Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. MONDAY, OCTOBER 5,1885. “Sucking Other Mens’ Brains.”

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1742, 5 October 1885, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. MONDAY, OCTOBER 5,1885. “Sucking Other Mens’ Brains.”

I We have always contended that Sir Julius Vogel is a much overrated man. Even those poor creatures in this colony who used to worship Vogel, and bow down before him as if he were a sort of little god, are now beginning to perceive dimly that in most things he is a very shallow pretender and a good deal of a humbug. In truth, Vogel never possessed much originality. He has certainly brought out a good many new schemes, but it has nearly always been ultimately discovered that the ideas were stolen from other men possessed of better brains and less cheek and effrontery than the would-be great “ Sir Julius." The Public Works, Railways, and Loan Policy was really originated by the Hon E. W. Stafford, who left the draft plan of the whole business in one of the pigeon holes of his office when he retired from power. Vogel got hold of that plan and worked it out in his own way, utterly destroying its best points and safe guards. Then it is well known that “ the great Polynesian Scheme ” for the authorship of which Vogel took credit, was really originated by Mr Coleman Phillips of this district. We speak that which we know with respect to this matter. Some years ago, the question of the paternity of the Polynesian scheme was fully dis cussed in the Evening Post, and Mr Coleman Phillips, in a series of letters, proved beyond doubt that he was really the author of tHat project and that Vogel had first appropriated his scheme and then completely spoiled it by making in it alterations and additions of his own. The inscription of stock scheme, the forest scheme, and (be beetroot sugar scheme have just in the same way been stolen by Sir Julius from the j men who brought out and originated them. In fact, Vogel has kept up a reputation for supposed original ability, on false pretences. He has ‘‘sucked other men's brains,” and impudently profited by the result of their thought and labor, The latest instance of Vogel’s unscrupulous action in this way has just been exposed. In his Financial Statement last session Vogel made a proposal that Jbe local bodies all over the colony .should InlH cottages and let them to working men, conferring a valuable boon upon the ftll^ adding to the funds in their own treasury chests. Every practical man saw at a single glance that such a plan would never work at all, and that, if attempted, it would simply

end in heavy loss to the local bodies. The scheme was simply laughed out of existence in Parliament, so it disappeared from the Treasurer’s proposals and was heard of no more. It now turns out that Vogel stole this scheme from a very honorable and kindly newspaper man named Twomey, who at one time was employed as a shipping reporter on the Evening Post, and is now the proprietor of a country paper in the Canterbury Pro« vincial District. But Vogel not only stole Twomey’s scheme, but afterwards so altered it as to make it absurd and worse than useless. The whole business is exposed in a simple and straightforward letter written by Mr Twomey to the Canterbury Press. As Mr Twomey’s scheme, before it was spoiled by Vogel, contained * some really good points, we quote what he has to say about it. Mr Twomey writes :—“ My suggestions were as follows;

“ Let the Government buy here and there allotments of land of about six acres each, and lease them (or life to agricultural laborers desirous of settling in such homes. Let these allotments be in the proportion of one to every 200 or 300 acres of agricultural land in - any district. I elaborated this scheme, and sent it, with the National Bank scheme, to Sir Julius Vogel. As he acknowledged the receipt of it, I may, I think, conclude that the proposal was originated by myself. lam sorry to say it has been so altered that it has been rendered useless. Besides the objection that the local bodies would never take it up, I can point out others still more serious. It is absolute nonsense to propose (as Sir Julius Vogel did) that houses should he built by the local bodies. To do so would lead to endless trouble. The houses would require to be repaired frequently, bad tenants would clear out without paying their rente, and the local body would have to make up the deficiency out of rates. My proposal was to lease the six acre allotments and let the tenants build their own houses. The house would then be the property of the tenant, while the land would be the property of the Crown, and if the tenant wanted to leave he could Iget compensation for improvements, or else sell his interest to any other agricultural laborer who might be willing to buy. If that plan were adopted, the State would have the house built by the tenant as security for the rent. The rent should be to pay cost of administration and interest on the purchase money, together with providing for a sinking fund that would wipe out the debt incurred in purchasing the land. Under these circumstances loss would be next te impossible.”

There is certainly something to be said in favor of Mr Twomey’s scheme, while the travestre of it made by Sir Julius Vogel caused the whole thing to become impracticable. Mi Twomey’s plan would prove suitable iu country districts where it was desired to induce laboring men to form permanent homes. But, as a matter of fact, a laboring man who could save enough money to build a home would, in many cases, be able also to purchase a freehold site on which to place it. A laboring man would like his house and bit of land to be “ his very own ” and not merely to have a life interest in the land. Besides, it is nearly always possible for a laboring man to get a bit of freehold and be allowed time to pay for it. The truth is that the sober and thrifty men of the laboring classes will always be able to save money and acquire homes for themselves and their families without any special scheme being put forth for their benefit, (Still Mr Twomey’s idea has something to recommend it, and it was a mean trick of Sir Julius Vogel to first steal it from him, then spoil it, and finally pass it off as his own.