The Opunake Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1894. GOVERNMENT POLICY.

Opunake Times, Volume I, Issue 42, 23 November 1894, Page 2

The Opunake Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1894. GOVERNMENT POLICY.

Since the close of the session a few of the members of Parliament have been giving what they, call an account of their stewardship. The Government supporters are trying to make their constituents believe that the legislation of last sessien took them by surprise. They all pose as non-borrowers, and affect to treat with horror an} policy which would in the remotest degree necessitate a return to borrowing. They preach and profess self-reliance as the only policy desirable for the colony, and proclaim that that policy, and that alone, has any favour in their eyes. These are their protestations, but their actions are quite the reverse. Their votes have been given to give effect to the Government policy measures, and in doing so we can only see that they are fulfilling the expressed wishes of the electors at the ballot. The Government did not hide their intention of acquiring land for settlement, and the fight between the two McKenzies for the Waihemo seat raged fierce and hot on this question, but victory lay with the lands acquisition champion. In other parts of the colony opponents of the Government lost no opportunity of decrying this part of the Government policy, but the majority returned pledged to support the Ministry is the only verdict of the people which we can place weight on. Lands acquisition and settlement was a plank of Government policy before the people on the hustings, and they voted in favor of a coutinuance of it. No sensible elector could have expected that this policy would have been carried out without money, and as the Government had no money, it was a matter of course that it would have to be borrowed by some means to give effect to the peoples' wishes. The Government also made known that it was their intention to aid the farmers by devising a means of obtaining assistance. It was well understood that this would take the form of offering facilities by a monetary scheme. Farmers, we arc sure, never anticipated that the Government contemplated sending men round to plough their farms, shear their sheep, harvest their crops, or milk their cows for them. How the monetary assistance was to be given remained to be divulged in the Financial Statement, under the heading of the cheap money scheme, with which everyone is now familiar. Under this it is proposed to advance one and a half millions per anuum to farmers, at a low rate of interest. Nearly all the members', excepting the money lenders and their satellites, are agreed that the application of such a scheme, fairy carried out, would be a boon to the farmers ; and being agreed on this, it puzzles us to imagine how the Government are going to give effect to the wishes of the people and their representatives, unless they procure the money by means of loan. It appears extremely childish for members to vote to do certain things, and then cavil at the only available means of carrying them out. The Consols scheme is also put down as borrowing, but we fail to see it. At present people have the option of depositing in the Post Office

Savings Bank, and it is known that there is a large amount of money which is -permanently invested in that way, and to these depositors -the consols scheme offers a handier form of investment. The success of this, however, rests entirely with depositors, who, if they do not prefer the system, will not avail themselves of it, and matters will remain as they were before the Bill was passed. The purchase of native lands has been demanded by the North Island members, and on the vigorous prosecution of this policy the progress of settlement in the North Island very largely depends, and here again money is required to give effect to their wishes, and borrowing is the only meaus at their disposal. In all these cases, however, it is not borrowing in the ordinary sense, and in this particular the members are guilty of deceit in attempting to mislead the public. If money be raised and land be resumed for settlement, the Government will hold the fee simple of the land; if money be raised and advanced to settlers under the Cheap Money Bill the Government will' hold interest producing securities for every penny raised; if money be raised and native lands purchased therewith, the Government will hold the native lands therefor. T.he Government in reality only become the agent in these several cases, and they are no more borrowing or incurring indebtedness than a broker would be who procures money for clients. We are not dealing with the question of whether these various proceedings are desirable or not, but just to point out the want of logic on the part of our members, who, by their actions, back up the Government in passing laws requiring the acquisition of foreign capital, and then turning round and blaming the Government for giving effect to their wishes as expressed by their votes.