The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JUNE 15, 1908. THE PRIME MINISTER AT THE THEATRE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2217, 15 June 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JUNE 15, 1908. THE PRIME MINISTER AT THE THEATRE.

Sir Joseph Ward has ©very reason t 0 he gratified at the rec-ojation tendered to him by tho largo audience which attended liis Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday night. He received a most sympathetic hearing, and thoroughly deserved it, if not for the ! subject matter of ids address, at any rate for his manner of delivering it. The Premier has that indispensable | 'qualification lor tho modorn politic- [ jail, a plausible and ready tongue, and if ho lacks that magnetic persou- | ality which counted for so much with * his grout predecessor, ho has in its j place a gift of cultured eloquenco that stands him in good stead. Having said so much, it is regrettable j that complimentary reference can go no further. Tho speech was-not that of' a statesman, and judged by its contents Sir Joseph Ward .must be counted distinctly Jacking in tho strong qualities that one expects to find in tho person who has -been selected to lead l tho destinies of a now country. Those of the audience who went with tho expectation of receiving a lucid exposition of tho chief political questions of tho day, .together with a statement of the Governmental intentions for the tfuturo must have been keenly disappointed. In place of hearing the Premier tell of hia projects for meeting the numerous problems that face this young country, wo had to listen to ono set of figures after another with accompanying boasts of tho country’s prosperity, together with a righteous show of indignation against any person or any journal which had had the temerity to suggest a word of caution in regard -to our finances. This incessant boating of tho big drum might bo all very well if Sir Joseph were an immigration agent canvassing in America or England for settlers, or seeking a new loan from the close-fisted' gentlemen of the London Stock Exchange, but it iis surely Rile talk addressed to New Zealanders in their own country. We know, without tho Premier's constant reiteration, that the condition of tho Dominion, generally speaking, is sound, hut when one considers the huge amount of our public debt, £61,000,000, it would surely be more statesmanlike of the head of tho Government to counsel .prudence and the inculcation of a spirit of self-reliance amongst tho people rather than to perpetually play upon the one tune of our “marvellous prosperity.” How the Premier runs this theme to death was fittingly exemplified in hi 6 opening remarks, which, comprising a list of figures, told us in detail how much our population had increased in recent years, how much more grass had been sown, anti how the pigs and other Livestock had Surely Saturday night’s audience was entitled to something more weighty from the head of the Government than a ma6s of statistics on local affairs that can be readily obtained from newspapore and other sources by those who are interested in them, but the recital of these evidences of progress has evidently been found useful in tickling the ears of audiences, and is apparently tlio chief feature of the Premier’s,political -programme. A statesman dealing with matters from a national standpoint would have made it clear to his hearers that our present condition of prosperity is largely due to such an uncertain factor as the price of our staple products upon the (world’s markets, and also to the expenditure of large sums of borrowed money. Ho would have pointed the lesson of tho recent drop in wool and tho money crisis as evidences of need for tho greatest caution in the financial conduct of tho country. We have no sympathy with pessimists, hut it is not pessimism to remember that £6-1,000,000 is an hnmouse burden lor a population of less tlian a million to carry, and that it is increasing in a greater proportion year by year, and that our population is not increasing in a corresponding ratio to, enable us to bear tho load easier. The question of how to materially add to our population is one of tho greatest problems tho Dominion has to face, yet tho Premier never mentioned it during the whole of his address. With Sir Joseph there seems no use for tho old .adage, “Take heed lest -yo fall”; rather does ho -believe in tho modern gambler’s principle, “.follow your luck.” .It was very .pleasant to pitch his tune to a key -that sang of naught hut ■buoyant finances, record revenue, and the like, but we fear these flowery speeches will give little satisfaction to the baclcblock6 settler who, like the unfortunate farmers of the Motu and many other parts of Poverty Bay, find themselves compelled to submit to all sorts of privations because of. the lack of roads.- If we are really in -the extraordinary condition of •prosperity that tho Premier is Incessantly harping about, how comes it that these settlers can got no sa-tis-laction when they seek the expenditure of a few hundred -pounds to give them some communication with the outer world? How is it that our local bodies iha-ve to bo perpetually knocking at the Treasury door for money which has already been authorised by Parliament? All over ' the country it is the same story. The members of these bodies are humbugged out of all reason, and, like the school committees who desire reasonable accommodation for children- at school, are put in a most undignified position. The fact of the .matter is the country is not so .prosperous as the Premier would have us believe, and tile Government has .to resort to all sorts of ruses to keep up tho brave show it attempts -to make. At the present time, despite all that Sir Joseph may say, the country is experiencing a trying -time. In Poverty Bay there are many scores of farmers who have lately -been feeling tho pinch very acutely. Money has been extremely tight. The local branches of the banks have reduced overdrafts, called in money, and refused loans to such an extent as to seriously inconvenience a large section of settlers. Trade in both laud and stock has in

