The Opunake Times FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1895. OUR GOVERNMENT.

Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 149, 6 December 1895, Page 2

The Opunake Times FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1895. OUR GOVERNMENT.

The Seddon Government have had a very long lease of power, and having been backed up during their terra by an abnormally large majority have been in a position to carry out reforms and establish a creditable record for themselves, if they only possessed the will and ability to do so. What, however, have they done ? Thev have, as far as can be guaged by any information available, run the Ship of State ashore on the rocks of poverty. They took charge of the helm when the ship had been fairly well overhauled and made seaworthy by the late Sir Harry Atkinson, who had done herculean work in putting our monetary affairs in such a position that there was all straight sailing loft for those w r ho assumed charge. The depression which had hung over the colony gradually disappeared and prosperity was in store. Had the present party followed in his footsteps our finances would still be strong, but prosperity has been the ruin of them. Since taking office they have depleted the Treasury chest, and Lave dragged the honor of the Government through the mire. Mr Ward when at home was lionised, and owing to his position his word was looked an as the bond of the Government, but subsequent revelations have shown that such a standard of virtue is not a requisite for office as a member of the Cabinet of New Zealand. In a recent issue we published a letter from the Council of Foreign Bondholders addressed to Mr McGuire, M.H.R., and the blind faith in the pledged word of the Minister of the Crown is evidenced therein. When it is compared with what we know of the actions of the Government in the colony we can sympathise with them. They thought they -were dealing with a Minister who would regard his utterances as sacredly as Imperial Ministers do, and they cannot yet credit that he was only fooling them to gain a point. But so it is. Government to be successful must be worked on ordinary sound business lines. The first principle in business, if it is to prove successful, is to carefully balance income and expendituie. When income is found to be decreasing the wise business man at once looks into his expenditure, and cuts it down until he has secured a sound basis. Tins, also, should be the rule to guide a wise Government. Retrenchment is a thankless task, we are prepared to grant, but the Government had a strong following and have no excuse for not seeing to it. Instead of doing this they have spent their sunny hours pandering to the masses, and concocting all kinds of absurd legislation. Instead of endeavoring to bring the expenditure within a falling revenue, Acts have been passed necessitating a whole host of additional Government officials with fat salaries, who must either make themselves a nuisance to those who have to pay taxes to keep them careering round the country in style, or else draw their salaries whilst indulging in idleness. Ten years ago the cry vent forth from the overburdened taxpayers that wc were over-governed. The Civil Service was like a huge octopus drawing the life-blood out of the colony, and the Atkinson Government with its feeble majority grasped the difficulty and released some of the suckers, but it has replaced its wounded suckers and grown a lingo number of now ones, so that it is worse now than ever it was. This Government has not had the moral courage to grapple with the difficulty, and it now promises to bring about its downfall. Where does the remedy lie? The reined lies with the farming community, f they would only wake out of their lor. ' sleep, which, judging by appearance , promises to be eternal. All oth r classes baud together for their ov. i protection whilst the farmers elect , o vote as their fancy wills The farmer votes for I Ire man of his choice, whilst other classes vote for the measure which brings grist to their mill, if the farming community would only

adopt a common cause, take a live interest in their own political welfare, see that every vote is registered and then pull together, they would sweep all political charlatans back into the dust heap, whence they should never have emerged. Do away with gaspipe politicians and return men worthy of being representatives, when it would be considered to be an honor to be a member of the Legislature, instead of being shunned by intelligent, competent men as at present.