HERE AND THERE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1289, 18 November 1911, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

CAMPAIGN POINTS AMD PRESS COMMENTS. , . The Five Million Loan. Dr. Newman last evening unreservedly condemned tho action of the Ward Administration in withholding information regarding financial transactions from Parliament. Ministerial reticence in regard to the five million loan, ho declared, was due to the fact that tho cost of its flotation was so high. The Government was neither shy nor modest. If the loan had been raised on good terms, Ministers would have bragged, about it. Since they had refused to give accounts and toll people about the.loan it was quiro clear that it was . a . miserable failure. Underwriters for'their' services had been paid .£so,ooo,'nnd people .who guaranteed the .loan—this should •have been dono through a bankj-wcrc • paid an ocjnal sum. ■ Then,', to induce people to take up tho stock, a large-discount was offered, and, as a further inducement, bonds for .£lO2 were ..'given for .£IOO. Nominally, a five million loan had been raised, but the amount actually raised was about and.the people'of New Zealand would haver to pay interest end sinking fnnd on a sum of .£300,000 which they had never had. If New' Zealand had had a Treasurer who knew his business there would have been no such loss as A' 300,000.

Cobwebs and Liberal Brains. The Opposition's policy in regard to reform in the constitution of tho Legislative Council is better than anything the Government hns put forward, in the opinion of Mr. E. J, Carey, candidate for Wellington North, who says that •when the position is that the Opposition has the policy instead of the Government, it i.s time for a clearing of the cobwebs out of the brains.of tho Liberal party.

Tho Mistakes in the Budoet. Tiie member for Clutlia (Mr. A. S. Malcolm) addressing tho electors, asked if it were true that tho Opposition had injured tho credit of the country by condemning tho Budget. There- were- mistakes in the Budget—sbmo of them really serious ones—but the Opposition'never inferred at any time that "there was any dishonesty. The point was, tho country should bo aWo to depond on tho absolute accuracy of .tho Government's statements. Surely the' Opposition could insist on necm-EC.y in connection with Uio Financial SfnUmunt. (Applause.) And th'en tho Opposition had be™ accused o£ attempting to "ruin ihe credit of tho conntry"' by Hα action in investigating tho Budget. "VVera -tliß Opposition to assume that "weryiMng in the■garden was lovely," and say uof.hins? What would bo tho attitu'l? of English capitalists towards a country that made mistakes in its Budget awl iiothing was .said about them on either fiiila of tho Houso?

."To the Discredit of the Government." "J.onk the Mokau business. It stands to tho discredit of the Government, and it should be weighed on that transaction alone. Kit is, it will'be found wanting." —Al>. E. J. Carey, labour caudidato for ■Wellington Nortli.

Another •V/ardite-on Mokau. In !i;p Oreymoiith address on Monday, Pir Art'auv Guinness followed tho exar.ip'i.' "f many Government supporters in a'.l"cr?ol," criticising tho Ministry. He ref<n;il in .--trnTig terms to tho preponderiiiln:: ivilii'Tice of tho Natives in tho Cabinet. T!i'- Natives, who number«l only !:!, | "; : i. hud two Ministers—Sir James Can. !! and the Hon. A. T. Ngata —whereas !ho rest of tho iwople, who nuMiterml a million, had only seven. .*!! the money spent in tho North Island for roads, railways, and bridges w.13 only increasing tho valno of tho Kn'ivc land. Sir J. Carroll was a great advocate of the "taihoa" of "sit unci wait" policy. Hβ know that the longer he held hack the Native lands for sale tlio more they would go up in value. The other members must tako a stand and insist that the Maori lands bo taken and given to the people who are hungering to get on the land.' Another statement made by the member for Grev concerns the Mokau affair. Hβ was askwl: "Do you think tbe Government 00 too far with, their Orders-in-Cotincil, for example, in the Mokau transaction?" Ho repliedj "I confess I think tharo is

100 much done by Order-in-Council., I think that Sir J. Carroll made a big nnstako in the Mok.iu sale, but thoro was no suspicion, of corruption. It was a cnso 0/ an error of judgment. I'.-, I™*1™* not rizlit.th.it private individuals should make' .Eii.OOO or J135.00U profit without u Lahd's turn."