consoijuonco been seriously' affected. Wo have evory confidence that the position will right itself, and tho extraordinarily favorable climatic conditions are an important factor in this respect, hut all tho same the time is one for caution, and certainly not for extravagance.

In running over the Premier’s spooeb it is romarkable how little of political pabulum it really contains. There is no reference whatever to the land question except a brief mention of native matters, and one can only assume that Sir Joseph deemed it imprudent to dwell upon the confiscatory methods of his party'in regard to land legislation. He would have found it extrcmoly hard to persuade a Gisborne. audience that the leasehold tenure, ,so beloved of tho towndwelling socialist ,is hotter for the farmer or for' tho country than is tho freehold, and ho probably roalisos that the less said about the original policy with which the newly-formed Ministry “nailed its colors to the mast” th* better for liis political reputation. He professod an attempt to reply to Mr. Massey’s rollout speech in tlnis town, but if his methods are to be judged by his references to the sheep tax then lie can scarcely he complimented upon its effectiveness. Mr. Massey, had claimed, with a good deal of justification, that the present Government had taken the, best 'points of its legislation from the Opposition platform, and instanced amongst other things the remission of the shoop tax. Tho Premier replied : “Tho only power that can make any remission of taxation is tho Government of the country itself.” Ho made no other comment, but left the natural inference that tho Government alone was entitled to any credit in tho matter. Without telling a deliberate falsehood Sir Joseph was in this matter distinctly unfair. It is, of course, a fact that' the Opposition has for years been engaged in an agitation to have the tax ill question romoved, and the socalled Liberal Government persistently rofused to .grant the concession until finally public opinion became so strong that action had to be taken. Mr. Massey cannot initiate legislation dealing with matters of finance, but ho can, and frequently does, carry on a crusade for a needed reform to such a point that tho Government is compelled to take wise effect to it or risk being turned out of office. On the question of the auditing of the public accounts it will he remembered that tho Opposition has for many years boon hammering, away upon tho theme of reform in this department. Now, ‘Sir Josoxih promises a sweeping change, in fact, all that has .been asked for, and it is just as dear that ho intends to take all the credit for a reform that lie bitterly opposed for many years.

-Sir Joseph was extremely plausible but just as evasive on the question of favor of such social work ns is included in the State ownership of railways, post offices, coal mines, etc., but opposed-fJhe revolutionary socialism which demands the nationalisation of, land, steamship services, and various forms of industry. That, howover. is not the point. What tho public has a right to know is where Sir Joseph’s Ministry—which' individually is socialistic, hut which the Premier declares is collectively something very different—will stand when tho socialists of to-day demand a change in our industrial legislation that will place the employers in tho position of social pariahs, and what its attitude will bo when Mr. George Laurenson and his friends come forward with a request for another turn of tho screw that is intended to make our land owners “sit .up.” This is the aspect of present-day socialism which has to be dealt with, hut it is just hero that -the Premier refuses to give any information. We arotold that strikes are dreadful, and that the Conciliation and Arbitration Act is to bo amended, but no idea of the trend of tho amendments is given. Surely on such a matter it would he wise for tho Government to take tho public into its confidence und so give tho various portions of tho community an opportunity .to study tho new'proposals before Parliament meets. The matter is so grave that it-should be put before the country in some form before legislation is given effect to. On tho question of a White New Zealand Sir Joseph uttered tho soundest of sentiments, but here, again, there was a delightful vagueness, and wo arc left quite in the dark as to wliat his views are on the best method of arranging for our defences. In fact, it may bo said, ill conclusion, that the Prim© Minister made an excellent speech, in tho conventional term, that he pleased his audience mightily by his pleasant diction and well-rounded phrase's, but that, he gave precious little in tho way of practical information on tho real political questions of the day.