The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, JUNE 24. A VERY LIBERAL “PARTY."

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 165, 24 June 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, JUNE 24. A VERY LIBERAL “PARTY."

The greatest trouble which has afflicted Sir George Grey is that the Hansards of the past are being continually thrown at him by one member or another; and there is no getting out of the difficulty. When Sir George Grey refers to the unborn millions, almost as if he were talking to them; when he anathematises the land owners; when he denounces the acts of Ministers, then uprises some member and shakes the Hansards at his face, which tells with killing truth, what he said and what he did, when he was Prime Minister, and ruled the country against all protests not only of his own colleagues, but of the members of the House, When Sir William Fox moved a want of confidence motion as against Sir George Grey he went no further back than what was found reported in the Hansnrds during his most unpopular and troubled leadership. Sir William charged Sir George with having strewn the House with broken promises. 11 Was there ever," the mover said when speaking to his resolution, “was there ever such a breach of munifiicent promises as had been shown by the then Government ? They had an utter failure on the native question, and the same with every other question of importance —nothing but error upon error. They had seen a bill kept back on its passage for the Governor’s assent just as an expert sharper would keep back a card in shuffling. Such an act was a fraud and but for the expertness of His Excellency in detecting this, it would have been accomplished. What had been done at the Thames ? They received consent to make a railway from Hamilton to the Thames river, which was navigable all the way, but the Ministry had commenced at the wrong end, and would have to make the other end afterwards, and all this without plans being authorised, or any appropriation made for the same; and yet, in the face of this, the Premier takes off his eoat and turns the first sod of a line never authorised, and every step of which was unconstitutional. Then they mada an additional unconstitutional attempt to pass a Loan Bill through the House on the strength of an emergency which must have been known to the Ministry for months past, and which the House should have been called together to consider. Under the sham of the Government of the people’s choice —it was a family Government, a happy family—they had seen the sweeping away of good hands in the service and mere boys put in their places. The service was becoming a by-word in the colony. In Wanganui they had a very efficient Postmaster and Telegraphist, a man of the highest character and integrity, but his post was wanted to reward a political assistant, who was placed over his head, although only an inexperienced youth. That was one sample of many such instances. Me knew one who had been an able servant against whom a groundless charge had been preferred, and an inquiry was held over Mr. Booth, R.M., lasting a long

time, and he was of course acquitted by the Commission of any blame, and he was then restored to his position, but a greatly injured man, after seventeen years faithful service. Then they had the case of Mr. Luckie, a gentleman quite competent to fill a sinecure office and draw the salary attached thereto. He was appointed to an office with a large salary, and nothing to do, over the heads of other and more deserving officers of the public service, because he was an editor, and had influence over a newspaper. If the service was demoralised, so were Ministers themselves. Sir George, when he had the power, never fulfilled one single promise he made to the working man of the Colony. He promised that first and before all he should have a free breakfast table, and what he did was to reduce the duty on tea three-pence per pound, of which reduction the importers and middlemen only got the benefit. He increased the tariff on dutiable goods, .of which working men are the largest consumers. He guaranteed that the cost of the Civil Service should be reduced by one hundred thousand pounds, and he increased it during his term of office by twenty-five thousand pounds. He guaranteed the pacification of the Maoris, and a complete settlement of Native difficulties. He spent some forty thousand pounds in secret service money—in flour and blankets, and buggies and houses, and jewellery and costly presents and by his acts brought the Colony to the verge of a most unholy war which he would have precipitated had he not in the nick of time been turned out of office. He promised that every working man in the colony should have a smiling homestead of his own, with a free bit of land, where would be fields of waving corn and gladsome children prattling on their father’s knee. But the working man has seen nothing of the kind at the hands of Sir George Grey. Sir George owns a whole island to himself. He is an enormous mortgagee, levying large interest on his loans. He is a large land owner. His income is said to be £i 2,000 a year. But it may be fairly asked, does Sir George Grey out of his immense income give of his substance to any charity ? Has he subsidised an hospital, or a benevolent asylum ? Has he given to the orphan or the widow ? Is his name associated with any institution established for the relief of suffering humanity ? In his stumping tours has he donated f$ for any good object? We think not. He has given a library of books for savants and literary men, but of a kind of no use to the working man. He made the gift for the purpose of perpetuating his name ; but beyond this what has he done? Like some medical men Sir George gives advice gratis; but if medicine is wanted it must be paid for. Sir George gives nothing, and lives upon the clapping of hands and the applause of the multitude. Those who know him best like him least. They know him to be an overbearing autocrat. We do not go quite so far as to say the ex-Premier and stump-speaker is a “ sham,” but there is strong proof that he is very little better. “My good fellow,” says Sir George, “ you are a down-trodden ground to the dust working man. Believe in me and you will be saved.” But Sir George gives no relief outside of words turned into pretty and telling sentences and periods. It has been said of Sir George that he is in his nature supremely selfish, and that although he is fond, for the sake of effect, of dandling a working man’s child in his arms, he never gave it as much as a penny cake, or the mother of it the price of a new frock.