The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1891. THE SURPLUS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2220, 27 June 1891, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1891. THE SURPLUS.

Oms Parliamentary representatives are indulging in the *• Who-killed-Cock-Robin ?” style of argument with regard to the surplus, The Atkinsonians claim all the credit for it, and the Government party think they are perfectly entitled to a share of the honor. Now let us have plain factsIn 1882 Sir John Hall resigned the reins of Government to Sir Harry Atkinson and left him a surplus of £203,000. According to a speech made by Mr John Holmes in Parliament, and never contradicted, Sir Harry Atkinson increased expenditure during the next two years by £447,000, and went out of office in 1884 leaving behind him a deficit of £158,000. Sir Julius Yogel, by manipulating the sinking fund, converted this deficit into a surplus within the next twelve months, and in 1886 brought forward proposals for increasing the Customs duties.. He was not allowed to do so, the cry of “ Keep the Ministry in and their measures out ” was raised, and so in 1887 he had a deficit of £98,000, If Sir Julius Yogel had been allowed to carry out his own policy he would not have had a deficit. Sir H, Atkinson came next and the condition under which he took office was that he should be allowed to do exactly as be liked, and this was agreed to. He refused to give any idea as to what he was going to do, and in 1888 he came before the House with a deficit of £528,000. How did Sir Harry Atkinson propose to deal with this P Exactly in the same way that Sir Julius Yogel bad proposed to meet it two years previously. H® proposed to increase the Customs duties, but the very man who are loudest in claiming the surplus now were the very men who refused to allow him to do so. Now who helped Sir Harry Atkinson to carry out his policy then P Mr Ballance and the Liberal party. The Freetraders did their best to oppose Sir Harry’s scheme, yet now they claim credit for its results. Again, last session Mr Ballance and bis followers, assisted by the Skinflints, compelled Sir Harry Atkinson to cat down expenditure by £50,000, and yet the Ballance party do net get any credit for anything they did. They assisted Sir Harry Atkinson to carry the schema of finance which has resulted in a surplus, they compelled Sir Harry Atkinson to cut down expenditure so as to swell that surplus by £60,000, yet the very men who resisted' all this are claiming credit for the work now. Here are the true, honest facts, and our readers can judge for themselves now as to “ Who killed Cock Robin.” It is told of a Dutchman that on seeing a bear enter his house be ran upstairs, leaving his wife to give it battle. When the wife had killed the bear the Dutchman returned and commenced screaming “We killed it.!’ The claims of the Scobie Mackenzies, the McArthurs, and the Bryces, are exactly on all-fours with the Dutchman’s claims. They are cackling over work done by others. We hereby challenge one and all of them t® contradict a single statement in this article.