The Southland Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1873.

Southland Times, Issue 1729, 18 April 1873, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1873.

Sra Fbancis Dillon Bell's addresses to his constituents, recently delivered at Invercargill, Campbelltown, and Long Bush, deserve some comment, aa the utterances of an experienced and thoughtful politician on various topics of the gravest public importance, some of which have not received, as yet, the attention which they deserve, either from public men or from the community at large. The question of how far Sir Fbancis possesses the confidence of his constituents may be taken as settled by the votes passed at each of the three meetings, which there is no reason to believe were other than frank and honest expressions of opinion. Leaving the constituency and the representative in the enjoyment of the mutual goodwill and esteem expressed on these occasions, it is more interesting to the general public to note one or two principles of importance whiih :*ir F Dillon Bell laid down witb great distinctness, a distinctness the more noteworthy from the fact that trom his peculiar position and long acquaintance with public affairs, he may be taken to represent, more perhaps than any other man, what may be termed the advanced political thought of the Colony. And here we may call attention to a peculiarity of expression, probably unnoticed by the speaker bim sell, wbicb we think is highly suggestive as regards the political condition of the country — the manner in which the opinions of " leading men," "men of mark," and "chiefs on both sides," were continually referred to as foreshadowing the political future. The country, one would think, was in the hands of its politicians, and not the politicians in the hands of the country. Absurd as such a state of things may appear, it is only too true as regards New Zealand, where the. absence of a controlling public opinion has long been a recognised fact. Indications of a change for the better in this respect have been apparent of iate, however, and no doubt the change will come in time— the sooner the better, all who have the interest of tbe •jpuntry at heart will say. One of th© principles enunciated as having the support of the leading men on both sides, wras laid down in regard to the approachng necessity of additional taxation tb neet the interest on loans. Sir Fbancis

recognises this necessity, and announces tbe manner in which the taxes required must be raised. The wage-earning class, who pay their contribution to the expenses of the State chiefly through the customs duties, are already sufficiently taxed, and the tariff on imports is already so high that any attempt to raise it is out of the question. Nothing, therefore, can be expected from this source, even if it were just to take it. The alternative proposed is the imposition of a property and income tax, to reach those who, under the present system, do not bear their just share of the burden. Nothing could sound fairer. But was the speaker aware, as a practical politician, that these proposals and discussions, at this stage of the financial history of tbe colony, simply represent so much talk, and nothing more. We must assume he was not, but many of his hearers were. So long as any conceivable alternative remains, this ex- ( pedient will not be resorted to by either party in the House, or endorsed by the public. It may be a pity that it should be so, and we are inclined to think it is a pity, but it is as well to look facts in the face. The question will not be seriously considered in Parliament this session," and while it is satisfactory to hear leading politicians expressing opinions in favor of just and equable modes of taxation, we may dismiss the subject for the present with the remark that it will possess more practical interest by and bye than it does now. The alternative, suggested by Sir F. Dillon Bell aa likely to be attempted, namely, the appropriation of the South Island land fund by the Colony, is a question of more immediate importance. On thin ( matter the member for Mataura gave no uncertain sound. He would oppose such j a measure, and, to render it impossible, would be in favor of the financial sepa- j ration of the two Islands. Financial J separation, we may remark, in a new country, is practically political separation. In the colonies, politics and finance are nearly synonymous terms. The necessity of this measure we have long advocated, and it is satisfactory to find that it is now being recognized by our leading men — it bas been recognized for mauy years by the public, at least of the South Island, and afc times by our Northern neighbors too. If the attempt, which Sir F. Dillon Bell characterised as probable, should be made, there can be no doubt aa to the stand which Canterbury and Otago will take, and the separation of the islands may prove nearer than many at present dream of. The true remedy for the financial difficulty, increased population, Sir F. Dillon Bell recognises, like every one else. It is so obvious, that the mere statement, aa he truly says, sounds like a platitude. But he does not think we can have this increased population just soon enough to meet the difficulty, and the increased taxation is to tide over the interim. We are inclined to ask why it is that we cannot have the population soon enough. Surely there can be no insuperable difficulty in tbe way ; and if there is not, the existing hindrance should be sought for and removed without delay. It certainly is not want of money — there is enough of that available for the present at least, and there should be no hesitation in spending it on immigration. Sixteen pounds sterling is not badly invested if it produces from five to ten pounds per annum, with a tendency to increase rather than diminish the annual return as time goes on ; and this represents, by no means too favorably, the advantage the Colony gains from the introduction of each able-bodied immigrant even at that somewhat high price. One other very clear statement Sir F. Dillon Bell made, for which his constituency ought j to thank him. He does not belong to Mr Staffobd's party, and will not support it. There are men in thafc party, he says, who hate the Public Works and Immigration policy with all their hearts. We knew that before, and so did many others ; but it is satisfactory to hear the fact thus publicly announced by one who possesses the member for Mataura's op portunities of judging. We will only add that these men do not say themselves that they hate the policy. They affirm that they belong to the Party of Prudence !