The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1896. POLITICAL.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 32, 6 August 1896, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1896. POLITICAL.

Although the Premier and some of his followers have denied cJ_»t the policy of tbe Government is a borrow ing one, and claim that the pledges given at the general election which put the party into power have not been broken, the independent press of tbe colony have refused to accept either tbe denial or the disclaimer. Our contemporary tbe Napier Telegraph on tbe subject says the only thing that could have justified such a flagrant breach of faith would be striking success. It is by results that they must be judged. Their policy must be tried by what has resulted from it. From that point of view they are trebly condemned. The colony was 1 never before so depressed, so deeply iv

j debt, or so heavily taxed. A success- 1 ful policy might have been claimed for c the Government if employment had become more plentiful, if wages had risen, if taxation had decreased. But ~ unhappily the reverse of all this is the case*, Never in the history of New Zealand was it wore difficult to obtain employment than now. Never was the general rate of wages lower. An extract from a Government publication, the Reports of the Department of | s Labor, will emphasise this fact. In his opening remarks the secretary of c the Department says (page IV of t Parliamentary Paper H.— 6) :— " It is t only necessary to consult the tables in r. this report to see how many young people are scarcely earning bread and r butter. In New Zealand there are a 591 factory girls who are getting no £ pay whatever for their work, and 175 who are earning half-a-crown a week or less." To say that this is a bad t state of things is a truism. Every- s body deplores it. But from the politi- a cal point of view the trouble is that it s exists, and that while it exir.ts the * Ministry should not only publish in- 8 accurate statements as to the prosperity of the colony, but should with . a light heart condemn it to additional ( taxation, and to bear the burden of s borrowed millions which they under- E took to do without when they assumed t office. ',