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1895.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XX, Issue 6167, 24 January 1895, Page 2

Daily Circulation. 1640. The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1895.

It seems to pretty well absorb the whole of our local contemporary's time to provide a code of morality for others. As for itself, it needs no morality—that is to say, it has more of a bind than it well knows what to do with. With smug complacency it applies its rule to all and sundry. We learn from it that Mr John M'Kenzie is a man whom it is not safe to meet in the dark; that he appropriates everything that he can lay his hands on ; that he is a bloodthirsty monster. Mr Ward is no better. He is going on a trip to England ; hence he has no right to go. Though the Government say that Mr Ward is going Home on public business, the Tory journalistic Ananiases of Wellington —the literary supreme liars —whose example our pettifogging contemporary emulates, know better, just as they knew that the revenue was to be something like a quarter of a million short at the end of the financial year ; (it isn't to be anything of the kind, but that is a small matter). It is Mr Ward's misfortune, as it is the colony's gain, that Mr Ward is a Liberal. If he had been a Tory, his going to England would have been viewed as a wellearned respite from arduous work performed in the interests of the wealthy. The Tory is stirred to his very moneybags because the Government are operating on popular lines, and are gaining the thanks of the community as their policy develops. As time goes on the Tories' chance of another innings recedes into dim obscurity. They abuse and cajole and falsify—they stand with a whip in one hand and a sugarstick in the other—and plead for one more embrace. " No ; thank you," say the sturdy colonists—- " we have already had too much of you. Try Central Africa." It is useless for the Tory to urge that he has done for the colony before and would like to do for it again. We know it. We know that a Tory Colonial Treasurer would pay his own expenses Home and give a tone to Anglo-Australian " sassiety " that he would give a handsome premium to be allowed the honor. The honor is for those who have won it. If Tory gentlemen desire to go Home, let them go; but they will not go there with the imprimatur of New Zealand upon them ; so that the unspeakable Tory may as well cease to sav nasty things in a nasty way about his betters, and soiled-looking humdrum sheets may cease to blurt their vulgar coarse amens. Even the Mail does not escape criticism. We are not just what our local contemporary would like us to be. We have travelled too much in one groove and too persistently kept the welfare of the people in view. This, it will be understood, gives no chance whatever to our contemporary, whose conduct is of that vaccilant kind which necessitates a good memory. No paper in this colony has exhibited such ignorance of the necessity of land settlement as ■ pur contemporary has, and no paper has done less to forward such a policy, or anything else that was for the good of the people. Sneering at

the wise, patriotic endeavors of others has been its chief virtue. But now that a great land settlement policy has been developed in spite of our local contemporary, and the people are expressing their approval of that policy, and are making efforts to participate in it to the fullest possible extent, our local contemporary, though it abuses the men to whom the policy is due, professes itself anxious to see the policy itself forwarded. It fusses and clacks like an old hen that flatters itself that it has laid a China nest egg. This is the sort of morality which our contemporary practises itself. The sort whichit prescribes forothersis the result of a desire to degrade others to its own level, in order to excuse itself. For example, when we wrote that "Captain Russell was not delivering a political address proper, but was simply reepondinij to the toast of ' Our Guest' at. a banquot, and that he spoke for something short of half -an - hour," we, as the intelligent public already know, did not imply that Captain Russell could not say in half-an-hour a great deal that might require a reply from the Premier. But honest, intelligent members of the community already know sufficient of our contemporary's weaknesses and need no further demonstration of them. The question with colonists, is not what the Mail does or doesn't do—is, or isn't. Nor does it matter whether or not the Tory papers like Ministers or hato them. The question is : What is the nature and value of the Government's policy ? Has our contemporary no reply to give to our correction of its extraordinary views on the cheap money scheme 1 Has it nothing to say now in praise of the virtues of a land settlement project which is due to the Hon. John M'Kenzie's efforts and his successful opposition to the Tory papers and their weak imitators, such as our local contemporary % Why does that mouthpiece of the enemies of righteous democratic principles not advocate the abolition of tho progressive tax which draws from tho wealthy a fair contribution towards tho State's needs which they alone are able to pay, and the transfer of the burthon to the masses 1 Why does it not —when it abuses Ministers and tells its long-suffer-ing readers that our present administrators are not fit to be trusted with tho management of the colony's affairs—strike off the fetters of deceit and give tho people to understand that, in its blank ignorance and servility, it is exerting its puny influence to get the Tories into ofiico again '!■ We regret the nccepsity to write in this vein ; but, when the colony has to deal with solemn and momentous facts, colonists must be treated with truth and candor. The tactics of the Opposition newspapers are so personal, paltry, and mean, that they are not, and cannot bo, santioned by any of the intelligent, just, and respectable members of the community. A public man's character should not only be judged by his acts, but all criticisms of his acts should be based upon a solid consideration of them. Tho good and wise offices of a man who makos no professions of superior virtue are more valuable to the nation than tho careless and selfish services of men who trade upon a mere name for respectability. It is better to be governed well by men who may be even disliked by some than to bo governed badly by men who may have a reputation for honor.

