APPLYING THE PRUNING KNIFE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8146, 2 July 1906, Page 2

APPLYING THE PRUNING KNIFE.

TO THE EDITOE. Sin,—Your excellent article in this morning's paper should meet with j genoral approval. When hard times come, and low prices for produce pcvail, and interest on the borrowed mil. 5 lions has still to be paid, then there . will bo a great outcry against past extravagance. We should at once begin ( to practice economy before it is forced

on u?, and all future expenditure should | bo so applied as to do good (o the I greatest number. I wish to raise my voice against what some persons are advocating, viz,, a large monetary grant from colonial funds to tiie late Premier's family. I should like to see Parliament vote the same amount to Mrs Seddsn as it did to Lady Atkinson and to Mrs Ballance. Ido not 1 wish to belittle any of Mr Seddon's many good qualities, or any good work lie has done for the colony, but, with many others, I think New Zealand is more indebted to the late Sir Harry Atkinson than to the late Premier. It was Sir Harry who inaugurated the ' self-reliant policy, and brought the Maori war to a close. It was he who saved the colony from a state of almost bankruptcy, by strict economy ! and retrenchment, at a time when we had but few exports and prices were very low, and this colony could only borrow at a high rate of interest. He began retrenchment by cut ting down his own and other Ministers' salaries; it was he who proposed an annuities scheme which, if it had been carried out, would have been far preferable to the present system of charitable aid, otherwise called "old-age pensions," which is considered (even by many of , the recipients) degrading. I could enumerate many good measures passed by Parliament, whilst Bir Harry was in ollice, but I have mentioned enough to cause his memory to be revered. He : has often been blamed for not making i better provision for his family at the , public expense. He died a poor man whilst in the public service.—l am, etc., Pjio Back-Blocks. June 30th.