DR. FINDLAY AND THE AIMS OF THE GOVERNMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 574, 31 July 1909, Page 10

DR. FINDLAY AND THE AIMS OF THE GOVERNMENT.

; Sir,—-If Dr. Findlay had really desired to put tho .Government to s'haino ho could hardly havef .succeeded' better than-he -has dqne: by . elaborately ,: setting, forth the, ideals of what ho conceives to be tho great object of /a: democratic/ Government. .' ;

•; His romarks_on waste of,capital, : When applied ;to the 7 immediate past, must surely , bring;'condemnation;'in tlioiif train. "Most 6f;*ia» of' capital was , due to tHo blundering; 5 management,"- harebrained enterpriseß,'! etc. Apply this indictment to pur, railway : construction and ' management and it will bo seen' that the learned gentleman. has, so to speak, proved tho case for the prosecution. Not long ago we had some seventeen railways under construction simultaneously, To draw a parallel let us assume that,-' Say, a farmer .had seventeen paddocks of,-Brain,- would you irnagine'vanyono so., jnBario: M' reap , a couple ■ of acres' in each and makb;';n<i effort to ' secure. the harvest in any single one P ., 1 Yet. this is precisely what our democratic Goveniment. has.been i doing for years. Waste, of capitaltiH-oro ;has - been, oom-ponsatod-for.b'x} political:gain- only, ;for the. irepresentatives 1 of' s seventeen; .constituencies' meekly followed tho. Government;,;-like' so many pet lambs, which was, of course, exactly wliat was wanted. Tho extra cost per mile, on- accounti of'.-the' adoption : of cooperative labour, .was;another' instance . of 1 'blundering"; and waste. "It 'could not bo too often impressed that one of tho worst enemies the . workers had. was tho .incompetent employer." Quite so. Then; allow trie., to add that of all the incompetent employers in Now Zealand this previous Government is, easily first, and if it were not that,the public purse is at their disposal, I bankruptcy woulq .have stated tiam' in the

faco long ago, It is ft pity tlvat , "antecedent. fcosts o[ quiiliftoutlwi" could not bo made, mid it is equally ft pi(>y a published record nf "ImimWirig and careless management" of thoao wlio linvo lost "largo quantities'of their oroditor.V wpitnl" could not bo made known us ft warning to the trusting and uuwnry. . Just inmgino l{)0 siHy wkl vhildish proposal "to - innko ropitftl avialublo to those without it, uu(| who (kim'rod, and wore competent., to piwlimlivoly uso it," As antecedent tests OMUW-t ho imposed to prove tlio possession of Uioso necessary qualifications, what .would ho tlio result? Why, that every faithful follower of the Government, would "bo deemed" to iwiwxm tho qualifications, all outsider:! would, of coursn, oomo in handy to foot tlio bill. Further, wo aro told ,that "tlio.Stiito might also,suliMdiso, and so encourage thrift." Now, tho thrifty oan very safely bo left to lako euro of Uicnisclvesj they are quite equal to Uio Inslt. But according to Dr. Findla.Y's statements Mio logical ouiooino would bo thin! A farseeing, thrifty man anouinulato, say, £10,000, whieii would; probably como under tlio suggested incroaso of death, duties, and to prevent tlio "wasto' in life, health, wealth, etc., could bo poworfull.v promoted by an increased and fairer distribution of wealth." Now, sir,; what jloos this jargon really niearl P Presumably this.! Uia.l a tlirifty man might bo allowed to ruxntmulato tho aforcsajd sum, for an unthrifty Government I to" pluiidbr at-will. That a clover."limn ..of. great business ability would simply bo better than a boast "of burden*. Why does not this.erratic faddist, go,. tlio whole hog, and lay down the dictum that tho disposition of all property should : bo made by tho .Government, as that; would comport with t-lie "limitation of- personal freedom to suoh acts and to such' spnercs as best "suited social 'welfare."-—I 'am, .etc., AGRICOLA. ■ ..July 27, 1909.