THE COLONY'S FINANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 273, 11 November 1908, Page 4

THE COLONY'S FINANCES.

To the Editor. Sir,—l see by your Kohuratahi correspondent Mr. lliue is still making a lot of misstatements re finance unci other matters. The more ill', Hine criticises the Government's finance the more He shows his ignorance of business methods, lie also criticises the administration of the co-operative works on the lluiroa l railway, and mentions he had seen metal carted" at a cost of £5 per yard which should have been left until the rails were laid up to that point. Mr. lline should be fair and say the rails could not be laid up to that point without this particular bit of metal. Heganlhig the tariff, he stated the Government had increased the duty on" workmen's boots and stockings. Here n M.'. Hine shows his ignorance, a- vv.-.yoiie that knows anything knows perfectly well that there is no workmen's boots or stockings imported into the Dominion ; they are all manufactured in Xew Zealand. Mr. Hine should give the Ward Government credit for the tariff [ they had passed, taking the duty ofl ■ sugar and tea and other household I goods, also farmers' machinery. These items alone should be quite sufficient to [ let the small settlers know that the i present Government (not the party Mr. lline represents) are the ones to keep 'ill power. lie still harps 011 that tIXOII.OIIU invested in Egyptian bonds, although he must know it is absolute! v false, and again shows bis ignorance of the country's affairs when he suggests this amount should be handed over to tlie Government Advances to Settlers Office, to be lent out again. This amount is left in London and invested ill Imperial Consols, in ease of any stringency in the colony's finance it would become available at once, whereas. if loaned out as Mr. lline suggests, it would in the case of a money crisis not be available. Mr. lliue should have told his audience that the present tightness of money is brought about: by the private moneylenders calling in their mortgages, and the present Govenime-.it is doing its best to give money to the Advances to Settlers Office to enable that department to lend out to these people that Mr. nine's money-lending friends are trying to crush! His opinions on the land question are too ridiculous to reply to, hut I challenge liim to prove the statement that the Government in giving the people the lease in perpetuity only did so with the original lessee, and 011 the death of jthe origjnal lessee they (the Government) had a perfect right to break the agreement, even if it brought misery to 1 the widows and orphans. Any lease-iu-perpetuity settler has only to call or write to the Land Office at New Plymouth, and can easily find out that the lease in perpetuity is an absolutely secure tenure; the title thereto does pa?s from father to son or any other direct heir. I am sorry that the question with reference to the adjustment of accounts between the Stratford and Whangamomona counties, and Mr. Hine's references thereto, were not reported fu-ly in your paper, as 1 feel sure it would take all Mr. Hine's cunning to explain away his attitude on that matter. The whole of the settlers in the Wlianganio111011a county know perfectly well that Mr. Hine has done his level best, and resorted to all kinds of expedients, to withhold from the county a sum of nearly :t 14(10 whieli the settlers were by law justly entitled to, and. though his efforts were frustrated. Mr. lline cannot expect to regain the confidence of ;i county whose finance he has done his level best to cripple.