The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1886.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1498, 27 April 1886, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1886.

Mr J. L. Leesmith must have gone away with a very poor opinion of the farmers of this district. Mr Leesmith invited them to a meeting to consider the position of farmers generally and to form a league with the view of doing something to reduce the present rate of interest. He offered them a free lecture on a subject which should interest all of them, yet not one farmer was present at the meeting. They had certainly the excuse that sufficient notice of the meeting was not given. The advertisement appeared on Tuesday morning, and the meeting was called for Wednesday evening, and that certainly did not give it sufficient publicity. An advertisement intended to reach farm ers ought to appear the Saturday previous to the holding of the meeting because in many instances country subscribers do not get their papers from week’s end to week’s end. Almost everybody gets his paper on a Saturday, and if the advertisement were in it would sure to b ■ seen. But though this may possibly have kept many away there can be no doubt but that a great many knew of the meeting and could very well have attended if they had thought fit. All the people living in the town knew it, and a great many in its vicinity knew it also, and for, these there can he no excuse. They stayed away simply because they did not think it worth while to come. It is to be regretted that the people should be so apathetic, especially when the country is in such a fearful condition as it is at present. It is very discouraging <0 people trying to do good to find those they are endeavoring to benefit quite indifferent as to what will happen. There is no doubt but the people have more to fear from their own indifference and apathy than they have from money-rings and monopolists, and, if the people do not change and make themselves better acquainted with what is going on, they will find themselves before long crushed down by the weight of taxation, We have pointed out to them that between £4,000,000 and £5,000,000 per annum would have to be provided to pay the interest on foreign

capital ; we also told (lem that um f - our way of doing busitess is changed there is no other aitans of gutting this vast annual sum e;cept by borrowing, and that borrowing means ultimate ruin. We hoped that to direct attention to these facts world wnl.eii tie people up to a sense nf die realities with which tliey are surrounded, but apparently we were mistaken. Nothing will move the people as a whole to take steps for their own good, and consequently it. is useless to hope that anything will he done. We, however, warn them once more that this indifference may last until it is too late, and that the day wiil come when they will be sorry for ij.