Current Comment.

New Zealand Graphic, 1 July 1899, Page 16

Current Comment.

OUR COLONIAL CREDIT

New Zealanders should, thinks the “Wanganui Chronicle,” be proud of the position they occupy, more especially seeing that the Midland Railway debenture-holders have been assisting the Conservatives in their endeavours to damage the colony’s credit. The New South Wales four per cents, are subject to conditions which make them highly popular with investors, and it would be scarcely fair to compare them with securities paying the same rates of interest, lint, without making any allowance for exceptional circumstances of this kind, there is abundant ground for congratulating New Zealand upon the creditable position she occupies in the list. A colony whose securities average about 1 per cent, higher than those of her neighbours eannot be the parlous position we are sometimes asked to believe. <£> A THAT AWFUL. LARRIKIN THE SPARROW. He ravages our gardens in spring and summer, pulls our crocuses and primroses to pieces, says a Christchurch contemporary, in sheer larrikin delight of destroying things, and plays the very mischief with our early peas. His friends point with pride to the fact that he is an insect eater, as well as a grain eater. It is a misplaced boast. Mr Tegetmeier turns the eye of the scientist upon the contents of the sparrows’ little “insides,” and exclaims, “Oh. monstrous! but one half-pennyworth of bread to this intolerable deal of sack!” In other words, “there is very little insect to very much seed and plant.” The birds the sparrow chases away do a great deal more to keep down insects than he does. Wherefore Mr Tegetmeier and Miss Ormerod, after cursing the sturdy rogue with bell, book, and candle, hand him over to the temporal arm to be dealt with with all possible severity. Hoy and man do their worst against him. from “egghood" to old age he is never quite safe from the oppressor. It would be wrong to say', that like the celebrated jackdaw, he is none the worse for it all, but considering the dangers which encompass him. the seductions of poisoned wheat, and the rude assaults of headhunting boys, he still thrives amazingly. * * * RATHER ROUGH ON GEORGE HUTCHISON. Possibly, says tile “N.Z. Times," Mr George Hutchison speaks the mind of the majority of the Opposition party on the land question. Possibly, too. he may delude a few benighted people by his fine talk about “the emancipation of thirteen thousand settlers.” But the great bulk of the people have, by a process of mental

emancipation, come to see that the Liberal land policy forms the very foundation of the country’s prosl»erity, and they will not lightly entertain any reactionary proposal. The electors will also bethink themselves regarding many other matters, concerning which the Opposition leaders either maintain a discreet silence or give utterance to pleasing but unmeaning platitudes. They will ask themselves, in the event of the Opposition coming into power, what assurance they would have of the safety of such advanced laws as the Old Age Pensions Act, the amended municipal franchise, one-man-one-vote, advances to settlers, conciliation ami arbitration, the Truck Act. the land and income tax, restriction of alien immigration, and a dozen other legislative means of improving the resources <»i the colony and promoting the welfare of its inhabitants. These are the points upon which the sovereign people will require to be satisfied, before they change their political servants; and thev will demand something more, than a vague assurance that none of these measures will be repealed, before they execute a change of front. Despite Mr Hutchison’s effort, a constructive Opposition leader is still a “felt want” in the land. £ * * MINISTERS’ SALARIES. If the salary be so inadequate, and the “self-sacrifice” too grievous, or if a larger income would be derived from other pursuits, why cling to the office for so many years? Why so much heart-burning by the many who are cheerfully prepared to make the sacrifice. when a vacant portfolio has to be filled? Now. we have nothing to sav against Ministers for not entertaining (continues the “Wanganui Chronicle” in a leader on the alleged insufficiency of Ministers’ salaries). The salaries they receive are not sufficiently large to permit of their doing much' in that way. Wha.t. however, the people of the colony cannot help remarking upon is the fact that while they are economical even to meanness with their own money, and the money they receive from the colony as salary, they are lavish to ostentation in' their expenditure when the colony has to foot the Bill. A Democratic Government should cultivate simple habits, and be as careful of the people’s money as of their own. MR ROLLESTON AND STATE HOTELS.

In last week’s “Notes and Notions” we w’armly commended Mr Rolleston’s proposal. ' On the same subject the “N.Z. Times” remarks: —“It may be pointed out that the Government has now one hotel at least under this system, and that it has succeeded fairly well. We refer to the hotel at Mount Cook, where the manager is paid a salary for looking after the Hermitage, and has no interest whatever in the sale of alcoholic liquors, and the result is that visitors describe it as a model public-house. Before this system was adopted, we have it on excellent authority that the hotel was most unsatisfactorily conducted. However, the main point in all that Mr Rolleston has said is this—that there are questions which belong to no political party; that they belong to the community as a whole; that the people should have an opportunity of settling them for themselves; and that such questions should be reremoved from the arena of political party warfare. Mt Rolleston is to be paised for the thoughtful suggestions he has made on social questions, just on the eve of a session of Parliament, and prior to a general election —occasions when the issues are too often obscured by personal and party pique.