The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1889. MINISTERIAL SPEECH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1900, 6 June 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1889. MINISTERIAL SPEECH.

The first sentence in Mr Fergus’s speech to his constituents last Saturday evening runs as follows:—“ As the outcome of Ministerial economies, we are able to pay off £46,000 of the deficit, and begin the financial year with a credit of £20,000.” there is nothing like impudence, and the present Government can give long odds to all New Zealand in that respect. The primage duty of 1 per cent, was put on specially to pay off £58,000 of the deficit; it has only realised £46,000, and this is the £46,000 the Government is going to pay off. In our last issue we explained this. We showed that if the Government paid, as they promised to do, the £58,000, they would have only £BOOO as a surplus. This exactly tallies with Mr Fergus’s statement. He proposes to pay only £46,000 and have £20,000 to spare; but if he paid £58,000 he would only have £BOOO to spare, exactly as we stated, Mr Ehodes said the Government would have £70,000 to spare, and was only £62,000 wrong. We, therefore, knew more about the colony’s finances than Mr Ehodes did, notwithstanding the fact that he is a member of Parliament. But why should Mr Fergus claim credit for paying this £46,000 ? The tax was put on specially to pay it, and it is nothing short of impudence for the Government to claim credit for paying it, Indeed, they deserve censure if, instead of carrying it forward, they do not appropriate the another £12,000 and pay the £58,000, as they promised. They have the money, and therefore can have no excuse for not paying it. Another extraordinary statement in his speech is as follows:—“ The efforts of the Government in the past had been productive of much good. Our debentures, which were 100|, with a dividend nearly due, when the Government *took office, are now 106. With an equalisation of revenue and expenditure there had been a great recovery in the agricultural industry. The volume of natural trade was expanding, and the colony, freed from the adventitious aid of borrowed money, goes forth to gather in the fruits of legitimate industry.” This beats all. Mr Fergus has the reputation of being the most shamelessly “ cheeky ” man in Parliament, but we really did not think he would have claimed that the improved prospects of agriculture were due to the Government. The drought in Australia must evidently have been caused by them at that rate, for it was that which principally improved the prospects of agriculture. The corner in hemp and sisal in America, which has raised the price of New Zealand flax, has been caused by the Government ; the improved price of cattle, sheep, tallow, wool, etc., has been caused by them, and so on. How have they assisted agriculture ? The only way they could have assisted it was by relieving it of taxation, but instead of that they have increased taxation by something like 25 per cent.—and yet they do not blush to claim credit for having caused the improvement in its prospects! Mr Richardson went into office determined to destroy perpetual-leasing; it has flourished in spite of him, and now he claims that it has succeeded through his own good management. If shamless audacity and unblushing effrontery can succeed, then there is not the slightest danger of the present Ministry; but surely such mendacious distortion of facts must be seen through sooner or later. Surely the people cannot confide their trust much longer in men who claim to have been the cause of the rise in the price of wheat. We cannot believe it, and, therefore, conclude that the country will not tolerate much longer men who boast of having done impossibilities.