Figures that Mean Nothing. The "Ashburton Guardian," in the course of « leader welcoming Mr. Joiiti Kennedy into tho electoral arena, describes him ns a "young political colt, and anticipate that he will m time develop his powers and prove lumselt worthy of consideration ns a representative of the people." In the meantime, tho "Guardian" regards him as ' palpably a novitiate," and remarks: As an example of tho crudeuess of some oi air. Kennedy's methods, wo may refer, to his statements regarding tho way in winch leading Oppositionists voted on tno i.mi Ago Pensions Bill, the Advances to bottlers Bill, and other Liberal measures. Ho had tabulated tho divisions on tluv* Bills—in somo cases about a hundred— and ho showed by figures that in very few instances bad tho Opposition members vote<l with tho Government. Hip audience appeared to l>o deeply impressed by theso figures, which wero intended to bo tellintr; but they really meant nothing. It must in fairness bo pointed out that the votes against the Government were not necessarily in opposition to tho principles of tho measures. Most of them wero doubtless on amendments in Committee, which tho Opposition thought would improvo the Bills, but wero not accepted by the Government. ... Mr. Kennedy would bo well advised to verify his figures regarding divisions on Liberal measures, or, better still, drop them altogether." What the "Guardian": did not know—and hero is tlio humour of the situation—is that Mr. Kennedy was not giving the result of any researches of his own, but was merely reading a tabular statement which appeared for tho first timo in Sir Joseph Ward's speech at Winton.

Not Earning Interest. "I want to point out that the .£2,000,000 borrowed by the Government in connection with tho Dreadnought is not bearing interest, and it was certainly not authorised by tho people," said Mr. Young a St. Peter's Schoolroom last night.

"Machine-made Speeches." • We have heard (says the- Chrietchurch "Press") a good deal from Sir Joseph Ward about an alleged "speech-factory" in Wellington, from which Opposition candidates are supplied with ready-made addresses. The only "speech-factory" from which. Opposition speakers draw any material is Parliament, ■ and the publications of that institution—the.", volumes of "Hansard," the' Departmental "reports, and various returns—provide Opposition candidates with everything that they need in the way of ammunition. There is very good ground, however, for believing thnt some of tho now Government candidates are being supplied with machiuemade speeches by someone. This was certainly .the caso ut the last..election, when; on one occasion, a targe quantity of material intended for delivery from a Government platform fell into the wrong hands. It was sad stuff, and we aro strongly reminded of it on reading some of the speeches that have been fired off during the past week by willing but woefully inexperienced supporters of the Government.. '

Mokau Again, A point was scored by the Opposition candidate foT Parnell at Bllerslie on Wednesday evening. A questioner asked why one man had been allowed to purchase the 53,000 acres which were the basis of the Mokau transactions. "One of my opponents is more conversant wifh that subject than I am," replied . Mr. Dickson, amid general • laughter He should be ablo to answer the question authoritatively." ■

Closer Settlement. Thus Mr. A. S. Malcolm, speaking at Pukerau, in the Clutha electorate: "Today the Opposition was as eager for clos'or .settlement as any party. Was the Government so anxious? Ho questioned this, for it had not even expended tho halfmillion por annum which was specially car-marked lor the purchase of estates under the Lands .Settlement Act. The Government made excuses that it could not get estates at a .reasonable price. Ho instanced the Clydevale and Sloa Fiat Estates in tho Clutha electorate, which tho Government had refused to buy, but which had been bought and sold by syndicates at an enormous, profit."

"Tuppence Farthing!" Mr. Carey, at his meeting last night:— "Instead of giving'a railway man a 2Jd. riso per day, as Mr. Millar has " A voice: "Tuppenco farthing!" What is the Government's Land Policy? "TVe have a policy oh land," 6aid the Labour candidate for Wellington North, Mr. <E. J. Carey, last night. "I don't know what tho Government policy is. Like a good many others I was waiting to find the Government's land policy in the Prime Minister's Winton speech, but I read tho speech fairly carefully, and found it merely a history and a detailing of the Acts at present in existence."-

