THE PUBLIC WORKS DEBATE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 13 November 1912, Page 3

THE PUBLIC WORKS DEBATE.

It is said that there is-nmcli human nature among- men : but we do not profess to understand the abstruse, A far simpler proposition is that there is a deal of politics about politicians. In the debate on the Public Works Statement to wit:—The finance Minister used language which lie might have from Sir Joseph Ward's reference to the public credit and the elasticity of the revenue. In opposition he has always denounced these statements as ridiculous reckless false and after denouncing he had always predicted things. With reversed position he takes not only the words but the Wardian optimism of spirit, and the oiily predicition he makes is that the particular loan before him must be a gigantic success. Here is a miracle worked by the change of government Take Mr Russell on the other side. He gloomily reviewed the post office saving bank figuies proving that whereas there was last year nearly a million of deposits over withdrawls now the withdrawls at the end of the quarter are larger than the beposits by £50,000, or so. He is to abstute to explain that this is due to the strain on the money market from without which compels men to realise part of their savings in order to pay their their butchers and bakers. He merely is content to " let the public draw its own conclusions ". But he knows that the public being shallow and timid will draw the conclusion that the Government has lost the confidence of the country and the depositors of pence have put their money into " investments " valuable or attractive on the other side we heard the retort courteous but customary**'you are ruining the credit of the country". Bah ! Let us dismiss all this rubbish from our minds. The only feeling ought to be one of satisfaction thai tbe finance Minister has become rational in his views of finance and that he is going home in a better frame about the coming loan than his colleague who contemplated the possibility (in his Public Works Statement) of only getting hair the n^oney required to go on with. If the consequence shaule be to relegate Finance once and for ever to the non*> party side it would be well. We fear however that there Mill always be a great deal of politics among politicians.