The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1877.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 43, 17 March 1877, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1877.

Me, Tkayers, one of the candidates for the city electorate, has addressed the electors on the usua.l round of political questions. With the general tenor of his speech we have no fault to find, except that it would have been better if a little more garnished with the grace of modesty. But when it is known that he resided for some time m Canterbury, and was a leader m Canterbury politics, our readers will not be surprised at his attempting to cram at least one Canterbury prejudice down the Wellington throat. In speaking of taxation ho says, inter alia -. — " There is scarcely an individual m this country who is not an owner of land ; and it seems lo me to be utterly absurd to talk of imposing luxes upon land alone merely because we happen to have here and there some large proprietors owning more land than you ancl I do." This sentence received no response, for doubtless his audience knew as

well as himself that he was speaking beside the question. This mode of putting and disposing of what was before Wellington electors a very awkward question for a candidate wlfli Canterbury prejudices, was as clever, if not as delusive, as the trick of the juggler, w r ho makes believe to plunge a knife into his body, hut takes good care to come off unscathed by its edge. A direct land tax is indicated, not because there are large as well as small proprietors, but because the large ones do not, m the majority of cases, fulfil their obligations as proprietors, and therefore injure the smaller ones. Since the law that subserves the welfare of communities requires every man to be, not an idler but a worker, so the law that underlies good colonization requires the great bulk of land brought within the area of improvements to be improved — and with some approach to uniformity ; and when, as is the case m New Zealand, large tracts are by private interest held back so as not to keep pace with the general local progress, they prove as injurious to the landed interest generally as vagrants and paupers do to the public purse. The principle that allows of territory held by barbarians to be appropriated for the purposes of civilization can only operate m a modified form within a state already civilized ; and, m its modified form, it is applicable m this country. Much of the land now held by absentees would, under other proprietorship, be made better use of. It is not, nor should it be, m the power of the State to take such territory from the unfaithful steward and give it to the faithful one ; but it is within its power to operate so upon the holder as to make it conducive to his interests to either improve his land or dispose of it to those who will. And this power will or will not be brought into operation according as the State elects to impose this or that kind of tax. We now turn to the subject of railway extension, upon which Mr Tiuveks spoke m a very characteristic way. He said : — "When I travel through country such as that of Manawatu-Rangitikei and Wanganui, the large tracts of country that border on tlie Ruamahunga River, the rich and fertile land lying on the northern side of the Wairarapa Plains, and when I think of their almost limitless power of production m the form of agricultural produce — then I say it makes one feel desirous to possess Aladdin's lamp m order to discover some good genii who would make a hole through the hill with a patent drill, and so construct the much needed line m a few minutes. 13ut as there is no chance of our becoming possessed of such a patent, we have to depend on the thews and sinews of the navvies, and I believe that the Government will do all that is reasonable. Rut I do not believe m the doctrine propounded by Mr Hunter — that we m Wellington should bo modest m our demands for fear of creating jealousy on the part of the North or the South. It may not be an elegant May of putting it, but I say bother the North and South. What have we to do with them ? I say when we ask somethink m the nature of a favor let us be modest, be humble ancl civil ; but when we want, our rights let us be clamorous. In asking that Wellington should be brought into communication with its resources inland, we are not seeking favors, as they are commonly known ; we are asking for our rights. It is a matter that affects the colony at large ; for whatever benefits one portion of the colony is sure to benefit the whole." It is well known to our readers that tlie railway now m course of construction between the Upper Hutt and Masterton is but the rudiment of a great trunk line designed ultimately to connect Wellington and Auckland. From this will be thrown out branch lines to connect the most important towns towards the West Coast with the main track. This is the great arterial system proposed by Sir Julius Vocjel. Although the realisation of the scheme is far distant, and will involve an almost appaling outlay, yet, when it is accomplished we may be assured that we are lastly approaching that acme of prosperity hinted at by Lord Macau lay iv one of his incomparable essays. But without indulging m what some may term day dreams, we can still rejoice m every mile of railway that is formed as a step towards a great result. The fundamental policy m this as m every new country is to people the land and open up communications, and although we may look gravely at the present sacrifices necessary to achieve a prospective good, let us comfort each other with the assurance that such good is a certain result.