THE COLONIST. Published Daily-Mornings. Nelson, Friday, December 30,1898. FALSE GUIDES.

Colonist, Volume XLII, Issue 9366, 30 December 1898, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Daily-Mornings. Nelson, Friday, December 30, 1898. FALSE GUIDES.

It is not only in New Zealand that vain individuals are met with who seek to push themselves to the front by belittling men who have worked long and performed good service. To play the part of a detractor requires no great ability, and some who have aspired to attain the rank of Statemen have, upon their failure, attempted to gain notoriety by imputing base motives to those who displayed larger abilities, hoping thereby that they might be regarded as superior individuals to those they thus malign. We all have heard of more than one who is now politically defunct throwing broadcast charges of corruption. The word has an ugly sound and consequently it has served the purposes of unsuccessful politicians to frighten the timid, but when those who have made suoh charges have been cornered they have had to admit that they did not mean corruption in the sense that was sought to be implied. It is noteworthy that in face ef all the charges that have been hurled against the present New Zealand Government, charges that were so cunningly expressed as to claim attention for the time, not one has been substantiated. In Parliament No-Oonfidence debates were commenced and certain members, notably some of the legal profession, advanced statements, but these were proved to be false, and the implied charges, but of which the Opposition sought to make capital, had to be dropped. Those who, parrot-like, echoed the cry of corruption, found neither evidence nor valor when they were afforded an opportunity of proving to be true what they desired the people should believe, indeed there was nothing left them save sufficient discretion to runaway. . When the Government declared that in the interests of the Oolony, it was desirable that the .Government Bhould have the power to appoint

fche majority of the Directors of the Bank of New Zealand, the same false guides who had previously sought to mislead the people, de : olared that all the Government desired was to reward ita friends, It was advanded with a certain amount of plausibility that the shareholders should have the power to appoint their Directors, but those who said this omitted to mention the fact that the . Bank had got into a hopeless itondition, and that for the time being, at all events, shares had lost all value. Had it not been that the State came to the rescue of the Bank) a ruinous panic would have ocourredj and disaster would have overtaken the iariph . ihe State having taking up great liabilities in order to avert a financial crisis, it became necessary that the Government should protect the interest of the people, but their attempts to safeguard the interests of the State were for a time thwarted by political opponents. In the House, Mr Scobie Mackenzie suggested that if the Government were giferi power to appoint ihe majority of Directors, favor would be shown particular persons desirous of obtaining financial accommodation, and other members of the Opposition party expressed themselves in a somewhat Similar fashion. In spite of very considerable difficulties the Government has now, however, appointed four Directors, and it will be impossible for the most virulent opponent of the Government to find fault with the appointments. Mr J. H. Blair, the Mayor of Wellington and Mr Harold Beauchamp of the same city are both esteemed as upright capable men. Mr F. de O* Malet, of Christchurch is also a gentleman who holds the respect of business men and of the community generally, while Mr William Milne, of Oamaru, is an old banker and will bring experience to the Board room. Neither of these gentlemen has taken a prominent part in politics, and at I least two of them* we believe^ lean to the Conservative side. These appointnlents provide further testimony as to the unreliability of the Opposition critics. It is by no means the first time that the Cabinet has selected men for important positions without showing regard to political views, but it is hopeless to expect the present Opposition to give credit to those who show a desire to promote the best interests of tbe Colony. It has so long been the custom of the Conservatives to divide all the plums between themselves that they seem incapable of understanding that the Liberals can ever regard the public interests before the claims of partizans. It is with evident chagrin that the Opposition regard the fact that they have again been detected as false guides, and the probabilities are that their wits will now be set to work to devise farther mischief, but if the people are trae to themselves they will regard the events of the past, they will remember how insinuations of wrong doing have been shown to be foundationless, and they will not withhold confidence from those who have consistently striven to advance the best interests of the people.