DUNEDIN LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 5972, 24 August 1912, Page 3

DUNEDIN LETTER.

| (Own Correspondent.] I Advance New Zealand l ! The nian- | hood of the country has risen, and the North, (East Valley voices iis proI test. What should ,we do without the | N.G. Valley ? Here was tile whole of tho Dominion dozing off into a sort of torpor, charmed into sleep, and lazily indifferent to Ibhe avalanche that threatened it lulled into security by the deceptive voice and Machiavellian wiles of the Massey Government and, liko Merlin beneath the spells of Vivien, just orj the point of toeing dead to life and anme and iaiiw '. Even the |Southland Shriek, forgetting the Mokau land deal, the Chief Justice payment, the Hine law charges, and what caused them, the Mlacahster appointment, and a few other evil-smel-ling jobs, was content pitifully to wail, Where are the jobs, we can't see 'em ? (of course it can't and never could). Nothing, in fact, to be de- ' tecled iby which ani ■ honest citizen might learn tho nature of his danger and shin the'precipice ahead. | To tho eternal honour and f?lory of young New Zealand, the doom of which we were a" aimaz ngiy unaware, and the fate that was so stealthily enwrapping us that we were ignorant of its presence, wore discovered in time acid a warning note sent forth. Yes ! to young New Zealand alone tho praise and credit belong. What the Opposition in Parliament did not do, what the Tickleton Times and Timaru Ghost did not perceive, and what nobody anywhere else scons la have known was done, seen and knowii % Sfc Georgo S. Thomson, of Opoho. I say we have reason to be grateful that there ava .such men. Whilst wo have been, paying taxes, trying to mak« both ends meet and munding our own business, Mr George S. Thomson of Opoho has been burning the midnight oil and studying the Financial Statement. Sir, thore aro men who have done far far less and yet had a public monument erected to their memory when they have goDO to, their last home. As it is incidents of this character that constitute epochs in the history of nations I propose to place on record lor the benefit of Sir George Grey's unborn .millions (still unborn) and the Duuedin Expansion League's 100,000 citizens, a practically accurate copy of the clarion call which Mr George S. Thomson, at Opoho, gave forth in the North East Valley.

Young New Zealand Party. (Liberal-Labour.) "We want New Zealand for tho worker and small fanner." You are cordially invited, &<•„ 4:e., to form a N.E. Valley branch oi the Young New Zealand I'arty. There will be A discussion and criticism of the present' Government's Policy (As outlined in the Otago Daily Timus of Wednesday, August 7th, l'Jl'2) By George S. Thomson (of Opoho)

who was born in the N.Fv \ alley, and who, during tho past six years in business for himself as Public Accountant has had the necessary learning to enable him to auuLse and criticise''a policy such as that above referred to.

May I be pardoned if 1 offer a few comments on this modest effusion, this 'eagle note from Opoho : I promise to treat it with due respect and, liko the good Turk when he enters his law courts to 'take off my shees and leave them on the door mat. 1 will begin at the end and work up as Air Gcorgo S. Thomson should have done ; his circular then would have had a finish that it now lacks. " Born and educated 'in the N.E. Valley." Well, long ago a rami named Shakespeare, who is still cited as an authority .; people who don't like Uacon, ventured the. opmiorj that " home youths have ever homely wits," and a man who poses as an instructor of his epecies would 'be letter • ; ialilied perhaps i r he ec.nld add to the "born and educated in the IN.E. Valley " tho ,urther qualification, say, that he had been once out to St. Clair and twice to the top ff Flagstaff. " The necessary traininc to enable him to analyse and criticise a policy such as," &c, would have been better omitted. The only test is : Did lie convince his audience ? And a man who talks about a cursory examination does net honour his own promises. Nor am 1 altogether convinced that

"We want New Zealand for ;the worker and small farmer." Who and what is a wr-rkcr ? Are fanners the only ones ? Also, who are "we "11 have a disreputable sort of idea that if by "we" is meant voting New Zealand and that this Dominion belongs to Young New Zealand, " we " are talking nonsense. 1 answer Mr George S. Thomson by presenting a couple of counter propositions. I assert (1) that New Zealand belongs to English bondholders and shareholders. These have advanced .C 82.000.000 net to cur Government, £17,000,000 to local bodies and unknown millions for private investment. Now Ix'fore "we" can say what " we " will or will not do with New Zealand " we" shall have to satisfy the mortgagee (who during 20 years of Libcral-Labourisun has become a very formidable person) that " we" are able to pay our debts.

I divido my second preposition into two parts and assert (a) that if it were not for a Navy towards which we pay 2s a head and leave tho helots of the Homeland to pav 20s, this Neiv Zealand of ours could and would be mopped up by some one who wouhl not even trouble to ask

" we " what " we " 'thought about it, (b) that our future depends not' upon the good will of the Old Land and her navy but upon the honour of the •Japanese—that people "we " in common with Australia (young Australia') have for a generation insulted by our talk, our acts and our legislation. Please do aiot let "we " pish "and pshaw, a nd make donkeys of ." -we " when "we" road this. The command of „tho sea in these waters, is no longer in our hands, that vou have on the authority of Sir Kthvard Grey which is nearly as good as my own. In the event of war (which is at least possible) the Motherland has told us she can do nothing— wr- must look to ourselves and trust to the wisdom Qi the anti-militarists, the peacc-without-paying-for-it (parly 'and similar patriots. Therefore, and this is mv point, before the Young New Zealand party and Mr George S. Thomson take over New Zealand for the worker and the small farmer let them be quite certain that it is there to take. Put in another form it is essential that Mr George S. Thomson (of Opoho) should not pride himself unduly on being 'born and educated in tho North Bast Valley. He uiiust enlarge his horizon and get a more accurate survey. At present ho suffers from that common weakness of young New Zealand and young Australia. He thinks the rustic cackle of his bourg the-murmur of the world. But 'actually, really and truly, we are very small potatoes, and man not our own. I want to rub this fact into him and ethers. Now Zealand has no future that is not dependent on events over which she has i not an iota oi control. If this plain truth were appreciated (as it is not) at its true value there would be les3 nonsense talked in ■'Wellin|giton, and no desire on the part of political critics to proclaim! to a grinning universe that they were " born 'and educated in the North last Valley."

Look up, look round, the world is large, And we are but a feeble part, Scaroe heeded on the Empire's marge, So far removed from brain and • heart. It is not ours to shout and dare, Let others lead, wo can but share ! But Opoho- had a message. Not a now one nor a true one. In n in elected executive Mr George S. Thomson finds tho open sesame and Aladdin's lamp. Giver, this and everyt'liinu and everybody will coo like , n sucking dovct! Great, great is the power of words. The old lady with her Mesopotamia was more wise than she thought. In all ages mankind has been the victim ani' slavo of words. Liberty, brotherhood, qquality, labour, worker, liberal, prohibition and now " elective executive!" And, so, through splutter and bubbly we work towards our destined goal.