ABOLITION AND THE REVENUE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1242, 18 September 1875, Page 8

ABOLITION AND THE REVENUE.

The question has been often asked — Where is the money to come from which is to do all those fine things that the Miuistry propose to do for the country under guise of Abolition 1 The greediest constituency, before swallowing the bribe held out to it, felt a qualm of doubt os to its reality. Leas partial observers Understood that at any rate the £30,000 Abolition would save could not provide fill the moneys promised. As an answer io all these inquiries, the Colonial Treasurer has placed on the table a statement showing that he has a gum of almost £300,000 more at his disposal than last year, or, as he would put it, under the <old administration. This sum is thus composed :— Confiscated Lands ... ... J873.000 Treasury Bills 58,700 Surplus ... ... „„ 60,000 Estimated increase of B«renue 1C9,000 290,700 It will at one« be apparent that the genuiue part of thid estimate i» the proceeds of confiscated landß, and that alone. *Fho Treasury bills will have to be repaid iv twelve months. The existence of the snrpluß i» more than doubtful. The estlmited increase of the consolidated revenue is still in wtbibus, and depends upon nwttars quite beyond the control of \ even ft Colonial Treasurer. We do not wish, however, so much to question the probable value of those expectations as to point out tVat they have nothing whatever to do m*th Abolition... When revenue

upon some new work or to remit taxation. Major Atkinson adopts the former plan, and the work that he proposes to undertake is this, viz., to persuade the various constituencies that there is more than a local connection between Tenterden Steeple and the Goodwin Sands ; that wealth and abolition • are connected as effect and cause. This was, at any rate, the first attempt of the Government, and it deceived a great many unthinking people, who had not the wits to see that the country must gain by increased revenue whether Abolition took place @v not, and that the MiDistry were using the increase as the white man is said in the Btory to have used the eclipse that the almanac foretold — to persuade the natives that his power it was that brought the wonder to pass. We accept the figures a3 they stand for the sake of argument, though they are quite unreliable. We admit again, for the sake of argument, that it is better to bribe the constituencies than to remit taxation, and still the question remains unanswered — What, on earth, has all this hocus-pocus got to do with Abolition 1 It must be allowed that the attempt is more ingenious than honest. It is worth notice that the generous intentions of the Ministry, and their skill in liberal finance, their clever administration, come to this, that they rather hope the revenue will increase next year, that they have fifty thousand put away in an old stocking-foot, and that they intend borrowing as much more. But if their hopes and fancies fade away, what will Cock Robin do then, then, then 1

ports. Until this is done, no benefit will accrue to mariners from the observations at Wellington, for by signalling only can they acquire publicity. A correct forecast of the weather would be a boon of great price to coasting vessels, especially if the forecasting were not confined to " warnings," but dealt with the phases of the weather generally, and probable direction of the wind.