The Daily News. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1914. A LOWERING TENDENCY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 157, 28 November 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1914. A LOWERING TENDENCY.

The Prime Minister has been assailed re-1 cently by the Liberal candidates for Franklin and Manakau, and by a small; section of the Press, over his connection with the ostrich farm company, in which he is a fairly considerable shareholder. It was alleged that the building of tlio branch Pukekohe-Waiuku line would materially benefit the company, through a 'part of which it would run; that the , company had borrowed £12,500 from the j Public Trustee, a portion being obtained since Mr. Massey has been in office; and that, generally, Mr. Massey, in getting the line put through, bad a regard more for his and his co-shareholders' interests than for those of the country. At the Hutt on Thursday night the Prime Minister dealt with these allegations. Many yearS ago, lie stated, he had invested £IOOO in the company, hut he had received no dividend yet from the investment. The property already adjoined the Main iLine, and, therefore, the construction of the branch line would not increase the value of the farm in any way. Finally, he challenged those who had inferred that he had used State money to build the lino for his own benefit to come out into the open and say so, and he would then give them an opportunity of proving their statements in the Supreme Court. The Prime Minister's frank statement should find ready and general acceptance. We would bo very sorry to believe for one moment that anyone occupying his high office would be guilty of conduct suggestive of feathering his own nest at the expense of the country generally. Mr. Massey no doubt feels genuinely indignant at these base motives being attributed to him. He must do, or he would not say he is prepared to take the matter to the Supreme Court and fight his detractors, if it cost him his last shilling. We can appreciate his, feelings, for personal honor and character are a man's most precious possessions, and no sacrifice is - too great in order to keep them unsullied. Having been attacked and in- [ jured to some extent in this way, Mr. Massey may now understand the feelings of, and duly sympathise with his political rival, Sir Joseph Ward, about this time three years ago, when an organised campaign of calumny against him was being conducted by his political enemies. —supporters of Mr. Massey. It was insinuated, for instance, that Sir Joseph was getting "a cut" —a secret commission—out of the various loans raised by ; the Dominion, and also out of the building of the Dreadnought. The malicious statement was made from the political platform—in Taranaki, too. Other slanderous statements of a similar kind were sedulously circulated. They could not bo stopped or nailed down, like the statement made in open about the ostrich farm, and grave injury was done to the character of the Liberal leader, politic- j ally and personally. Now, of course, time j has exploded these slanders, and we bo- ; lievo that Sir Joseph now stands in higher esteem, even among his political opponents, than he ever has done. The i circulation of these baseless and vil- j lifying statements against our public j men cannot be too strongly condemned. Unless it is put an end to quickly, the whole standard of our public life will be lowered, and the difficulty will be to get men with characters to lose to take part in our public life. A section of the rabid partisan Press are very greatly to blamo for the introduction of this undesirable element. A few years ago it was un-

heard of. Then one or two rabid Conservative papers, in an organised attempt to drive Sir Joseph Ward out of public life, commenced a campaign of misrepresentation and slander against him. The slanders were cunningly concealed, sufficiently to keep the perpetrators out of the clutches of the law, but their poisonous suggestive articles did their fell work in the course of time, and brought about the desired end. But it was a heavy price to pay. No sooner had they got their side into power than a section of the Press on the Opposition side took up thc same undesirable line of criticism, and have continued it ever since, the effect being to lower both the tone of journalism and of politics. Let there be open, honest, vigorous criticism by all mans—it is the safety valve of our political system—but give 1 our public men credit for a little personal honor and integrity, and also for self-saeriliee and devotion to the public's interests, attributes, by thc way, which are not a monopoly of either party.

funds to a satisfactory level." Discussing the state of the import market, the Review says:—"Taking all the circumstances into consideration, the general volume of business doing must be considered fairly satisfactory, though there is certainly a decided tone of quietness in some quarters. The grocery section reports fairly steady turnover in all staple lines, but luxuries are not receiving as much attention as usual. In the hardware trade there is a quiet, but steady and continuous, country business doing, but town trade is somewhat slow."