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North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1895.

The Ministry are perpetrating a joke, and it is nil the moro s'rangi because, with the exception of Mr Sodd<m, not one of them is addicted to i his sorb of thing. Sill they Invo allowed thi joko tv sco the lieht of day, and wo suppose wa must accept the thing for whatovec merrimont can bo extracted from it. The juke is confined in the announcomont made by the New Zarfhnd TimcB-the Wellington Ministerial paper-that the gros& surplus for the 1 iat financial year ia L 400.000. Tho germ of the joko is contaimd in tho f«ot that a country lhat Ins admitted going bo tho bad a million and a half in a little over three years should have had each of thoso yean a substantial and real Kurplus— not a paper surplus that disappears liko tho baseless fabric of a vision in waking houra. With tho surpluses the present Ministry have had they Bhould have been able to wipe off at least 1,1,200,000 of the public dobt infliead of increasing it by LI 500,000. Rut this has n «t taen done, mid we yo«rly have the anomaly presented to us of a Ministry with * large aurplos getting deepar and deeper into debt. If the Ministry do not take care they will make out and out infidels in tho belief of a surplus of their own most obsequious supporters. Already they aro hal< ing between two opinions— one as to whether it is possiblo for an individual who is q tting deoper and deeper into debt to have a surplus at the end of tho year, and tho other as to tno possibility, by some fininoitl jugglery, of making a surplus out of nothing. Tho ono is about as reasonable as the other, and the ordinarily cute man will not hesitate long enough over tho qutßtion to run tho risk of being list. Ie is an o»«y thing to make a surplus on paper, but it is i horse of another color to convince an intelligent public that it is "all there." Mr George Hutchison, member for Paten, clearly showel in the speech ho ncently delivered Ht Wanganui how tho Government manufao uro their surpluses. Thoy aro " built up" oub of unexpended ba'ances and sinking funds tint have been collared and diverted from their legitimate purpose. To put an extravagant case : The Ministry a^k for appropriations amounting to L 2,000,000, and find they can put ofl tho expenditure of one million till next financial year. The unexpended million ib carried into the next yoir'a revenue and is counted in tho surplus. The appropriations have only to be made large and the surplus will correspond. So with tho enking funds. Tho money is practically borrowed and goes to form part of the surplus. It is not a difficult thing to make a sarplus if one only knows how. According to tho present Colonial Treasurer, the least essential pirt of tho business is to have the cash In hand that represents tho surplus ; in fact, oven if the finance! should actually show a deficit, % man of resources can build up a faiily good-sized surplus out of it. To make bricks without straw was In ancient timos supposed to bo impossible ; but it is loft to the Colonial Treasurer of Now Zealand to turn the tables on tho Israelites, for he nob only would bo prepared to make bricks without straw, or without chy for thab matter, bub he every year asserts, with a solemn countenance and a sure faith in the gullibility of humin nature, that hecan makoagoodand substanlialsur* plus out of a deficit. Within the memory ot jthe present inhabitinis of tho colony tho last Government and tho present are the only ones that have claimed surpluses, and they had no more right to lay claim to having accomplished this financial feat than the man in the moon has to having turned the constituent part* of tint interesting pieco of matter into green oheesp.

