The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1899. OUTSIDE OPINION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9676, 23 February 1899, Page 2

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1899. OUTSIDE OPINION.

— ,_♦ It is pleasing to turn from the cverlnst1 ing croaldngs of the Qppoßtion to the [ highly laudntory testimony of eminent visitors, whose opinions aro uninfluonced by party bias, and vision unimpeded by prejudice. .New K6iUatkl has lately been visited l)y Sir Joseph Aubolt, a prominent resident of New South Wnles, where ho has resided fOr many years, alld filled many vdry important public ()osi(!oitu. At tho present moment ho is Speaker of the Legislative Council and President of tho Mutual ! Provident Society; the latter being the premier life insurance" institution of Aiistralafliiii With immense funds, which are lent out 611 mortgage in. both Australia and New Zealand. Sir sfosoph Abbott, whd was accompanied % Mr tfeeco, a prominent mttuDSr of the 3taff [of the A^M.P. &o'ci'ety, naturally took oarii during his tour of Now Zealand to ■ look well about him, as the society has A large amount of money out oh mortgage in this colony, and its visiting officials wero, of .course, anxious to see for themselves how lmittors. stand, and what truth there was in the "oft-repealed PHflertion of the Opposition that tho legislation and 'administration of the present Government wero driving capital out of the country, and lessening tho j selling value of landed property. sThis5 This lnttof accusation, -if tmo, would mean n serious menace to the prosperity of an institution 'like tjie A.M.P. Society, which has so much money in vested in New Zealand; but it is not true, and ?ir Joseph Abbott, so far from hnving any misgivings i\a to tho soundness' of our public nml private' financial position, lias returned to Sydney fully impressed with tho fact that New Zealand stands almost alone among the Australasian colonies, so far as progress and prosperity are concerned, as ho informed a Sydney press interviewer that ho was much impicssed with the growing trade and ;tho wondrous, prosperity of this colony and the energy of its people. He futhcrmore, in proof of his favourable opinion, stated that during tho whole period of his visit ho had not scon a beggar, and that ho did not believe there wns 'one in the country. Ab Sir Joseph travelled over the whole colony, and kept his eyes wide open all tho timo and no doubt heard a lot of the usual dismal stories which tho opponents of tho prosont Government delight to pour into the oars of distinguished visitors, it is very gratifying to find that ho preferred tho ovidonco of his own observations to any ready-inixdo conclusions so obligingly supplied by the resident detractorß of tho colony, one of whom'imposed upon tlj6 late historian, J. A. Fronde, rtlid mndo that gullible traveller beliovo that New Zealand was about to repudiate her indebtedness to the British bondholders! That was years ago, aud both the person who thus libelled the colony and his dubo have gone over to the majority; but tiiero are still plenty of detractors loft who never loso an opportunity of trying to imbuo visitors to ' New Zealand with a belief that (liiugs arc in «i very bad way here, and that "the Shadow of Tammany" is "epreadiug ovor ub like a pall, and that public affairs aro managed in this country on the lines of a corrupt American municipality, .dominated by unscrupulous "bosses" of' the Twcea pattern. Mr Sydney AVobb, tho celebrated Fabian lecturer, who lately toured Australasia, on returning to England, gave it as his opinion that from one end of Australasia to the other not a trace or symptou of Tammanyism is to bq found. Testimony like the above outweighs all the jealous, jaundiced Jeremiads of the Conservative Party in New Zealand, and its press supporters, and is convincingly borne out by tho high opinion of the London money market, with which New Zealand securities are in great favour, despite the continuous wail of such pessimists ns Mr John Duthio, M.H.R., that the public finances of the colony aro in a very bad "state, and a breakdown looming up 011 the not-distant Jiorizon. We have heard this unfulfilled prophecy ad nauscum during the last ten years, and know how baseless it is; but it secma it is still tho favourite weapon of tho Opposition, who can find none other to their hand wherewith to smit-J the Government. If they cannot 'nrinp 1 anything more than ;uich "croak ings ' to boar on Mr Seddon and his colleagues, the latter will continues to hold oluco for a considerable time to como if they live, and death seems about the only thing, according to present prospects, that is likely to cut short tho reign of King Richard, who' has proved Mmsclf tho right man in tho right place and rondered invaluable services to his adoptid country, of which he deserves well.