WHAT DO THE PEOPLE ASK FROM PARLIAMENT?

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 50, 18 September 1891, Page 17

WHAT DO THE PEOPLE ASK FROM PARLIAMENT?

§OMMON-SENSE legislation. They are getting heartily tired of theoretic and speculative legislation. They expect their Members of Parliament to propose something that is feasible ; that is likely to be accepted by both Houses of Parliament ; something that will have practical effect in the near future, and need not be looked for in the uncertain future. They see that at present prominent politicians aim at embodying in Acts of Parliament the fads

and schemes of dreamers, which have never, in the world's history, been tried in human society, and of the consequences of which no man has ever had experience, and which no man can foresee. And whilst this farce is being enacted the practical and the at present possible are utterly ignored, or nearly so. A great deal could be done by a wise Government even under the present laws, to develop the resources of the country, if a serious and well-directed effort to do so were made. For example, what would not the dairy industry do for the country if it were directed properly and fostered, if experts were employed to travel through the country districts and show the people how to work it, and afford them information as how this industry is successfully carried on in other countries, — such, for example, as Denmark and Holland. Again, there is the fruit industry, which in this country could be made a source of enormous wealth and the means of employment and comfort to thousands, if proper information on the subject were afforded to people. A few statistics in reference to this subject will show what might and probably would come out of encouraging and fostering small industries. Last year England imported fruit, for example, to the value of £18,000,000, eggs to nearly the value of £4,000,000, and dairy produce to an enormous amount. Here such industries are almost entirely neglected, mainly through want of knowledge how to make them pay, and through apathy on the part of our Government, which spends the time which should be devoted to the encouragement of such things in paltry and empty squabbles about principles of legislation which were never heard of till lately. Parliament in Denmark and Holland, for example, has not been for twenty or thirty years squabbling about land laws which never do any good, bat has been zealously employed in diffusing knowledge of a practical nature to the population and encouraging the people to intelligent exertion to develop all their resources. Here, on the other hand, we find largely raving politicians whose chief aim seems to be to live, not by honest labour, but on the prejudices and ignorance of others, whilst no care, or very little, is taken to encourage honest work and profitable employment. Our towns are crowded with either unemployed or only half-employ od people, who are either unable or unwilling to take to a magnificent country abounding in resources of every kind. And this arises either from unwillingness to go away from the diversions of cities or from a want of knowing how to turn these resources to account. Our Government spends a great deal more on teaching a little reading and writing rather badly, than half a million sterling per annum, whilst nothing, or almost nothing, is spent on teaching people how to cultivate the land and promote small industries, which are such a source of comfort and wealth to wiser and more industrious people. Our education is carried on on wrong lines altogether, and the only visible effect of it is the tendency it begets to turn out clerks and drive the youth from the country into large towns to swell the army of the unemployed. The money spent on producing a little reading and writing and arithmetic in such a way as to spoil the people is sufficient in amount, were it wisely spent, to give a proper literary and industrial education to the entire people, lhe people of this country u.ust rouse themselves and insist on their representatives in Parliament devoting themselves to promote measures calculated to develop the resources of the country ; must insist on their abandoning fads and ridiculous theories, and confining their attention and efforts to develop in every way possible the resources of this favoured land. The action of Parliament during the present session is truly disheartening. The faction fights, the selfishness and extragance of this session are a scandal and an obstacle to the prosperity of the country, and if the country tolerates another such session it will deserve any chastisement that may be inflicted upon it.