The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1890. RETRENCHMENT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2076, 24 July 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1890. RETRENCHMENT.

Members of Parliament etill suffer from the Eetrenchment mania. Mr Khodes last Friday moved to reduce the amount to be paid to the poor, unfortunate messengers of the Government by £5, as a protest against increasing salaries. We have frequently pointed out that the result of this miserly cheeseparing will be to stimulate Trades-unionism, and now we find our prophecy coming true. In our last issue we published a Wellington telegram stating that the civil servants in Wellington were forming a society in Wellington to force the Government to introduce a Classification Bill This is exactly the first step, and it will be found the next step will be to compel the House to increase their pay. There is more mischief done in the world by fools than by rogues. This cheeseparing must be paid for dearly yet, when Trades Unions become complete masters or the situation. It is a hopeless state of affairs when the men we have elected to Parliament are so stupid that they cannot read the signs of the times. TBE LAND. We published in our .last issue the names of those who hare bought or leased land from the Government lately, and we venture to say that that I

is sufficient to show the way in which the public estate has been disposed of. We have nothing to say against those who were fortunate enough to secure a share of the land. They had a right to secure it, as the law stands, and we find ao fault with them for it. They have done nothing only what most people would do if they got the chance. What we find fault with is that most of the land has gone to people who had a fair share of it already, and that there is scarcely one new home to be built, notwithstanding the large area which has been disposed of. This is not what we expected. This is not what Major Steward, the member for Waimate, worked so hard for. He has been indefatigable in his efforts to get this land opened up for settlement, and it will no doubt grieve him sorely to find that not one new home will result from all his labors. It is no use saying the land does not pay the big companies. If so the New Zealand and Australian Land Company would not be so anxious to acquire it under leasehold as well as freehold tenure, and all we can say is that it is a shame to allow them to increase their already too large estate.