The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, OOTOBER 2, 1886. DUNEDIN GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1564, 2 October 1886, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, OOTOBER 2, 1886. DUNEDIN GENERAL.

Thb Dunedin Central constituency ib vacant, and amongst the candidates now aspiring to represent it is a young solicitor, named Mr 0. R. Chapman. We know nothing of Mr Chapman. We never heard of him before, and judging from his speech which we have read in the local papers of last Wednesday it will cost him a considerable amount of j hard work and perseverance to achieve success which will extend his fame beyond a very limited area. It was one j of the poorest attempts we have come across. Ue commenced by attacking Messr* Bracken and Hutchison, who are also candidate*. Mr Bracken, he. said* represented the constituency before Htid wni} a failure ; the other candidate was known in Wellington and Wanganui as a failure, and in a beseeching sort of way he asked the electors to give him a chance, ihe fact is that Messrs Bracken and Hutchison are experienced and capable men, who understand politics thoroughly. Then the candidate told the audience that one of the candidates was so poor that a collection had to be made up for bim, and boasted that he (Mr Chapman) was a gentleman not only by birth but by profession. He also told them bow his father came to New Zealand, and hov> be bad not a place whereon to lay bis head, and would have bad to sleep in the open air only " for the thoughtfulness of the lato Captain Cargill, who gave him the loan of a tarpaulin." But we have given enough of the unmitigated bosh wbicb this latest aspirant to political bonors heaved off bis bosom. There was very little in hie speech beyond this, with the exception of some stupid reference to the question of protection and free trade. That apparently is the only question of which he had any conception whatever, and the way he dealt with it showed how incapable he is of grasping the f-übjeot. We shall not try to follow him, though his meaningless observations on this subject, but shall select just one matter to which he referrej. " You will probably remember," he said, that ft few years ago—when, I think, Sir Julius Vogel was Premier—the General Assembly thought what a glorious thing it would be to 6o encourage native industry as to have our spirits manufactured in the colony. Well, to effect that object, the Assembly so altered the tariff as to cause a very 6mall duty to be levied upon spirits manufactured in the colony. In consequence two distilleries were established—one at Dun»din and the other at Auckland. In course of time these distilleries were ab!e to manufacture the article in large quantities and of a fair quality. It was then discovered, however, that they could turn out such a quantity that they could supply the colony themselves without the imported article. Of course this meant a great loes in the shape of revenue, and it was resoived to again rxrake the duty upon the locally manufactured article the same as the importedWhat was the consequence ? Why, the Government had to pay the owners of the distilleries a large sum for compensation ; and this, together with the loss dt the revenue, must have cost the colony several thousand pounds. Well, *who derived the benefit from all this bat six or seven individuals, who suddenly found themstlves wealthy? One of these persons is now a member of the present Government. The working man certainly gained nothing from it, and several bnodred thousand pounds went direct from tbe pockets of the taxpayers into the pockets of those six or seven people, This may be a little overdrawn, but it is a fair sample of Protection. It all looks fair just now ; but if ever we should want to return to Freetrade, what claims for compensation there would be on the part of the manufacturers I" So far as we s are concerned we should be very happy if there was not one drop of intoxi--1 eating drink in tbe whole world, but it is there, and it will bo there no doubt till tbe end of time. Without questioning its utility, therefore, we mast discuss it in this connection as an article of commerce, and must say that to shut up the distilli-ries bo that revenue might be obtained frem imported spirits was a suicidal policy. It is no wonder that the men who carry such a policy into effect havejanded tbe colony in its present state of deprrssion. We cannot just now ascertain the exact sum which leaves this colony yearly for tbe purpose of purchasing spirits, but we should not be surprised to find toat it is not far from half a million. That is money completely lost. If we import a reaping machine we invest our money in a reproductive article, but money invested in whisky is completely and irrevocably lo6t. What wa get for it does more harm than good. Now, if these spirits were distilled in tbe eolony it would not be altogether so bad. A great deal of grain would be consumed in their manufacture, many men would be employed, and thus tbe money would be kept in the colony. Let us suppose, for example, that tor the last ten years we have imported into this colony ever;

year half a million's worth spirits : • hat means that we have sent out of tta colony five million of money; If the spirits had been mariufactured in the colony this Yiitf wjm'uof napney would have beeri iri'the colony at. present. The farmers whb grew the grain would hare some of it, the workmen who manufactured the whisky would have some of it, and the owners of the dis tillerieg would have Bome of it. Supposing we had £5,000,000 in gold sovereigns in the colony, now what would hare been the result ? A Simply that money would be :oheap ; "that Gorernraent could borrow within tha colon/, and that there would hare been no necessity for going (o London for our loans,.. But men of property made our laws, and discounted the present for the future. Sooner than tax property then they destroyed the industry, and now the result is being felt. By legislation tha colony has been reduced to bankruptcy. But..space will, not let us go more; fully into'the subject at present.