The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1880

Temuka Leader, Issue 278, 3 August 1880, Page 3

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1880

The backward turn which -New Zealand entered upon when the Hall Government took office, is not likely to be changed for years to come, if appearances are to be trusted. It is an easy matter to give an order: to stop public works, and throw men out of employment, but this is only the beginning of the end. Mtn out of employment, means stagnation in business It is a fact, proved over and over again in settled countries, that full employment and high wages are the best 'times for the people al! round. Tradesmen get more orders and better paid accounts, capitalists receive better returns for the use of .their capital, and speculators con speculate with greater chaoce of success. I a au old country even the stoppage of one or two large factories is considered a public calamity; consequently large companies are very careful how they approach such a subject; as the stoppage o* any large public work. Half-time or even quarter-time is often adopted, rather than throw hundreds of hands out of employment, and the lowest shread of profit is accepted rather than that the door should be ; closed upon their workmen; but pubHc works in New Zealand, under the control of Conservative Government, are suddenly brought io a standstill, and hundreds, even thousands, of men are thrown out of employment without the least compunction, or a single"thought as to how the workers are to provide for their wives and families. The only excuse is that money is short. There never seems to be the least calculation made as to whether or not the throwing a crowd of men out of work will affect the supply of money. , Money makes money, if; is said ; but, when no money is expended, no money as a return need be expected. If then bur Government think* by shutting up the Treasury, they will make'money more'■'plentiful,'" they will find they are mistaken. Mercantile men often begin with little, but, by great frugality and in dustry, become, after a time, moderately rich. . Why does a Government, or a Colony, who has many advantages overan individaul in commencing with a small sum, not make rich? Simply because there is an absence of ' frugality and industry.'' When the Canterbury settlement was first /started the pioneers had little money,, but by frugal habits and industry they soon made money plentiful. The settlement.,for many years' not only managed to make ways arid means alike, but had always a surplus ; in short it was rapidly growing'rich. This, however, was not enough. Her rulers were not content with making moderately rich, but must be rich and great all at once. Harbors, steam transit, rapid mails, and telegraph communications, were followed up by expensive public establishments, and in short, the whole machinery connected with the country must be conducted on a scale far beyond the requirements of such ,a young .and thinly- populated iountry. The. startling statement that learly one-eighth [of the population were inder Government pay,, only disclosed a >ortioa of their extravagen.ee. Public wildings, public establishments all over ;he colony .have been made for idle jrofligates and reckless spendthrifts, who lave been scattering public money broad:ast. Is it to ba wondered atxhen, that mr public works have been unproductive? rhe wonder rather is that tre colony has lot, become bankrupt long ago. If the same, wild.!waste and extravagence had ■ indulged in by a private company, or i '

individual, ri'in would have been the result, and that very shortly. Our Government, taking but a bird's-eye view of things saw but one section of the, evil, and, just [like a ■ lot of land-lubbors on board a ship, who do not know how to ' walk the deck in a storm, but tumble first to this aide and then'to that, to the great danger of the ship and cargo, so do our statesmen flounder about in all directions but the right-one—cutting away this spar ami that spar to right the ship when they should only trim the sails and .steady the iStale craft till the ntorm 'goes over. Instead of stopping all public improvements, which leads very shortly to thostoppage of the circulation oi money, a safer course would have been to study economy and expenditure, but keep money floating in the country ; if this had been done, the price of land would not come down so rapidly, bankruptcy would not have been so universal. Ten times ■more Government land would have been sold, and then the money the Government had bevnjex; pending judiciously would 'have been "tumbling into the Treasury tworfold, and the hundreds of thousands of pounds that are at present lying' idle in the Colony would havu been in circulation at good interest, and the' holders sending fresh or* ders home for more. The crisis would not have been felt, the value of property would not have deteriorated so much, and want would have been unknown amongst us ; but no say our Tom Thumb minded Ministry, we will shut off the supplies, lock the Tieasury door, and let the public fossock for themselves, for a year or two. What will happen in a year or two, if this policy continues to be acted upon 1 The people will fossock f for themselves certainly. Brittishers will cot if there be supplies in the enemies camp, but New Zealand will be the sufferer. The class of men that we have, at great expense drawn to our shores, will seek new homes, as they are already doing;, but there is a worse feature than this cropping up. \ Anyone who looks at the way the stream of emigration from the old countries is taking, cannot fail to see that New Zealand is doomed, if not to decrease, at lea-st to remain stationary in population I for the next few year,s.. The consequences arising from such a state of things is fearful to contemplate. Our lands must be cultivated, if the Colony is not to be allowed to become bankrupt. Our railways nmsb be kept running, if we mean; to keep faith with the public creditor, and our roads and bridges must be kept in iepair, if the Colony is not to be allowed to return to its native state, f Driving population .from a young colony is a suicidal policy, and in .our case there is not the slightest necessity for it. A judicious prosecution of public works, instead of stopping them altogether, keep money circulating, impcovemerfya in land I preceded ;wJ'th, and investments} made of foreign capital, which would be the means of -keeping our good, name■ all d'Ar the j world, .but no says the Hall-Ro!>6ston bungling statesmen. A number of gentlemen have lots of money and lots of land in the Colony, and they must be protected, even,at the expense of losing our good, name, and driving the jitream of emigration from our doors. _• There will always be enough men to look after our sheep yards, ahd that is sufficient for us and our friends. Will the people stand it? -,,■ We will see."