The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, APRIL 25. THE DAY OF RECKONING.

Taihape Daily Times, 25 April 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, APRIL 25. THE DAY OF RECKONING.

(With wnien t& tncnrporiited Ths raihape Post tad NawH).

Political ferment is becoming 'significantly active amongst the leaders of the party of which, the Minister of Defence <and Lands are luminous members. These leaders, whose light is soon to be turned out, are anxious for a strong government in the future. In the past they have furnished a government so "strong that the popular olfactory nerves are unable to bear the strain put upon them by the very odour of it. Surely, he who directs defence matters must live" to himself alone, his one action being guided by that which preceded it, entirely unconscious of what effect it has had upon the other million, or thereabouts, of people who live in this Dominion by the same right that he does, and who should in the natural course of things have some influence in shaping his ideas of what the words, "strong government'!' really mean and convey. The latest birth in the Ministerialist nest, who is only yet a callow ministerling, thinks the present National humbug is the acme of Cabinet perfection. Of course, every child thinks its own father the biggest, and cleverest, and strongest man in the world, young Lands may therefore be excused for this rashness begat of his Ministerial youthfulncss. He owes his Ministerial existence to a self-legislated body who would have been relegated to political semi-obscurity three years, at least, ago had not the taxpayers been robbed of their franchise, and even now Young Lands is of opinion that this legislated arrangement, this setting aside of the national constitution, is Uio very best thing for New Zealanders. He says nothing is more conducive towards wise legislation, vigorous administration and general welfare of the community; but then, he is the last foundling of the National Swindle and his eyes are not widely enough open to take in anything beyond the National Circle in which he is yet giddily revolving. This Ministcrling brings to mind the .shocked innocence of an old-time' Hawkc's Bay Native, who, on being pointed out to the heavens above for help, replied, "By gorry, you tell the Maori to look up and when he look down again his land is all gone." The Ministcrling of Lands points to the National Government with its tory policy and sees nothing but wise legislation, vigorous administration and general welfare of the community, but he is happily unconscious it would seem that the people of this country are uot now callow, or even fledgings, they have their eye s fully and widely open, and it does not require any concentration of their vision to see right through the Ministcrling and his national creators. They do not look up at )r----bidding and lose all their lands as the old-time Maoris did, but they lose their lands, and every other right they are politically entitled to all the same. Pl 'escnt day tories use the war to mesmerise the people; they point to the war and while the people have their eyes on the brave lads who arc fighting for the land, the tory gang are mopping it up as fast as they can, and now that the boys once more look

upon the la,ii(i they have suffered for

they find it has all gone, and a wise, strong government is buying pumice land to give them in place of the nourishing farms they were compelled to sell Avhen departing for the scene of German aggression. The people have J had their attention directed to the war J and now they look down agaiir and ! find that they have been robbed of the franchise that a national constitution should have held in sacred trust for them; they find the land has fallen and continues to fall into the possession of thoso who view the National arrangement as a wise and strong administration, and we would like to whisper in; the ear of the youthful Ministerling that the day of reckoning i s a t hand, that the wrath of the people is truly stirred up; that the political Aegean stable is about to have the most drastic cleansing, a clearing out that will be for everlasting; that men will replace the present wise, strong tory administratj ors who are going to restore the I stolen lands to the people; men that I will give back the franchise; men that I will enforce a more just distribution ! { of the wealth the community cams so that every family in the land may have a house to live in and' not' be forced into herding like the brute creation in dark holes little removed from that of Calcutta as death traps. The Ministerling of Lands does not realise it, but we would suggest that he exhaustively compare the party to which he belongs* with tory, governments of the past so that he may have some cognisance of the fact that what he blindly terms the wise, strong administration, but generally known as the Masscy Government, has out-toried all previous tory regimes. Men are going off the land to-da.y, flocking to lareg cities; they were the owners of the land, but their children will flock back to the land as the slaves of the tory gang, if the tories ■have not miscalculated about the future. Are the people so simple in the wise and strong government's opinion that they do not trace the subterfuge of the party of fear and funk, the party that say s it is willing for anything to happen so long as the National arrangement ■ may be perpetuated? We may venture to predict that the present tory landgrabbers will not only be relieved of all governing duties, but that there will be political transformation scenes follow one upon the the other in rather rapid succession. Of course, it is not in the best interests of the country that there should be frequent changes of administration, but the 'tory vulture will strive to retain tory elements that the people will not have anything to do with. The Government that is to replace that headed by Mr. Massey will turn the people back from the citie s on to the land, because present farmers would be virtually bankruptcy by the weight of taxation they would have to carry if their numbers arc not increased. It must be borne in mind that a healthy and extended production is the only means this country has of raising riches, therefore, whatever men we send to our legislative forum, they must be consumed with the necessity of keeping up a strong and wise and energetic and determined farming community. We would urge upon those who are desperate with their sufferings and deprivations, owing to bad government, the vital need of abstaining from hasty action that might endanger this country's volume of production. The men that arc wise to the need for more production and still more production, not mere jackdaws who repeat the words because they bring reward from profiteers whom they benefit, are the legislators this country is groaning for; men who will act and act quickly; I men who have no other consideration I than the welfare of the people; men who will legislate for the community ! and not for themselves. The future or ! the people, of the business comnumI ity, all depends upon production being J carried to the greatest possible cxI trcmes, therefore cast out the talkers about more production, and replace i them with men who will increase proi duction to the utmost power of the country. Every act that limits or (reduces production is a crime?'whether it is so regarded or not, and should involve punishment. This country wants no continuance of the National scandal; its people and its businessmen are pining for a healthier and greatly extended farming community that will give us more and still more j production. The pound note we someI times hold in our hands may lava | come from a bank, but it was thefarmer, the producer, who first took it from the soil he works or cultivates. Production i s the life of the people, and that life needs the services of honest statesmen.