The Dominion. FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1910. "NEW ZEALAND AS IT IS."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 780, 1 April 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1910. "NEW ZEALAND AS IT IS."

When we discovered from a leading article in the Glasgow' Herald of a recent date that, "two distinguished writers" in the North American Review "describe the present position in New Zealand," and that one of these writers was Sir Joseph Ward, wo hastened to see what this distinguished man of letters had to say. The other writer is Sik Eobeht Stout, who furnishes a straightforward littlo account on tho beauty of the country and tho geniality of the climate, with some brief references to a few of the laws. Being generally correct, it is not so curious or interesting as the Prime .Minister's paper, which we print in another column to-day. This article, which is well worth perusal, reads in some places like Dr. Findlay revised by Sir Joseph, and in other places like Sir Joseph polished up a little by Dr. Findlay, and we venture to say that the net result is to picture a New Zealand that does not exist excepting in the imagination of the Government. Tho errors of fact in the article—errors in respect of facts which should bo well known to the author—are important, but not very numerous. Where the article is mainly misleading is in its ignoring of the facts that are of'tho greatest present concern to the roal friends of New Zealand. Of course it is open to the Prime Minister to paint as rosy a picture of New Zealand as he chooses, provided that' he does not make any'claim to be writing otherwise than in the spirit of the person who draws up a mining prosper tus. It is just as well we should make the most of ' our advantages. But the Prime Minister claims that he is stating the truth, the whole truth, vand nothing but the truth. The American public is asked to believe that his article consists of "authoritative statements" in correction of tho "false issues" that "are continually being presented to the public for acceptance." He is moved.to enter the Bold of authorship .by the noblest impulses: his simple,design is to enable strangers "to select from tho cloudy mass of assertion: and ■ counter-assertion statements bearing the signet of those. who,, are in a position to be responsible for their utterances"! The Prime Minister as a guide 'to clearness..! I

As wo have said, the things which Sir.Joseph has omitted to tell the lleview are more important even than the views he has expressed, but we.may glance briefly at these latter. "It is said by'enemies," he observes, "that we borrow too largely." So it has come to this at last, that anyone who thinks that we borrow too freely is an enemy of the country. ( v John Ballance, therefore, was an enemy of ihe country, and Sir Joseph Ward was an enemy of tho country also when Colonial Treasurer in the 'nineties;' for the keystone of Balance's policy was the restriction, developing to the cessation, of borrowing, and Sir Joseph himself advocated the same idea. The Prime Minister goes'on to say that theso enemies "are careful to conceal the fact that a very large proportion of our loan money is accepted for reproductive purposes." This statement is not new, but it would be very difficult to justify. No one, so far as wo are aware, attempts to "conceal" the fact that much of the money borrowed has been for reproductive purposes, but the charge is continually being made that this is done. It is quite as inaccurate, however, as tho Prime Minister's, further statement that the railways, the State coal-mines, and the State Fire Insurance -Department have all been successful and flourishing ventures from the financial point of view. Why Sir Joseph should * make this statement it is not easy to discover. Whatever may be said for these ventures, we hardly think they can be said to flourish "from the financial point of view." It would have been very surprising, of course, if the Prime Minister bad omitted to make some reference to the nation's prosperity. ''New Zealand,", he says, "was never in a more prosperous condition than now." It cannot be denied that New Zealand is naturally very rich and has in it the seeds of a magnificent future. Indeed, it would not be over-stating the case to say that there is not much wrong with it excepting its government. The Prime Minister seems to be happily unconscious, however, that his' administration is the real handicap upon New Zealand's stable progress, for he concludes his article with a reference to "the star we steer by." We are afraid that the star ho steers by is the twinkling light in the office of the. London money-lender. At anyrate, whatever light it may be towards which ho is steering us, it is one that lies through a thickening bog of difficulties.