Mr J. A. Millar, the member for Chalmers electorate, in the course of an address full of information and thought said : —" Ho would like to see the Government bring forward a scheme whereby they would convert the loans and take over the liabilities of local bodies. These bodies owed L 6,000,000, and the average rate of interest thoy paid was per cent. Altogether tlicy paid L 390,000 a year for interest on loans. If the Government were going to give cheap money to farmers, why should they not give it to local bodies, because, if they did, everybody would be relieved of taxation in tho shape of rates." We do not know that local bodies are as much entitled to cheap money through the intervention of the Government as are farmers. The security that local bodies have to offer is more or less intangible. But we have always held, and hold now, that the Government that succeeds in relieving local bodies by conversion of their loans would be entitled to the colony's thanks, for it would relieve the whole colony to the extent of the saving effected. The Otago Daily Times of yesterday says : " The Colonial Treasurer lias taken credit for the decline in tho mortgage rates of interest on the ground that the Advances to Settlers Act has accelerated tho movement; but the truth would seem to be that tho decline is a general movement in accord with the universal decline all over the world." Our contemporary then gives instances which bear out its statement so far as Victoria is concerned, and we confess that the drop in interest is universal. But the Times has surely forgotten that it ought to have borne out the Tory complaint when the Bill was discussed, that tho Colonial Treasurer, was going to do what he now claims to have done—that is to reduce the interest on private loans. But we will let that pass. It is hard to be consistent under the circumstances in which the Opposition newspapers are placed. There is, however, the undeniable fact that the Colonial Treasurer's action will secure a reduction in rates in New Zealand which without it would not have been realised. If it were possible for the Colonial Treasurer to lend money at 5 per cent, when it was at 7 or 8, he will be able to lend money at 3 pr 4 when it comes down to 5 or 6. At a meeting of the Garrison Band, held after practice last evening, the following resolution was carried unanimously : —" That, in view of the early departure from Oamaru of Mr YVni. Crombic, railway station master, the Secretary be instructed to write to that gentleman expressing the band's appreciation of the uniform courtesy and thoughtful caro which have characterised his management of the band's iinnufil railway excursion during the past lOyears; andthatthe banc],congratulate Mr C'ombie upon his well-earned pi'Or motion, ui.d express a hope that so excellent an ollicer may long be able to give the service the benefit of his practical knowledge of railway management." At the meeting of the Waste Land Board yesterday the following applications were approved :—For village homestead allotments on lease in perpetuity, Wm. Reardon, section 39, block 5, Maerewhenua. To exchange for lease in perpetuity, J. H. Chalmers, section 1, block 8, Rurow. We draw attention to an auction sale of freehold properties at Kurow which will take place at Mr Sumpter's rooms on Saturday, at which time also valuable properties at Oamaru, Ngapara, and Windsor will also valuable properties at Oamaru, Ngapara, and Windsor will be offered. The nomination of candidates for seats on the Education Board by School Committees is now proceeding. Messrs M'Kerrow and Ramsay have been nominated at Kajkorai, Messrs Borrie and Ramsay at Hyde, and Mr Ramsay at Moonlight. A girl from Weston some months ago was married at the registry office here to a travelling advertising agent, who subsequently took her to Christchurch, where tho couple lived in style at a leading hotel for some three months. At the end of that period the man left the girl, forgetting also to pay his hotel bill. It has since been discovered that the scoundrel was a married man with a wife and family living at Fitzroy, Victoria. G. A. Strike having failed to pay the fine inflicted upon him for assault within the stipulated time has been committed to tho Dunedin gaol to serve the two months' imprisonment imposed as an alternative. A largely-attended meeting of St. Paul's congregation was held in the Church last night, the Rev. P S. Hay, moderator, presiding. After devotional exercises, the question of whether the congregation was prepared to moderate in a call to a minister was dealt with, and it was decided that the congregation was not in a position at that Btage to name a successor to the Rev. A. B. Toda. It was decided that candidates should be heard, and seven members of tho congregation were added to the office bearers to recommend the candidates to be heard. Tljis committee met subsequently, and six names

wer e submitted as candidates, all of whom it was arranged to hear, each on two consecutive Sundays, beginning on the first Sunday in February. A man named John Kedsley, a harvester 3 t Knrow, was brought into the Hospital this morning under Dr Stevens' advice. He is suffering from injuries received through being thrown from his horse. Tho comm nts of the Home Pres3 on the finding of the Court in the Wairarapa inquiry will be the reverse of pleasant reading to the Union Company (says the London correspondent of the Lyttelton Times); indeed, I fear the disaster may altogether give their prosperity a nasty jar. If the captain alone had failed it would have been bail enough, but the funk and demoralisation amongst the officers seem to have been genera! and moat disgraceful. This points to confirming a suspicion already fonnnlated by recent tourists in Australia and New Zealand. These persons allege that partly owing to the severity of the work on these coasting boats, and partly for other reasons, there is a difficulty in obtaining good men to officer them. "It was" (say 3 "Globetrotter") "generally remarked whilst we were on the New Zealand coast that onr officers were overdone. All day they were tallying cargo and at night thoy kept watch, and this went on for the best part of a week. I asked the chief how they managed, and he said more than I dare repeat."