DAMAGING NEW ZEALAND.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12738, 9 March 1910, Page 1 (Supplement)

DAMAGING NEW ZEALAND.

THE GRADING OF BUTTER, ETC.

A FALSE REPORT PUBLISHED.

CONTRADICTION BY THE MINIS' TER OF AGRICULTURE.

(Special to "The Colonist.")

Christchurch, March 5. At the annual show held under the auspices of the Cheviot A. and P. Association yesterday the Hon Thomas Mackenzie, the Minister of Agriculture, in proposing the toast of the association at the conclusion of the luncheon, touched upon tho subject of some flagrant misrepresentations with., reference to the Dominion that had appeared in the columns of the Washington and London papers. "From Syd-. ney," said Mr Mackenzie., "is telegraphed the statement that the butter factories' delegates consider that aa the system of grading butter in operation in. Australia and New Zealand has been a failure, the Federal Government should be urged to discon-. tinue the system. You may not be great interested at the moment in tho grading of dairy produce, but it is one of our growing~industries,and promises to do more for closer settlement than anything else. As the statement ia entirely incorrect as far as New Zealand is concerned, I take, this, the earliest opportunity, of giving it an emphatic contradiction. Instead of tha iystem being a failure here it has been a thorough success from the time/ it was introduced in 1894. The number of complaints received against it have oeen almost infinitesmal for years past, and tho leading men engaged in dairying throughout the Dominion candidly admit that it was the means of raising the standard of quality. The producers and merchants are evidently well satisfied with the method. As proof of this it may be mentioned that practically the whole of the dairy produce purchased for export is arranged ror on the basis of the Government grade certificates and marks, and the system is highly spoken of by many of che principal produce merchants at Home. The New Zealand farmers would not entertain the idea of the grading of dairy produce being discontinued, as it is a protection alike to them as well as to the merchant. The system of discrediting our country abroad is reaching a serious point, and it is time that something was said. Yesterday my correspondence brought copies of newspapers published in London and '"Washington, each of which contained misleading articles reflecting on the Dominion. The paper published in London to which I reter, is a well known financial organ. The irticjei to which I refer begins: 'A friend in the colony has obliged us,' and then follows an account written to mislead the people regarding the position of New Zealand. Referring to the increased debt of £32,000,000 since 1.891, it sneers at the interest yielding results from our investments, which more than, repay the whole interest ive require to remit to the. British money lenders. This article goes on to say : 'It is impossible to be sure of the true vitality of anything in a counjry whose entire, industry is stimulated and sustained by means of doles out of 'loans.'" Mr Mackenzie continued; 'When one remembers that you farmors here to-day as* representatives of those who by their enterprise, industry and energy are helping to export from > our country nearly £20,000,000 worth >f products a year, a quantity not equalled by any other country in the .vorld, and when it is remembered that this year shows the greatest credit balance between imports and exports that has ever occurred in the history of this Dominion, a difference last year in our favour of over £6,000,000, can all this bo. said to be the result of "doles"? Again this same article luotes a journal published in New Zealand in support of some of its contentions and remarks. It says : 'As we nave more than once indicated, the land is eaten by officialdom as by locusts, and every branch of the Public service is redundantly stuffed, for corruption purposes.' Mr Mackenzie isked, Is this not sufficient to make my New Zealander indignant? If thie is true, what a reflection it is upon the people of this Dominion. If it is aot true then it is a slander which ihould be repudiated by every lover of his homeland. I have under my chargethree leading departments of the State, namely, agriculture, tourist and health resorts, and commerce, aud ■.vill any man dare to state to me that [ would tolerate for a moment the appointment of an officer for corruption Purposes? If this sort of business ~'oes on you will find that good men .vill refrain from taking part in public , life altogether, as they now do in America. The members of the Ministry, in the face of the greatest pressure for extravagant expenditure, aro doing their utmost to carry on the i work of this country on sound economic lines. We aro making enemies daily because wo are doing right, and the country should support ujs in these efforts. It is not encouraging to have to contend with and cobat such reflections as I am alluding to. Honourable public men will not always put up with such reflections, and if the public get. what a section persistently says they now have, they aro going the very best way to bring that about. The article in the Washington newspaper is probably by "the same friend in the colony." It hears the following headings in large black type: "New Zealand pleunged headlong into debt— is being steadily abandoned, for better fields, by all who can get away— work scarce— wages poor— living high." As in the London journal, so in the Washington paper, exactly similar illustrations are given without giving credit for the Jesuits obtained. Tako the increased debt ot £3,000,000 alluded to. Why. one sum alone of tha,t amount, equalling about a quarter of it, went for the purchase of the Manawatu railway, which yields directly more than we require to i pay for the money, and it is the key of tho whole of the system of the North Island railways from Wellintgon, and in view of that, its value to the country can hardly be overestimated. I think it is only right, when our Country is traduced", to speak plainly about the matter. This is no party question ; it is above and beyond that. (Applause.) It is the credit of our Dominion that is at stake. We have a magnificent country here, requiring poulation of the right class, and money at low rates of interest to develop it. These misleading retports alarm the very people we require, and prevent them coming here, and also increase tho interest charges on the money you and tho State- require for the country's development. In public, as in private matters, borrowing is good or bad in proportion to the ability that is shown, and the nature of the investments dealt with. Our public debt is considerable, but we have six times its value in assets. Why in the Old Country they have one railway company which alone has a total liability in round figures of £125,000,000, of which £42,837.000 only 13 in ordinary shares, the balance being of liabilities on debentures, preference shares, guarantee stock, to the extent of £82,---800,000. This one company's liabilities exceed our total debt by over £45,000,---000, whilst its assets are not a third of what we in Now Zealand have as against our indebtedness. Will it-bo said that the company is rotten, or that England is on the verge of bankruptcy ? We have one of the grandest countries under the sun, and given an industrious population, and a capable administration, there can be no doubt as to the splendid future that is m store for this Dominion. (Applause.)