Signs of a Poor Cause. Mr. Moncktdn, like'many other politicians and newspapers, has-been compelled to observe that the Ward party deeply resents criticism, however fairly made. Iα his speech at Shannon, he referred .to tho Prime : Minister having coupled his name with that of Mr. Bell in one of his remarkable outbursts in tho House. "I have never reflected upon the intcrity of Ministers," said Mr. Monckton, "hut I have said that the country is entitled to know what tho cost of every loan is; and to whom brokerage, commission, or underwriting fees wero paid. Surely this is a very fair question to ask. That is, I want to know, if we borrow five millions, do wo get live millions, or four millions and a half? Tho Hon. B. M'Kenzie,. from bis seat in the House, has also seen fit to characterise Mr. Hell s ■reasonable request for information as a. 'dirty, foul, and false . insinuation. ' It anpears to me that when Ministers or the Crowu find it necessary to bolster up their cause by tho use of the language of Billingsgate i'ishmarket, their cause is poor indeed."

Why Not? No money should be placed on the Estimates for public works in any district unless at tho request of tho local body of tho district concerned. If tins wero done no local body wrald ask for money to U expended for the benefit of any individual. It would mean the saving of hundreds of thousands, of pounds to tho people-Mr. Massey at.papier.

» A Continental Back-Number. The eecond ballot system was referred to as a Continental back-number, by Mr. E. J. Carey af his Sydney Street meeting lort wght. The system had been tried on the Continent, and had been found wanting, ho said. Mr. Carey ad-vocotcd-Hie system ot proportional representation. Burking Questions, "Parnell Elector," in a letter to tho "Herald," states'. "I wi* '° / olc(! a P ro " tost against tho suppression of some questions at political meetings. On four different occasions the following question hasi been ignored by Sir John Tindlay or suppressed by his chairman: Aro you m favour of granting State aid to Catholic schoolsf- W matter has been before tho public for £ omo yearrs so Sir John Findlay canr.ot plead that he has not kid an; opportunity of-studying it. It is nlso an important question, and Hiereforo should bo treated in a straightforward manner and not shuffled.

Thoso Stalwart "Liberals." Mr. Horn, the Ministerial candidate for ■yVakatipu, has been making tho custom-, arv declaration that, if elects, ho will not be a "dumb dog." \Y hereupon tho "Motaura Ensign": That is a statement which all tlio candidates who aro contesting seats in tho Government interest never seem to tiro of repeating. _ Evidently they liavo no great iaith in theGovernment themsolvw. Very stahvnrHy nn the hustings do the/ proclaim their indepondenco. Yet it is a strange but melancholy fact that in almost ovory case fcir indera^*™ oß evaporate .is wwn ns they reach Wellinston, and they degenerate into moro automaiic voting-machines for tlio party in jmwcx."

"Greatest Harm to the Greatest Num. ber." This is how Mr. C. Wortliiiißlon. oi Kotonia, speaking in siipoort <u Sir. Jli'.rritfs, summed npllio Ward policy. liulennitc borrowing, and n system of obscuring financial trucks that renders futile any .attempt to accurately ascertain the (rue position of tho country's finance, -the despoiling of ono clufs to tho utter ruin of another. Tho utilisation of tho Civil Service ns a. political machino to ensure the Government's continuance in office. The construction of importineut ami lia-ra.=-iiig restrictions upon personal freedom and trade. Tlio manipulation of tho State railways for political purposes, mid pursuing an administrative policy in regard to them which is tho inverse of every known modern opinion on railway management, which is calculated to do the greatest harm (0 tlio greatest possible number and bring the country into contempt and disrepute. Juggling with tho land laws to suit tho exigencies of (ho hour, only μ-rniiiiner irmdirinp concisions (0 public." opinion when resistance is no longer possible.

Chloroformed. Speaking of tho Dreadnought offer, Mr. Massoy sniil at Napier that ho had very grave-"doufcts whether there was any war crisis, but if there was 11 crisis it was von- considorato of Germany waiting to strike tho first blow until our Dreadnought was completed. Tho fact was tho people of Now Zealand were chloroformed by a telegram sent to tho editors of tho papers asking them not to find fault with the I'rimo Minister for giving tho Drcttdnought.

Retrenchment. "Two years ago," related Mr. Fisher to his audience at Aro Street last ovening, "the Prime Minister brought in his ivtrenchment scheme. Niuo hundred ajid soventy employees wero fired out. Somo of thoa> who wero fired out should have boon kept in, and sojne of thoso who were kept in—Government touts—should havo boon fired out. The Departments wero reduced in number. Why, then, I ask, is the cost of tho Government Departments at tho present minute .£1,700,000 greater than it was in the yeax of tho retrenchment 6cheme?" • "Tho elections axe on," caid a member of the audience.

