Mataura Ensign GORE, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1884. LUXURIES OR NECESSARIES ?

Mataura Ensign, Volume 6, Issue 353, 2 May 1884, Page 2

Mataura Ensign GORE, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1884. LUXURIES OR NECESSARIES ?

It is said the devil can quote Scripture for his purpose, and so it seems Ministers can quote, tacts and even make them for their purpose. , Major Atkinson, at Hawefa, said that the fall off in Customs' duties was in the " necessaries of life," and explained that this meant that the people had suffered from a sudden accession of thrift and wasted less than in former years, so that there had been an immense saving to the country, which saving would enable it to pay up the deficiency in. revenue with ease. Immediately afterwards Mr. Conolly, Atterney&eneral, addressed his constituents.. He had probably been having a holiday in the hills of Marlborough and had not seen the speech of his chief, or he had relied on some wag for the leading points of it. Any way he was very carevul to state that the fall off in Customs was in '■ luxuries " only, and that there had been an immense saving to the country, which, being richer by its thrift, would be .rather pleased than otherwise to have a chance of shelling out L170,000 to ! make up the deficiency in the revenue. The two gentlemen start from the opposite poles and arrive at exactly the same spot. " Take your choice, good people — it's all the same to us ; we can show you in either case that you have been saving money and can easily pay. We may not bo very sure about the facts and premises, but we are quite satisfied about the conclusions." This is very well, for Ministers, wiio may wish, among tin-in, to take all ideas so as by all means to please some. But we certainly feel a little curiosity on this point as to which is right — the proverbially accurate Major in an improbable statement, or his lieutenant in a probable one. The Major says the people have used fewer necessaries. . They have peeled the potatoes thinner, and hashed up the cold meat. They have burned the candle ends on savealls^ and used the currants without washing them. They have neglected to stone the razins, and kept a smaller spoon p. , the sugar-bowl. They have boiled the tea, turned the old -dresses, and cut up f af her's castoffs for the boys, This is the Major's theory and his "fact." Mr CoNoLLTon the other hand says the fall off ■was in luxuries. Hon. members drank less' wine "during tHe session, and the public Kad^irivested.in panics of blue ribbon instead of' in whisky and. beeiv The street /boys tad smoked no tobacco, except cigar lends; Ladies , had had their gloves and their ; feathers dyed ; wldle iVoBBg-men had made fewer presents of jewellery; and valentines had gone out^of [fashion. This is the;y. theory and the j r Vfacfc." :pf the. Attorney General. The !two : Ministers . d^er» „; certainly, but f f *Ye pays Ver - money and takes yer JchjOice ! ' Buf charity nopeth all things, 'and being liberally endowed with that ■virtue,, .we ; hope some other explanation of, the '.situation may be found than'' tlifiit one of the hon. genitleman, has. lied. '., Perhaps Mr Conolly is so exceedingly thrifty that he *counts all waste as luxury. Perhaps iwasted candle ends and deeply peeled potatoes are to him the extremely voluptuousness. Or perhaps, on the other hand, the Major regards some things as necessaries which are not usually classed under that head. Perhaps wine is necessary at hisdinner table, especially when he is on board the Hinemoa. Perhaps a drop of the crathur is necessary to him when Mr Daegaville is going to address the House, or when Sir G-eobge has a bill to introduce, or when he is himself going to address a meeting at Christchurch. If this be su. then we can understand what he means by a falling off in consumption of necessaries. But speaking seriously, if there really has been a falling off in the importation of the necessaries of life during the year it must be explained on one of two theories : (1.) That there was more stuff imported in the preceding than was used in the present year. Or (2), that the poverty of the people is extreme and has deepened rapidly during the last twelve months. Only on the latter theory can there have been any sensible decrease in the actual consumption of necessaries. It is well known that in hard times the luxuries are retrenched first. Photographers, jewellers, and booksellers arc the first to feel depression. The average of mankind will do without a lot of portraits and brooches before it will pinch its stomach or stint its back. When it really begins to eat less and wear less times are harder than they are likely to be in jNow Zealand while the present generation is alive. We are therefore strongly inclined to think that it was the Major who made the mistake as to the fact and the still greater mistake as to the explanation. In any case, the one great political fact is, that there is a deficiency in the revenue, and that either by eating, drinking, and wearing more, or by paying more on what we do eat, drink, and wear, we must make it up.