Page 22 Advertisements Column 2

Otago Witness, Issue 2231, 3 December 1896, Page 22

ment wae esly responsible for L 5,000,000 of the inoreaso of the publio debt, while the Conservative Government and tbe StoutVogel Government — which was a semiConservative Government — were responsible for L 37,000,000. Now, among the followers of this " half-Conservative " Stout-Vogel Government were Messrs Seddon, Ward, M'Kenzie, Cadman, and other true Liberals I Further, was the Grey Government— one of the most extravagant ever holding power in tbe colony — a Conservative Government? They were the first Administration calling themselves Liberals the colony ever bad. Evidently for purposes of his own, Mr Ward lumped all preceding Governments together, and oalled them Conservatives and half- Conservatives. It is currently stated that aboub 500 seamen who were at last election on the Chalmers roll now find that their residence ! is in Dunedin, and they will accordingly j exercise their electoral rights for the City election. A seaman can apparently say he j resides anywhere — it all depends who wants his vote. Will any inquiry be made into this alleged nefarious transaction 1 Some of the blessings of co-operative labour are shown in the following extract from last year's official returns :— ln Auckland 9t men earned 3 a 2d per day, in Taranaki 34 men earned 2s lid per day, in' Hawke's Bay 144 men earned 2s 3d per day, in Wellington 28 men earned Is 8d per day, in Westland 54 men earned 4s 3d per day, in Southland 4 men earned Is 2d per day, in Otago 10 men earned 2-? 2d per day. Mr Seddon himself draws about L 3500 a year and travels about with a larga and costly retinue. Men are moved by hundreds into electorates to vote for Government candidates, and are put on works dignified by the name of co-operative contracts, and enrolled for the district the work is in. They are not allowed the game privileges as are granted to seamen, Bhearers, and mußterers — to vote where their homes are. Mr Seddon actually got a bill recommitted, and forced the clause out remedying this, by means of a servile majority who owed him gratitude — which is a lively sense of favours to come. The savings of the people are in tbe Government Savings Bank to the amount of L 3.895.543. Of this sum L 3.581.750 is locked up in Government securities, in purchased estates, loans to local bodies, harbour boards, ka. If a slight disturbance in the money market causes tbe rate of interest to rise to 4^ or 5 per cent, then tbe capitalist class of investors, who now get 34 per cent., will want their money. This will compel Government to either sell their securities at what they oan v get for them on a falling market or give depositors local bodies' debentures, New Zealand consols, or post office* notes for their money. This is what is oalled encouraging thrift. The Insurance Act of 1894 provides that not more than one fifth of the Government Insurance funds shall be Invested in Government securities, or those of local bodies, and that their fonrtbs shall be lent upon the security of policies of members, or on first mortgages on freehold property. A parliamentary return of last year gives tbe following particulars of tbe investments : — In Government securities ...£1,075,210 In land and houseß « 135.239 Ia mortgages „„ ... ... 734,667 In foifclosures ... .* w . 32,306 Total ... «, „, /M . 1,977,422 Therefore the Government has taken not 20 per oent. but over 54 per oent. Polioyholders pay 6 to 7 per oent. for advances on their policies, yet Government has appropriated the money at rates from 3| per cent, upwards. L 827.016 is paying *| per oent. or less, and tbo loss to the department is fully L 25.000 per annum, while Ministers have stated that they intend to lower the rate to 3 per oent. Tbe calculations of the department are based upon an earning of i per cent. dear. It is very evident that tbe financial position of the department cannot continue to be Eound unless its funds are more profitably invested than in land for settlement debentures or harbour bonds. The loss will fall on the policy-holders and nobody else. Tbe department's functions are to .encourage people to make provision for widows and orphans, and tbe Government is inverting them by using their money for roads and bridges. In July, 1895, a return was moved for showing the details of the items " travelling ex- j pensea" and "contingencies" under the head j " Native Purposes in the Civil List Account." i The celebrated trip to Uriwera by Mr Seddon and Mr Carroll, and a small army of touters and hangers-on, ooßt the colony £680 3s lOd. It cost a further large sum to print a huge book about it that nobody ever read. And wkat was it all for J A trip to Uriwera for the Premier. It was a wild orgie, in fact, and some who were there speak with bated breath to this day of the proceedings. Mr Seddon, the chosen of a democratic people, hating display and detesting shams, travels among the untutored Uriweras with barbaric magnificence, bestowing largesse everywhere. Among the host of items in tbe contingencies, the following choice and suggestive trifles are included :— -Hon. J. Carroll, valise and straps, £1 3s; Hon. J. Carroll, a portfolio, £2 7s 6d ; temporary clerk, £20 ss ;" ditto, £11 10s, £18 ss, £10, £19 10», £14 ss, £5 ss, £11 10s (this is in addition to the private secretaries and other retinue). Tbe total sum actually drawn by Messrs Carroll and Seddon for their personal share in the vote was £602 7s 6d. This Native purposes vote was intended by Parliament for the relief of indigent Natives, and has been so used for the past 25 years. The Maoris received the following sums: — For food and clothing ,M, M £688 3 8 For medicines ... „. ... 847 2 8 That is to say, Messrs Carroll and Seddon ' drew, personally from tbe Treasury, out of tbe Native charitable aid vote, for what really was a few weeks' holiday, seveneighths of the total sum provided for all the Native race for food and clothing I and with their retinue of private secretaries, &c, a sum equal to the whole of that vote less about £8 1 Besides this, Ministers and their private secretaries have drawn large sums in .various ways for allowances and expenses, in order that some of them may be continually travelling for tbe purpose of seeing the country.