Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, FEB, 25, 1892. "Another,Turn of the Screw."

Manawatu Herald, 25 February 1892, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, FEB, 25, 1892. "Another, Turn of the Screw."

-, ■ • - — . • • i — ' ■■ , That great statesman, [the Premier, addressed a. Palmerston audience Jast week, and feeling that he . waa: surrounded by men of the "right | colour " allowed his speech t6 outstrip his discretion, and in a happy, pleasing manner for those who have something to be taxed, stated that he was -willing to make up the loss ] of revenue by making another turn of the screw in the graduated ta?. i Etery holder of land, whether it < is an acre or ten thousand acres, \ Premier shows to do anything whiofc i hit supporters may urge him to do. < " Another turn of the screw " is a J phrase wMch msaus, .tknt, i( his ] party are not satisfied with the < results of the proposed "bursting- ' up" policy, and so many of them \ are not so satisfied, theh to please them, he is ready to act grossly unfair to those who have, to please ] those who have not. For the present < Mr Ballanoe asks the small formers ' to support him to unfairly tax tfre \ lar«e farmers, that •oeompligbed, he 1 will call upon the artisan, the < labourer, and the swagger to turn { and rend the small farmer, »| he j admitted f&at there is no finaltyt in « a country like this. 1 When Mr Ballanoe prepared his > Palmerston speeoh he took care to 1 look over the electoral roll to noW , the class whom he might «^ct to <

be present, and his interest dwindled away from the small farmer towards the "sun-downer" and thus has permitted those interested in land to guage the kind friend he would be to them. He found, after a study of the roll, that on one page there were only twelve freeholders out of fifty one voters I He would say that probably nine of them would be mortgaged, and that" if the moneylending companies were to withdraw their money to-morrow, no person would be poorer, except the owners of those large estates, there would be any amount of money to be lent small quantities ; the rate of interest would be a little higher for a time." The Premier is reckless of the small farmer's interests, he instanced the Palmerston roll, and admitted that that town was surrounded by smallholdings, and admitted that he believed that nine out of twelve of them were mortgaged, and that the effects of his policy might be that the rate of interest would be a little higher, but what did that matter ? There were thirty nine other voters on that one page who had no land — the majority was with him, so let the small farmer pay a little higher interest for a time. We believe Mr Ballance uttered what he thought, and it will be well for these he pretends to have so carefully considered in his " exemptions " to remember that " possibly interest may be a little higher for a time," and that there is no finality to the Government's taxation proposals and "another turn of the screw" may be easily made upon all land-owners.