The Difference. True Liberalism will never die, but tile Liberalism wo hare had served out to us lately can never live.—Air. Hassey at Napier. A Typical Government Supporter.

The "Press" dissects Air. Laurenson:— When there is patriotism in the air, wo know no patriot so fervid as Mr. Laurenson, so brimming over with "purple patches" about the Union Jack. But no one who has known the honourable gentleman for any length of time can have failed to discover that Mr. Laurenson is a politician first and a patriot afterwards. His patriotism begins ,to ooze out of his finger-tips as soou as there is a hint that possibly votes might be affected. And so, whilo wo have found Mr. Lanreuson in the past a very sturdy patriot on the subject of national training, we noticed a marked weakening at question time, after his meeting on Tuesday, when the anti-militarists began to press him a little closely. At first he said he supported tho compulsory system, and pointed out the dangers to this country from the Yellow menace. Later on, when further questions were asked. on the subject, he said he was strongly in favour of withdrawing the compulsory clauses until we got Hie will of the people on tho subject. "Fe would like b see far wider scopo given to tho conscientious objectors. Not a single man or boy should be in tho Territorials who did not want to be there." Thus did Mr. Laijrcn?cm's patriotism collapse, like a pricked bubble, as soon as a little- pressure was applied.

Universal Pensions. "Universal pensions," said Mr. Fisher, at his meeting last evening, "must come. —(Applause.)—We have the Public Service superannuation, the teachers' superannuation, and «> on. They pay part them-solves by way of contribution, and the Government pays the rest—that is. you and I pay the rest. Why should you or I pay towards other people's pensions? Why shouldnot wo contribute tc our own pensions i"

Dreadnought and Title. Mr. E. J. Carey contrasted New Zealand's "naval policy" with Australia's at his Sydney Street meeting night. "In New Zealand," he said, "Sir Joseph \\ ard presented a Dreadnought—some say to pave the way to the baronetcy—and he tried to create a naval scaro. In Australia,. Mr. I'isher refused to fall in with the naval scare- which was being created by Sir Joseph Ward." Mr. Fisher had not given a Dreadnought, but had taken another view of what should be done in the way of building their own navy and manning it with their own men. Here wo had given a Dreadnought which we would never see, and which would be scrapped in a few years. "In New Zealand we get a title and no ship—that is what we get by the Dreadnought scare. In Australia they get no title, but they have a navy." (Applause.)

Another of Them. Another hitherto faithful Government man to sco the disadvantages of the old label is Mr. Hornsby, who is contesting the Wairarapa seat. Hβ has left tho label to Mr. C. W. Tanner, and has declared himself an "Independent."

Advances to Settlers. Said tho Hoa. T. Mackenzie at Eltham: —"Mr. Massey claims to havo suggested tho Advances to Settlers Act, and, in fact, he claims as his every mortal thing that has been done in this country. Years bofore he came into tho House- I suggested the very same idea." It seems to bo clear that Mr. Mackenzie did really uinketho above remarks, because tho Havrera "Star" stated a day or two ago, by way of correction, that he said "Advances to Settlors," not "workers," as originally reported. Yet when the Government Advances to Settlers Bill .was- before tho House-, Mr. T. Mackenzie condemned it. Speaking on tho third reading (October 1, 1891), he said, according to Hansard: "Sir, I did hope that the honourable gentleman (Hon. J. G. AVard) in charge of the Bill would bring down a measure of genuine relief to tho farmers. Has he done so? Ho has not. The Bill is largely a deception."

A Quaint "Liberal" Argument. Whenever a Government candidate becomes original bo becomes extremely funny. This is the latest originality of a Mr. Tanner, who is standing iis a straight-out Wardite in the 'Waira.rapa contest: —"The question of the- immense changes attending a. change of Government had to be considered. It would mean a long period of unrest until tho country gained confidence in tho nmr Governrnent." This is what the Maueku dynasty in China has been saying.

