The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4. 1887. LIES EXPOSED.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1642, 4 October 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4. 1887. LIES EXPOSED.

Tib dastardly devices resorted to during tbe last elections to damage tbs reputation of Mr Ballance with regard to the Tijlage settlements is now being exposed!' The Auckland Horald-—a paper which baa always keen opposed to ths Government—has published tbe following “ The statistical raturns by Mr K«vanagb, the village steward, from which I write, giysa in a concise form the population, agricultural statistics, and the value and extent of improvements in tha several settlements; and aa the figures given disclose a most satisfactory condition of things, they wilt be studied with pleasure by your readers. The total population of these settlements is 1081 souls «-296 men, 180 women, and 608 children. They own amongst them 80 horses and foals, 172 oowa and calves, 38 pigs, 867 poultry, the stock being valued at £IOOO. The settlers hare foiled 656 acres of bush land ; have grassed 231 acres, and have erected 390 chains of fencing. There are 86 wham, and 100 completed houses, while 25 houses arein course of erection. The total sum paid as advances to settlers is £2631 16s 6d, while their improvements are valued at £35633*. lam assured that an exceptionally low valuation has been placed on the improvements, so that adding' tbe value of the stock to the balance between the advances paid to the eettiere and the valuations of their improvement*, 1 may fairly say that these people h»ve added £IOOO to the material wealth of the •olony,'* This yilligu settlement scheme was, W« ware told, a monstrous political job got np for electioneering purposes; tbo people wonld not stay there except so long as public money was sprnt on them; bat short as is the time they have been there a competent authority says they have increased tbe wealth of the colony by £IOOO. Suppeeing the money had been spent on giving these men unprofitable employment, such as bad hitherto been given to the unemployed, would they baye increased the wealth of tbe colpny so rapidly t Certainly not. They would still be a burden on the taxpayers of this colony. But tliis is not all. In tha Hawke's Bay EWning News we find tbe following in reference to the Herekino bet dement another of those settlements for which Mr Ballance was condemned. A Mr iTbomes Quigley, who has visited this settlement, writes as follows of it:—

“ 1 bar* juit paid this place a visit, and it will perhaps interest your readers to hear an unbiassed opinion of the position of these Bottlers, They a'l claim that they have been misrepresented in the House of Representatives by the members, who have been trying to make political capital out of their position, and they aay that there is just about as much truth in tbs stories told by Mr Hobba and Mr Dargaville as there is in the story of 1 the “ three black crows and they asked me to report what I saw truthfully, and let the people know iheir true position. This I will endesvor to do as well asl can. “ The settlers I found wore, for, the moat part, contented, and some of then quite enthusiastic. Some of them- who had left permanent employment in town do not regret their choice, and are determined to atick to their sections. Some •re boused in paling shantiss, while others are in nikau whares till they can get sawn timber houses built. There are four psir of sawyers at work, all cutting building stuff, and they have orders enough to keep them going all through the summer. “The land is, for the must parr, first class. , . . . Many ef the settlers have got good-sized patches fit for cropping, but. complain of a difficulty in getting seed potatoes. The Government should see that they sre provided with them before the end of this month. , , . . A few peas, some msia«, beans, and pumpkin seed would also b* very acceptable. The smaller reeds can easily be got flora town by parcel post.” We bsye been accustomed to hra* from people who were not there, and never saw it, that the land was bad ; but here is the evidence of a man who has aeen it, and it ia to the effect that it is of 1 first-class quality. It is evident tbsrafore that when Mr Daily said on a recent occasion in the Tolunteer H»1 that it woitd be worth £lh an acre it it were in the neighborhood of Temuka be was not far wrong. But what was the good ? Mr Quigley continuc-sis*. “ There is another road being made from Eohata, Wb«» this is dona they

will bo within an hour’s dmo from where the steamer lands her cargo. “ There are over 200 people here, and there hare been several children born.

. ... I am pleased to state that there have been 00 deaths here yet, with all the talk of somi-Btarvatioc.”

This wan one of the great election cries ; this was one of the things farmers were frightenid with. They were told their money was being gpant in providing hemes for these man, and it was no use telling them that the money thus spent would seenri to them 5 per cent, interest, while it would relieve them of the necessity of finding work for the unemployed. The Government, whose beneficient administration did so much to hush lbs cry of the unemployed Jn three years, have now fallen, and Major Atkinson is likely to succeed them. It was of no use to warn tba people of the danger of such an occurrence, but we fear the day is not far distant when they will regret the result of the elections of 1887, At any rata the facts contained in tha above extracts,. together with such lies as that concerning Lady Vogel’s curtains, ought to make people think three times before believing the election cries of corrupt politicians. But the misfortune is that they da not, and that all this will be forgotten by the next election. Some new cries will bo raised by that time, and the people will be galled just as they have bean recently. Until tha people think for tbemaelvea, and refuse to ba led by the nose, wo shall not have pore politics or fair representation.

THE CORRUPTING INFLUENCE. Truth has the following “ What was meant by the allusion was simply this: * Ready-money ’ Robinson and Mr Garrick, M.H.R., were seen to alight from a cab at tbe door *f the Parliamentary Buildings. Mr 1 Roadymonoy’ strolled into the lobby, Mr Garrick went to his seat in the Houee, and waa soon on liis legs delivering his ratting speech. Mr Garrick, who had hitherto been a staunch Government supporter, spoke against the Government strongly, but to save his seat it St. Albans expressed his intention of voting with them. Mr Garrick is Mr Robinson’s solicitor, and they are therefore on intimate terms. Mr Robinson was particularly active against the Government last session, and interviewed several members on the subject of their votes. This is one of tbe fish to bo caught by a Graduated Property Tax. He is an advocate of Political Reform and Retrenchment ! ” These are the sort of people who corrupt politics; these are the people who gall tbe public with their screams. Ilk Garrick and Mr Hurstbonse are the two men who were responsible for the defeat of the Government in the last Parliament, and they have paid for their tergiversation with tbe loss of their seats. A fine, promising, young New Zealander—-Mr W. P. Ueevc-i— now occupies the seat in which Mr Garrick recently wrought so much mischief, and if every constituency in New Zealand acted as well there is not the slightest doubt but we should have better times in New Zealand.