The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1887. NEW SOUTH WALES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1669, 6 December 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1887. NEW SOUTH WALES.

Nett South Wales is goiug down hill just as fast as the perverted ingenuity of her legislators can push her. She is being ruined by exactly the same causes as those which are destroying New Zealand namely, government by fools. Good government can make any country prosperous; bad government would destroy the Garden of Eden. If Sir Henry Parkea or Major Atkinson got into the Garden of Eden they would reduce it to such a wilderness that even the old serpent would have found it unattractive. A year ago, when Sir Patrick Jennings was Premier, the finances of the country got into a terrible muddle, and in order to adjust them they proposed a revision of the Customs duties in a direction that would favor local industries. A fit of the Freotrade rabies seized Sir Henry Parkes, and he raised a tremendous cry against Protection, with the result that he carried all before him ,at the general election. Ho formed a Ministry, and increased taxation in every direction —with the exception of the direction which would give any advantage to local industries. He placed a tax on tea, sugar, tobacco, and spirits, but scorned the idea of giving any protection to local industries. He also carried out a system of retrenchment, and then, after having done all this, he promised th*t there would be a surplus of £910,000 at the end of the year. But the best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley. The year has now expired, and the Colonial Treasurer

of New South Wales has delivered his Financial Statement, with the result , that, instead of having a surplus of £910,000 as he promised, he has a deficit of £150,000. The meaning of this is that the revenue fell short of the Estimates by £1,060,000, and this immense falling off denotes that New South Wales is in a miserable state of depression. Contrast her with Victoria. New South Wales is three times as large as Victoria ; she was a long time settled before a white man put his foot on Victorian soil; the population of both are about equal—yet one is immensely prosperous while the other is starving! What has done this ? The answer is; Good

government.” Victoria has for along time paid her menbera £3OO a year ; New South Wales has not paid her members at all. The result has been that the government of New South Wales has alwaysremained exclusively in the hands of wealthy men, while poor men have dominated politics in Victoria. Sir G-raham Berry was a small storekeeper when he entered political life, and to him above all others Victoria owes her prosperity. It will he within the recollection of most of our readers that there was great trouble in Victoria when the policy was at first changed. The wealthy classes offered every possible resistance to the Liberal party. They even went to the extent of dismissing

laborers and shutting up works with the view of making it appear that the Government had ruined the colony. They thought that by throwing people out of employment such a cry would be raised against the Government that it would be driven from office, but Sir Graham Beiry stood firm to his principles, and the result of his policy is unprecedented prosperity, in which his stupid opponents share. The wealthy classes of this colony as well as of New South Wales might well study this subject. The stupidity and selfishness which seems to be inherent in their class caused the wealthy men of Victoria to resist reform, but it was carried in spite of them, and now they are reaping the benefit of it in the great mea ure of prosperity which their colony enjoys. Cannot our wealthy men think of this ? Cannot they realise that if the colony became prosperous they naturally must share in it ? Cannot they see that national prosperity is not an exclusive thing that selects its favorites, but a beneficent influence which diffuses blessings as widespread as the light of day ? We are afraid they cannot. They hare never done so,

and it is too much to expect better things of them now. If anything could bring them to their senses a comparison between "Victoria and New South Wales ought—for where their class has held sway there is woe and misery; where reforms have been carried out in spite o£ that class there is peace and prosperity. Victoria tried all the tricks that New Zealand and New South Wales are trying now to pay her way, but they all failed. She was getting deeper and deeper into the mire until the beneficent results of industrial development commenced to shed their influence around, and henceforward her prosperity increased rapidly. But neither New Zealand nor New South Wales seems disposed to learn the lesson taught them by Victoria. Retrenchment and increased taxation is the cure which both apply. New South Wales proposes to lower the salaries of Civil servants, to put a special tax of one halfpenny in the £ on unimproved land and the reserve funds and deposits of banks and other financial institutions. Nemesis has at last caught the wealthy classes of New South Wales. That thing which they dread most—special taxation—is to be levied upon them now, and this will doubtless bring them to their senses. It will come to the turn of the wealthy classes of New Zealand yet to he specially taxed. They will have to pay for the muddling legislation of their pet the Major without a doubt, and then perhaps they will open their eyes to their own stupidity and appreciate honest men.