Thkue is oomcthing peculiar in connection with the wording of the advances to settlers. ißecently a settler in the Waitaki district applied to tho department for an advance of LOO, tho security being undoubted. A Government valuer valued the | land, charging the settler a fee of 10s for ' doing so. Tho valuer's report went in in duo course, c.nd the reply c*me back that tho sum applied for wa« too small to bo entertained by tho Department, and this notwithstanding the fact that tho Act was passed specially to meet tho cases of struggling settlors, such as tho ono who made tho application under notice, and also notwithstanding tho fact that tho minimum amount that can bp borrowed undor tho Act is L 25. Tho sottler, who was anxious to borrow tho money, increased the security to be offered and also the loonay to b° borrowed to L.lOO. But ho was no hioig successful. Ho wa» this time put off with on evasivo answer. M the security more than met the requirement* of tho Act, the settler (who U a small and struggling one) is anxious to know if tho Government is not perpetrating a fraud on the public in offering money that it does not intend to lond or has not got (o lend. Which is it ? Has the Government pot the money to lend, or is it only intended to lend to thoso who want to bprrow largo amounts? Whichever it is the Dopartmeufc should at once lot intending borrowers know, so that only thoso qualified may apply. As it is at present settlers are put to unnecessary expense and trouble in making applications Iho least the Government can do in the case under notice is to return tho settler the fee of 10s they charged him for nothing. A meeting of all mcv out of employment and of those who sympathise with them is called for to-morrow night in St. Goorgo'jj Hall at 8 o'clock. Tho Mayor will take tho chair. Mr John Prouso, of Wellington, will not appear as announced in the local production of tho Passion Play tomorrow night, he having returned to Wellington from Chris, church. Miss M. Brandon, soprano, will supply tho vocal items. By «m inadvertence, our report of tho Hibernian Concert omitted any referonco to MissFagan. Miss Fagan acted as accompanist with efficienoy and skill, and upon hor in that capacity depended much of tho success of tho vocal itomi. Tho Canterbury Land Board met on Thursday, when tho following applications for permission to surrender leases were acceded to : D. Matheson, run 92, Benmoro (renewal under section 219 to be negotiated for) } E. liodgkinson, run 94, Birohwood (rcuowal to be negotiated for). At tho Magistrate's Court on Monday, before Mr James Craig, J.P., William Black, charged with drunkenness, was fined 5» with tho alternative of 24 hours' imprisonment. Yesterday, before Mr Gcorgo Browntee, J.P., a fir«t offender for drunkenness was discharged with a caution. 1 Tho two-bowl ra&teh in connection with tho tournament wa« concluded yesterday. Messrs Morris and Mollison (25) take the first prize, having beaten Messrs Gillies and Gemmell (17), who take second. Messrs Dalgloish and Meek (28) take third prize, having defeated Messrs Bco and Taylor (27 . Mr Waddoil, the Mayor, has received a telegram from Mr Herbert Jones, the wellknown lecturer, stating that he could lecturo in Oamaru on the 22nd and 23rd instant. It now depends on thoso who wero endeavoring to arrang-3 for Mr Jones to come here to complete the arrangomentg. Aa ff.n evidence of what runholding has boon like during late years wo may mention a case in Uxus district in which a runholder took up a station, putting L5OOO into tho concern. Ho haa jloa/, tho L5OOO and L 9300 beaides. This ought to a#brd a grain of comfort to tho Government, wbo fjnd the squatters dying without being killed. A lorioui fcooident btfel Mr John Edmon»

sto««, a fisherman residing at Moerakl, yes* tcrday afternoon at tho Railway Station. Ho went to the Railway Station intending to proceod homo by the Palmeraton train. When ho arrived at the station he went into a carriage on tho Timaru train, and finding out his mistake he proceeded to leave, but in doing so slipped between two carriages as the train was in motion. Tho wheel wont over his leg below the kneej The injured man was pulled out of his perilous position by one of tho railway porters, and J)rs Garland and do Lautour, who were soon on tho spot, attended to his injuries. TIo was removed to the Hospital, whoro Dr Garland, assisted by Dr de Lautour, am* putated the lee, which was badly crushed. Tho sufferer is aoinp well. Tho difficulty of investing money con- | timics days tho Melbourne correspondent of the O.l>. Times) to be a sourco of trouble to companies having capital lying useless. Idle money is increasing rapidly, and it is now a matter of no difficulty, in Victoria ab any rate, to borrow on approved security at 4J per cent. The Union Trustee Company and the Trustees Executors and Agency Company both announce that they are prepared to lend freely on approved margin at 5 per cent. But the chairmen of both companies stato that they experienced the greatest difficulty in finding suitable securities on which to advance oven at that figuro, As in Now Zealand, tho Government here have been making a gre it flourish of trumpets over " cheap money for farmers," bub tho action of theso companies shows that it is a case of " tliaok you for nothing." A Maheno correspondent writes : Tho funeral of the late Jamos Oliver took place to day (Sunday). The funeral left his residence at 2.30 p.m. for tho Maheno Cemetery. In front were the members of tho 1.0.0. F. of tho Hope of Maheno Lodge, and a number of the Brethren from Oamaru in full regalia. Mr Oliver was a member of the lodge. Following the hearse were about 300 p*de«« trians; then came buggies, carts, and horse' men- making in all upwards of 500 from all parts of the district, showing how much tho late Mr Olivtr was respected by all who know him On arrival at tho cemetery tho coffin was carried from the hearse by four of the brothers of tho Hopo of Maheno Lodge to its last resting place. The Rev. Mr Wright conduoted the burial service assisted by tho Chaplin of tho Lodgo from Oamaru, the brothren singing one of the hymns in their service, which was vory impressive. By special request of Mrs Olivor, mother of deceased, & special prayer was offered by Mr Wright, Read Clayton, Gardiner, and Co.'. advertisement at the foot of tho third pagrs James Gemmbll invites inspection of his first summer consignment of Scotch and English suitings, coatings, and trouserings, ex l'akoha, A choice selection of exclusive norclties ; also Oamaru and other Colonial goods of the best quality. This Establish ment has long been noted for the first-class character of its productions, Suits from 7Ci upwards, Waterproof overcoats to order and roady made at lowest ourronb rat os. — Jambs Gemmbll, Tlame* Street, Oamaru

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NOT18950417.2.10

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8162, 17 April 1895, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,869

North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1895. North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8162, 17 April 1895, Page 2

North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1895. North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8162, 17 April 1895, Page 2

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