THE PELORUS GUARDIAN FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1890. The Cause of Prosperity.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 1, Issue 28, 2 May 1890, Page 2

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1890. The Cause of Prosperity.

Some months ago a number of our contemporaries were making a big thing out of the reported deficiency in the general revenue, and the whole country was going to be in a state of bankruptcy in consequence, their woebegone fiddle-like faces as mirrored in their writings was something pitiful to contemplate. Now that it is positively known there will be double the amount of surplus as was predicted there would be a deficiency, we presume by the same reasoning these journals must admit that the country will now be in a flourishing state, but such an admission we do hot expect to see, as it would only he discounting whatever they might say on any. future occasion. At that time we-pointed out it was not a .deficiency or a surplus which would make the country either poor* or prosperous.- Any Government can .have a surplus if they can tax the people sufficiently, and goodness knows the people of New Zealand are taxed enough to have a much larger surplus, but it is not taxes which constitute the wealth of a country, nor are they likely to ensure prosperity. This self-evident truth appears to be lost sight of altogether, but truths generally are, and have to be oft-repeated before they are admitted as such, while errors will be accepted in good faith without any questioning. The fact is, the prosperity of a young country depends wholly and solely on its productive wealth, and such is the case with New Zealand. Up to the present time we have lived on borrowed money, but now that is at an end we are forced to depend on what we can produce, and it is on the amount of this production our prosperity rests. Let any one who takes an interest in these matters make a rough calculation of the number of producers in this colony, and they will be astonished to find that not more than one-third are engaged in productive labour. Look at all the large towns, and the smaller ones also, and any one can see for themselves that two-thirds of the people are living on one another, and not in any way aiding in developing the resources of the country. At the time the borrowed millions were being expended scarcely any one was engaged in production, but we are glad to see that day by day this state of things is undergoing a change, and people are gradually, but surely, turning their attention to production as the surest means of success. It is in this that we look for the prosperity , of the country, and not to the amount collected in taxes, which do not in any way add to its wealth. It is production and commercial enterprise . which should be encouraged in every possible way,; and if as much attention were given to this matter as is devoted to theoretical abstract, and very often frivilous political questions, the country would be the better for it.