Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY:) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, NOVEMER 1, 1884. THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 287, 1 November 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY:) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, NOVEMER 1, 1884. THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

Referring to the various pro-: jects recently brought up m the House, the Waipawa Mail observes : —We are having it continually dinned into our ears that New Zealand is a fertile country, with; a splendid climate and rich m mineral resources which require to be and i must be developed. This is so far I good. r Egypt is a wonderfully rich | country also, but it required to be ; developed, and the same baneful influences now operating here undertook its development, and we all know with what results. From the earliest historic period the Egyptians have been between two millstones, but at no period of their history have they been m such an utterly, miserable and helpless condition as at present. Are they hot being slaughtered by thousands through troubles arising from; the tyrannical greed of the bond-holders? The latest incident which has reached vs 1 is very instructive for this country. A German Jew house holds i? 14,000,000 worth of bonds, of which it may safely be said the country did not receive one-fifth. They were asked to. reduce and accept a lower rate of interest, but they absolutely refuse, and not only this, but as the press of Germany is largely m their hands, the vilest newspaper crusade is directed against; England ; so virulent, that it seems not unlikely to bring the two nations into collision. This is the influence which is now dominant m our affairs. New Zealand was making fair, substantial and real progress, till m an evil hour »n opening was

made that induced the genius of speculation to return and initiate afresh a policy that will not only retard this progress, but will show the elements of future and long continued trouble. The competitipn for labour m connection with the Christchurch and West Coast — Nelson Railway, the West Coast Harbors, the North Island Central Railway and other works, may lead ..|q feverish prosperity m some localities for a time ; but on the other hand, a very undesirable class of immigrants will be attracted by these works^ the 'prices of our produce will be unaffected, a further burden will have been imposed' on production, and looming m the future the great army of the unemployed will be largely reinforced. Our contemporary has the following further remarks bearing on the same subject which are worthy of careful attention—Those who will take the trouble to look will. have no .diffi"culty. m recognising the forces m. actual movement by which social status is determined, and by which the rich are made richer and the poor poorer, as all these are m full operation here. "No Policy Bill of this session has been introduced that has not this tendency. The District Railways Bill, which will ulii-' mately become law if Yogel remains m power, simply means the transference of the burden from the shoulders of the rich class — now that the railways have ( answered their purpose of enhancing the value of their land, and which harvest they have gathered m— to those pf ;the poorer, class : who bought /; or. leased these lands ; and with an increasing tendency to exaggerate the worst features of landlordism. Landlords have responsibilities and duties more or less faithfully observed, but money-lending Corporations have neither responsibilities nor duties, yet they are more fully the masters and landlords of New Zealand, than the landlords are masters of Ireland. Look ajt Canterbury;, there they have fine harvests, breed fine animals of all the domestic kinds, produce'fifty times the food, they re*duife, and yet it is a wtll-known fact that an undue and increasing number of the settlers there are harassed and m straitened circumstances. Indeed, the very prevalence of this' feeling is noV being taken , :adyantage, ef to : force on the construction of the Christchurch ,and West Coast . Railway, which wiU bring no permanent relief to theni, but from the proposed manner of its construction will permanently burden all production m the Colony. We have no desire to exaggerate the position. According to European, notions our colonists live generously as a people, but nevertheless we feel it our duty to point out that the action of our legislators, no less than the Government, tends not only to restrict but to diminish the state of well-being. In- no country, except Egypt perhaps, does capital draw so much from labor as it does m New " Zealand. If our readers will but consider for a moment the various institutions paying 15 per cent dividends, and try ,to follow out the course by which sach dividends are obtained, they will be able to Realise our statement that Landlordism is more flourishing here than m Britain, obtaining more than 'adequate return, without being bburr r dened with duties.