Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JULt 9. 1898. Circumstances Alter Cases.

Manawatu Herald, 12 July 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JULt 9. 1898. Circumstances Alter Cases.

The other evening in the House the Premier threatened to expose a most shameful state of affairs in some places in the colony, where, he say*, labourers on stations are in a worse place than he had seen oattle and sheep housed. This statement, un les3 made clearer, 19 a most unfortunate one as though it is possibly true in fact it is not true in fiir comparison. Unfortunately both the Premier and his colleague, the Min ; s tar of Lands have got Into the way of making rx'.raordinary statements without condescending to particularise them, so that the public haw not an opportunity of really giif>gin« the value of their comparison-. Every colonist who is worth his pal' has had to put up with accommoda tion which he would not care fo have for his stock, but it ha 3 arisen from circumstances that has pre vented him getting better, such as tha inaccessible position of the land, or the inability to secure labour. Bnt viewed, as the Premier op parenfcly desires us to view his state tnr-nr., that a etation is in good working order, and being fairly con-* venienfc to settlement, it appears extraordinary that the accommoda tion is so bad as he implies, for if it were we doubt there being employees to put lip with it. Mr Seddon should out with hi 3 knowledge and relieve the settlers of the "colony from the slur he has put upon them. The station*holders and the em ployees have lately found a portion of a sum of £1750 the cost of the Premier's trip to England, and as he is a man who always makes good use of his opportunities he must have seen, as we have often seen in years gone bye, buildings on estates for horses, cattle, dogs and pigs far better than any station accommodation in this colony, -and not only that but in some instances far better than many of what are termed the better class residences in Wellington, so that the statement of the Premier is likely to be accurate while at the same time it is most misleading. We cannot help viewing all the non-sr-n.se uttered by Liberal Ministers about the working man as being the greatest insults he suffers from, as it implies on the part of the utterers of these cries a belief that the working man has no independence so as to be able to take his own part in life, that he needs the paternal care of men who cannot appreciate the difference between a working man and a street loafer.