POLITICAL NOTES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2375, 28 June 1892, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

It is generally regarded in Conservative circles that it is very wrong to appeal to working men, as it means setting class against class. There is no paper in New Zealand which appeals more frequently to working men than the Christchurch Press. Its appeals are very often as frantic as they are amusing. For instance, last week it published the list of the shareholders of the Lyttelton Times, and called on working men to say was it possible that such men could be their friends. One thing can be said in reply, and it is that the list contains no union-crusher like Mr G. G. Stead, chairman of the Press directors, or a monopolist like Mr Moore, of Glenmark. The working men know that the Lyttelton Times is their friend, no matter who owns it; and that the Press is their enemy, and that is all they need cate.

The Christchurch Press agrees with the assertion in the (Governor’s speech to the effect that the colony is more prosperous now than it has been for the last thirteen years, but the Press insists that it is in spite of the present (jovornrnent it is so, The Prese predicted that the present Government would ruin the colony, but now it admits it lias not done so. The Press might as well have given credit to the Government for not having ruined it. That js the least it might have done, it ought to iiaye admitted that the Government has done tlpui was expected, at any rate. Nine njonths ItTO the Press told qs that one million of money had then left the colony, and that we should all be ruined, It new admits the colony was never so prosperous. Who will believe what Lord Onslow called t!ld “ sljfieks of panic ” of the Press any more.

The Press claimed’ Ujaf, t.lje prosperity is due to the previous Government. What did the, previous Government do? They,.'adopted the policy of Bir Kobcrt Stoat and increased the customs duties, aifd the Press then predicted that would ruin the colony. if claims that it has made the colony prosperous. Who will in future believe anything the J/f’es.s says ? A-gd if it is this made the colony prosperous, who helped Sir Harry Atkinson to carry out his financial policy ? Was it the J'rgs.s, and its ultra-Tory friends? No. It was fh.e Ifon. John Ballance and his followers who helped Sir IJarry to carry out his policy when his own Tory followers deserted him. The credit of it, therefore, belongs to the Liberal party, and not to those whose mouthpiece is the Press.

What djd the present Government find on taking office ? They found dummyism running rampant, and the little land tlieic was in Canterbury handed over to money rings. Where is the dummyism now ? it is knocked

on the head ; honest John McKenzie has killed it, and he is now settling the people on the landinimmensenumbers. A few years ago, the education reserves of this district were in the market, but no poor man could get a look at them. The Hon. John McKenzie has secured the Education reserves of Waimate, and settled about 72 families on them. The Press no doubt thinks this ruining the colony. “ O prejudice, what art thou? ” said an old sage. No one can explain what it is, but to us it appears to be a blighting curse. It is generally believed, of course, that the Jews are the most grasping, grinding, unrelenting people on the face of the earth, but the Royal Commission on sweating in London, has discovered that there was no sweating in any of the Jewish firms in that city; that the Jews were by far the best employers,* and that some of the Jewish firms offered to increase wages by 25 per cent, if other firms did the same, but they would not. In the same way in Dunedin, the Jewish firm of Messrs Hallenstein Brothers, was almost the only one which had no quarrel with their employees during, the strike, in fact, Mr Hallenstein went on the platforms with the working men. The Rev. van Stavern, the Jewish Rabbi, is chairman of the charitable institution of Wellington. Another Jew is at the head of the same institution in Dunedin, yet all these facts will not remove the prejudice against Jews. Another superstition is that the English Reformation greatly improved the condition of the poor. Let any one read Thorald Rogers’ six centuries of work and wages and he can see for himself. The truth is, before the Reformation the working people were better off than they have ever been since, yet it is heresy to say so. Prejudice is a terrible thing.

The Hon. G. F, Richardson has worked out the following important results from Treasury figures, showing the transactions of the past financial year : Receipts for the year, £4,801,084 12s 9d ; expenditure, £4,119,947 Os sd; surplus on year’s transactions, £108,187 Os 4d ; to this add the surplus from the previous year of £148,905 15s Od, which makes a total surplus of £812,108 Is lOd. Of this £140,852 7s 2d has been used as follows : —£loo.ooo in paying off the floating debt, £BO,OOO transfer to Public Works Account and £10,582 7s 2d (?). Deducting this £140,582 7s 2d from the gross surplus of £812,103 Is lOd that remains a final net surplus of £1(55,570 14s Bd.