PROSPERITY OF THE COLONY,

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 17

PROSPERITY OF THE COLONY,

and in his speeches the Premier would make the people believe that all the prosperity of the colony was due to the administration of his Government, and he wanted to take credit for the whole of the prosperity the people of this country were enjoying. The country was prosperous, and was now prospering, but it had' been prosperous because there was a good demand outside for almost every article the colony produced. The consequence was money flowed into the country in lareer sums than ever before, and the people did their level best ; -hence the prosperity. But the question arose, Had the Government done everything 1 they might hav-c done in order to promote the colony's properity? — (Cries of '"Yes" from the audience.) What absolute nonserse. Let them look at the Ciown lands at present lying idle and unoccupiud, and there was nothing that so much conduced to the prosperity of the colony as the settlement that should be going on all the time. Again, what about their public works, their railways incomplete, the indebtedness continually being piled tip, the increase of taxation (for taxation had be«n increased on the people to the extent of £1 Is 3d per head), the money for which they were not getting value? There was 'no doubt about it, the Government was not responsible for the prosperity the country had enjoyed, but the country had a good deal to do with the prosperity that the Government enjoyed. — (Applause.) The expenditui'3 of borrowed money during the last few years had made it easier for the colony to make both ends meet, both

publicly and privately; but the expenditure of borrowed money for the next few years wovild have to b& tapered off very considerably, and the colony would have to depend upon its own resources for its public works and io pay interest, and with proper management he believed the colony was able to do it. There was nothing wrong with either the people or the colony, and there was no one more anxious than himself to see the country prosperous and the people happy. But the fact remained that there was no royal road to prosperity — the only way was JE>y the thrift and industry of the people. — (Applause.) He would not suggest any new method of running the country. He would not suggest that the country should go further in the direction of State socialism than it had gone already. The colony certainly should not go further until it had found some system different from running on foreign gold, which the present system undoubtedly was. — (Applause.) It was well to look back and realise —