A Summing Up. "The sum,of the wholo matter is this: the Government has been in office for twenty years—for a quarter or that period under its present head—and, though the country lias had tho benefit for nearly all that time of good seasons and of a remarkable increase in its productivity, and though tho Minister for Finance has bean able year aftor year to 'boast of a buoyant revenue, tho country is wore heavily taxed than it was at the beginning of this term. This circumstance and the fact ' that tho people in the mass are profoundly dissatisfied with their preBcnt conditions make it quite intelligiblo why tho Government should bo evincing anxiety as to tho Tesult of the elections. —"Otago Daily Times."

Wanted-Daylight. "Abuses seldom flourish in the light of day. They aro liko mushrooms growing in the dark and checked at once, by the rays of the sun, as scandals are exposed by the light of criticism."—Mr. Monckton fit Shannon.

What Mr. Gladstone Said. \ remark once made by Mr. W. 11. Gladstone to Lord Derby is singularly appropriate just now. Tho Christchurch "Press" has just drawn attention to it. Mr Ciladftoup said: "I told him (Lord Derby) that I delil/miitely disapproved of tho Govornmeiit of Lord. I'ulnieraton, uul va& jrejjarcd to aid ia am Jjronej;

measures which might lend to its displacement. That bo strong were my objections that ] was content to net thus without inquiring who was to follow, for ] was convinced that anyono who might follow would govern with less prejudice to tho public interest. That in tho existing st.ito of public affairs, I did not. pretend to see far, but thus far I raw clearly."

A Precious "Forward Policy." "Tho irataura Ensign" deals summarily with the Government's alleged "forward policy" of railway construction. , "A iiivcious 'forward , policy it is. I.lltlo liil.-i of lines havo been slartr-d hero mid I'liero all over tho country, and llin dlowiwl. mid most inefficient methods of oonslrurlioii Irnve been adopted. Tho railways ciml almost, hriro us much as limy u.-tuil I" ami tho rnlo of completion i.s iiboul I tut slowest in tlio world."

A Test for Lunacy. T>r. Newman (old n. story 111.1 l nreiiiiig which pointedly illustrates (ho folly i.f fostering immigration on Ilio mw li.ind and on tho pi her pursuing i> pivlii'y which entails 11 continuous Itirti of |«ii)iiliiliiiii. "Tlkm'o used to bo a tost for liiimry," ho tiiiid, "which ronsisled in giving it man il bucket with a holn in it. mid tullint; him (o pump it full of water. If ho wont on pumping it won tsiltmi lluit ho must l>o a lunatic." Dr. Nmvman upplied tho lost to tho population-foslorini! activities of tho Ward Administration, itnd found tho Govornmonl wanting.

An Eveninfl with tho Wobbler. Ono of fcho questions howled up to Mr. Fishor at his meeting lnul ovrmng road us follows:—"You promised to givfi n.sim evening with t'lto wobbler—when uro v<lll going to ilo it?" Tho candidate wnilcd. "J'vo tjikon Hid Town Hall for iny ovouing with tho wobblor; tho (Into will bo advertised," ho replied. What a Cynic Said. Tho subject of the Government's notorious proclivity for imposing taxation ou everything and everybody, formed part ot a discussion that ensued during an "At llome" held to further tho interests of Mr. Horries , candidature; and amidst ripples of laughter a gentleman who wn« present cynically remarked that beforo very long our souls would he taxed il Ministerial party wero allowed to remain in power.—Rotorua "Chronicle." Two Facts. Two facts that the electors may carefully weigh when considering the financial operations of the Government aro that the public debt has increased from .£37,000,000 in 1891 to .£81,000,000 at tho present time, and that the annnal expenditure in addition has increased from X 5,479,701 in 1901 to .£9,313,10G in the last financial year.—"Mataura Ensign."

Better Liberal of tho Two. The Napier correspondent of the Dnnedin "Star" thinks that Mr. G. Hunter, the Opposition candidate for tho Waipawa scat, may win. Tho correspondent" mentions that although Mr. Jull calls himself a Liberal,' it is a commonplace in tho constituency that Mr. Hunter is really tho better Liberal of tho two.

Mr. Fisher and the Government. "The Government has always bitterly opposed my candidature for Wellington Central," said Mr. Fisher nt his meeting last evening. Even the Government organiser lias got his name in the Wellington Central roll to help to get me out." (A voice: "Thoy can't do it.