THE Poverty Bay Independent. Published every Saturday morning. Saturday, June 27, 1885.

Poverty Bay Independent, Volume I, Issue 17, 27 June 1885, Page 2

THE Poverty Bay Independent. Published every Saturday morning. Saturday, June 27, 1885.

The Financial Statement of this year is certainly a most extraordinary production and has evidently been com-

piled more from a literary point of view than as a plain unvarnished statement of facts. In the majority of instances the nauseousness of the dose is disguised by an abundance of sugared and delusive words. In dealing with the public debt the Treasurer devotes much space to gloating over the facility with which New Zealand Loans are floated, but no doubt the majority of people will think with us that it would be far better for these colonies if the facilities for borrowing were of a more restricted nature. He next devotes a cloud of verbiage to the subject of loan conversion. In dealing with taxation all the arts of the beguiler are brought to bear upon the subject of the new tariff, and a sop is thrown first to free traders and then to protectionists, the latter being beguiled by the asset tion that the new tariff will act against impoits, whilst the former are told that it will operate largely in fostering local industries, and winds up with the broadly fallacious statement that the baneful tariff will confer a general benefit on all classes. The local Government question is dealt with in a more defined manner and contains one original and somewhat novel proposition for providing “ dwelling houses with small areas of land attached, for laborers all over the country at moderate rents, or on terms of purchase by instalment.” Of course there are a number of people who sneer at any measure which is calculated to improve and ameliorate the condition of our laboring classes, but we think the novel proposal has much to recommend it, and is certainly worthy of consideration before consigning it to that limbo which is made the repository of the majority of such measures. With respect to direct taxation the question of a land tax is fenced with in a similar manner to that of the tariff, and the main argument offered against it is that he “ can see no justification for disturbing bargains which, however unpolitic, were entered into with deliberation.” If this argument is to hold good in the present instance it must hold good in every similar case, and we may therefore look in vain, for advancement in any direction. Taken as a whole the Statement of this sessions bears the exceptionally deceitful and hollow ring which stamps every Vogellian prospectus.