The Star. TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1894. The Political Situation.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4939, 1 May 1894, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1894. The Political Situation.

Thb Tory oracles of New Zealand have recommenced business. A few months ago, owing to severe losses over the general > election, their establishments suffered in credit to such an extent that hardly anyone in the colony would trust them, and their utterances for a while either : , ceaaed or became much leas definite than ; ; previously ; they lost the cocksureneaß i ! whioh had formerly characterised them. ! Now. however, the purveyors of Conj servative political prophecy have plucked ; up their spirits, recovered somewhat of \ their assurance, and made a new start. i They have nothing new to tell us j and j there is nothing new in their manner of j telling it. Years ago they predicted thab < New Zealand, through Liberal mismanagement, was going headlong to ruin ; and j thab there were signs that she had very nearly reached that undesirable bourne; in fact, the prophet of evil claimed that hia prognostication was even then more than half fulfilled. The events of succeeding years showed that it was not within miles of fulfilment, bub that did nob daunt the seer in the least. On the contrary, when the general election approached, he lifted up hia voice and proclaimed anew, with more vigour than ever, that " eternal smash " was cloeo at hand, and thab the only way to avert it was to put the virtuous and high-minded Tories in the places desecrated by those self-seeking political quacks, the Liberals. By way ot a aignificant" aside," the prophets added that the people of the colony clearly perceived the necessity for co doing ; that, since the " so-called Liberal" ministry had taken office, public opinion had altered. Fart of this diagnosis proved to be correct, though not quite in the way in which those who made ib meant. The elections showed that publio opinion bad, indeed, altered since three yearß previously. Then the elector, had returned a considerable body of Tories to the Houbb of Representatives. Ab the last general election the people swept the Conservatives out of existence as a Parliamentary party. Verily, there had been a change in the opinions of the eleotors. The elections are five montha past, and, already, we are assured by a prominent Conservative organ "publio opinion has altered." The reasonß given for this somewhat rapid change are exactly the same as tbose which were Baid to have caused the alleged alteration of. a few months ago, the alteration which had no existence save in the imagination of those who so loudly proclaimed it. The social and commercial position of the colony is, it is insinuated, almost too frightful for description; the "dreams of a new era of Liberalism" have nob been realised; and "the measures to which the party have pinned their faith have been discovered to be frauds." As moat, of the measures to which New Zealand Liberals have pinned their faith have not been tried, but have been either slaughtered or emasculated by th 6 Tories of the Upper House, this last assertion is delicious. Of course, the only remedy ia for tbe people of the colony to forsake political qaacks and self-seeking politicians, who " are seldom capable of even diagnosing the evil they undertake to oure," and to pin their faith to politicians who are not quacks, and to industry, economy and self-reliance. Now, we will admit readily that the Tories should be capable of diagnosing the evils which the Liberals are endeavouring to cure, fer tho middlemen, monopolists and land sharks who compose the bulk of the militant Conservative party in this colony are responsible for the greater part of the trouble. How far these men are more worthy of the people's truat than the politicians at present in power wa may judge from tbe shady land transactions and gridirons of the past. Industry, economy and self-reliance are excellent things, they have been practised by the people of New Zealand in no email measure, and the more so because cerbain individuals, who may have been induatrioas-— though, not in well-doing — grabbed for themselves what should have been the lot of the many. The many, consequently, have had to slave and scrape, to be industrious and .economical with a vengeance. In conclusion, we are told to " drink once more the invigorating draughts which Bpringfrom the wells of individual selfreliance," having previously "thrown to the winds the enervating rubbish called State Socialism." What the writer of these high-sounding phraseß intends people to understand them to mean is not quite clear. What .they practically mean is that the workers, who form the mass of the population, should abandon all united effort to ameliorate their condition ; should, above . all, 'cease to look to the State, which \ they support by their taxes, to help them in such efforts; Bhould work for as long . hours, for as little money, and in as favourable, or unfavour- ' able,conditio_B as the employer, of his own I free, unfettered will, chooses for them. . They mean that the burden of taxation, ( instead of being borne in proportion to j each man's strength, should fall with . crushing heaviness on the poor, while the rich escape with a load which, in compari- - son to their ability to bear it, is almost as ' nothing. If the people of New Zealand will but take the advice of the Tory , prophets; if they will but put their necks ■ under the feet of the monopolist and the : middleman, all the ill effects of the low : priceß of New Zealand's produce, of the . Australian financial collapse, of the bad harvest, and of the silver crisis— for all of , which, of course, the Liberals are direotly responsible—will disappear like magic, and i New Zealand's sun will shine forth with a ' i splendour equalled only by the radiance - • of the dark days of the strike and exodus < ) - | t Linwood.— At the meeting of the Lini wood Borough Council last evening, the . I Town Clerk stated that the valuation of - j the borough had increased by JBIO,OOQ during the past year,