“Hand-to-Month.”

Patea Mail, 26 June 1882, Page 3

“Hand-to-Month.”

Some critics object to the Treasurer’s Financial Statement because it contains nothing new or dazzling, but is only an old story pleasantly told. This is something like Sir George Grey’s objection, as he does not like to be told that 2 and 2 make 4. One friendly critic says the Treasurer has no policy; that he drifts on from year to year, merely balancing the receipts and expenses, but proposing nothing new. The Treasurer is safe, humdrum, hand-to-mouth, and nothing else. These objections seem to us reasonable, and mostly true. Yet we cannot see that they detract from the Treasurer’s well known character for safe finance. They are in fact testimonials in his favor. -He does not profess to be an expert juggler in figures. He rather avoids the experimental, and sticks to the maxims of old-world finance. It is at least clear that his safe finance has pulled the colony through a terrible crisis, and reestablished our credit without unduly taxing any class or sacrificing the colony’s resources. A Treasurer who does this Oati afford to smile when critics complain that he proposes nothing new.