The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1881.

Temuka Leader, Issue 366, 24 March 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1881.

“ While grass, grows, the horse starves,” is an old saying, often brought up to illustrate a case of mismanagement or The maxim is very applicable in the cas e of the procedure of the New Zealand Government at the present moment. Two or three year* ago our rulers were lavish in their expenditure of public money for the purpose-of introducing labor into the Colony. To-day the Government by their shortsighted arrangement for reducing the public expenditure, are taking the best possible steps they could to drive away that labor which their predecessors imported at so great expense Immediately on the Hall Ministry assuming the reins of Government they commenced their unsuccessful career by a stoppage of public works. Instead of keeping going a moderate amount of expenditure, and thus keeping up.the name of the Colony, it all at once put on the- screw, and, backed by the suicidal statement of the Colonial Treasurer, dashed the credit of the Colony, to the ground, and destroyed the hopes of. those colonists with smalt capital who were contemplating permanently settling amongst us. By a persistent carrying out of. this “penny wise, and pound foolish,” policy, our gifted Government are destroying the last hopes of New Zealand settlers. At this very moment scores, nay, hundreds j of i-he best workmen who bed come here with the intention of making New Zealand their home, are compelled by dire necessity to leave the country to seek employment in Australia, or America, yet, all the while, the powers that be look on with oalin complacency or stoical indifference, consulting about the appointing of a Minister who will: be most ready to do their surprising to see the apathy displayed ■ by a large portion of the Press at the exodus that is now going on. We often remarked in this journal upon the dearth of labor, and the drawback that high wages caused to improvements in public or private estates. Now, however, when men are willing to work for 5s or 6s a day no one seems inclined to employ them. The Government project no new works. Boadi Boards.and other public bodies are curtailing expeniture, the result being that- able-bodied men are leaving in crowds.. That this is a “ penny wise, and pound foolish policy,” will very soon be proved. Next spring and summer the bitter f-.uit of this policy will be-reaped. We predict that the,”e will not a man be found to do any kind of manual labor (if the present exodus goes on) worth his salt. What will be the result ? Squatters will likely suffer first by an eniianced rate for shearing their sheep ; agricultural farmers will suffer next by increased rates for labor of all kinds. Public bodies will also find it impossible to complete works at a third or fourth more than they can do now. Storekeepers-will suffer, at least in the coming winter, by a diminished demand for their goods, and tradesmen of all sorts by a diminution of orders, all through ap incapable Government, who hare not the ability to rule for the good of their fellow colonists. It is the duty,, we hold it, of every man who cart spare a pound to lay it out, iu order to save this feared calamity becoming a fact. When men are prepared to work for 5s or 6s a day, as they are at proamt doing, it is the duty of every employer of labor to give them: work, and not place them in a position in which they must either emigrate or starve. If our galivanting Government who, by-the-bye, were ever down upon the Grey Government for not ataying at home—would only look into this matter, and lookahead a little more, they would see it at once to be not only a duty, but a wise stroke of business, to provide woik for every able bodied man who is prepared to undertake it.. If something is not done, and that soon, the cry for fresh immigration will soon be heard louder than ever it has yet been ; bat the response, even were the money forthcoming, will be feebler than it has ever yet been. The foolish remark of our Colonial Treasurer has so destroyed the good name of our fair isles that it will be impossible to get a respectable class of men to come to our shores, even were free passages offered to them. It was a, black, day for New Zealand when the Hon John Hall took his seat as a Minister for New Zealand. It would have paid the country to have given him a thousand or two-a year tp go. home and watch Sir Julius Vogel, in o.rder, to get him, out of the way of mischief.. His mind' is- formed in too narrow a mould to make him, a successful ruler, andj as a matter of course, he chooses men of the same calibre as his colleagues ; consequently where little is given little need

be expected. By ingenious manoeuvring. just as we warned our readers he would do, Mr Hall managed to put the new Representation BUI and the Redistribution of Seats Bill off for another session, and thus secured his seat for another eighteen months ; but we assert that had lie acted honorably, and done as he said he would do. in this matter, lie- would not now be sitting on the ministerial bench destroying the prospects of this magnificent country. How long the colony will stand this humbug it is bard to say.. Private individuals have tbeir own business to attend to ; pecuniary troubles have so unhinged others, that he has got full swing to, do very much as ho pleases. There is, however, a time of retribution at hand when men will again buckle- on for the fight, and will not submit to- such misrule and mismanagement of our public affairs ; but it will be much harder than on any former occasion for a new ministry to. recover the state ship when she has lain so long on her beam ends. To compare the speeches of the Premier and some of his colleagues, made when in opposition, to their doings when in ofllce, would form a very interesting little volume, which might be embodied in any author’s history of Hew Zealand, and would not be inapt as a book of reference for members of ev?ry family to refer to, who.may have a fancy for studying the lives of Hew Zealand statesmen-. The Press, or a portion, of it, have from time to time given graphic sketches of the honorable gentleman, but their effusions are- often set down as ebnlitions of temper; but a neat little volume-could- be studied at leisure, and would be most amusing as well as interesting.