LESE MAJESTE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 637, 14 October 1909, Page 3

LESE MAJESTE.

; Sir,—The Premier appears childishly riled at being: booked in.. Auckland. .Now, I take.'it that if, a man permits people'to cheer him, he | must, surely, also allow the crowd,to boo himi, | if so disposed. - • - / . , ' . ; Sir Joseph evidently thinks'it high . treason ! to write the truth about' the finances of this , colony, and threatens to 1 bring legislation to bear, against what-ho \s pleased to call malicS- . ous attacks, against the credit of New; Zealand, j* The Premier, apparently, has not read tho re*' port ; of. the. chairman of directors of the Bank [. of New Zealand, nor that .of the National ' { - Bank. Each chairman," in* his report, agreed < that, the tightness, of money :. out here, was caused by tne excess' bf; imports over exports * during the la6t two years -of over two (2) mil* lions sterling, leaving , nothing wherewithal to . pay interest on the external debt, which for. * that period, would amount'to at least seven P millions sterling.- In,othcr;words,'that.fortwo years' financial working the colony waß some ' nine millions; to ■ the bad. ' The Premier and liia party have it iii.their * power to alter this state of affairs. . Let them ? kick oyer the Taihoa_fetifhi reinstate the' free- 1 hold' in Crown lands/dealing,." pernjit'trade in ? Maori land,' and encourage settlement.' by tho* emigration '6f;_the. righ't-sbrt-of-go-on'the-land ■> peopled' Then way exports' exceed "imports, by an amount sufficient to meet'our external in. 1 tercet • obligations, leaving, perhaps,-a margin foc> pocket, money,,-.without which'- life is-not am, etc.,- H.J. ~