THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1892. NOTES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2384, 19 July 1892, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1892. NOTES.

We are afraid that Mr Rolleston is hopelessly lost to all sense of responsibility, decency, or honor. In his speech on the Address-in-Reply last Friday night, he said that the prosperity of this Colony was due to the fact that the late Atkinson Government had given up borrowing. Fancy that. The late Atkinson Government borrowed £2,528,000, and in their last financial statement they foreshadowed further borrowing, yet Mr llolleston says it was due to their abstinence from borrowing that the country had become prosperous. It is astonishing how shameless men get after having spent a long time in political life. We are inclined to think that the present prosperity of the Colony is due to the electors of Rangitata keeping Mr Rolleston out of politics in 1887. Up to 1889 the Colony was prosperous, but at that time Mr Rolleston became a Minister of the Crown, and the Colony continued to go down hill, until 1881, when he was turned out of office. From that day to this the Colony has been improving, and the volume of exports have gradually increased. When Mr Rolleston was in office the colony was going to the bad at the rate of £4,000,000 a year ; but since then we have pulled up so well that we are now holding our own. These are facts, but whether Mr Rolleston's presence in office exercised any evil influence on our industrial well-being is a debateable matter. Several foreign Insurance Companies have branches, and are doing business in this Colony, and the Government propose to compel thein to lodge a certain sum in the hands of the Public Trustee as a guarantee of stability and good faith. On these sums the companies will be allowed interest at the rate of 4.- per cent, peiannum. Now one would think that this proposal is so reasonable that no oije—ufljess the companies themselves —could cavil &«. It, At present these companies have their head offices, their directors, their responsible officers, and their accumulated funds in Sydney, Melbourne, London, New York, and so on, and the people of this Colony who insure with them have no real security that when called upon they will pay. To secure the colonists against risk the Government have made the above proposal, and this has brought down upon them the wrath of the Opposition. It is not that it is alleged that the proposal is wrong ; it is not that they think ft unnecessary. What they say is, that the object of the Government is jto get the money into the hands of the Public Trustee so that they may have it to spend.. ■'■• JvWJ be to him who evil thinks." It is tjju pyil minded who are always readiest to attributeevil, motives to others, and probably the suspicions of the Opposition arise from these circumstances. At any rate, the money vyill be uudtir fj.ie control of the Public Trustee, and the Government could not use it without the sanction ot Parliament. In replying to Mr Rolleston the Honorable the Postiijaster.-GeneraJ said that the Government had not the slightest intention of using the money lodged by the insurance Com. aftWß I" tne hands of the Public Trustee. The Government never thought of doing bud* % thing, but they thought of securing it, so that they might be able to lend it out on a \OW Fafc2 of interest to farmers, and thus compel the Hjuonpy-lenders to lower their rates, iipw wj# Mr Rhodes and his class like this? Nojt well. Thus the Government M'B doing all in their power to promote the interests of the farmers, and if they remain Jong enough in power we are certain they will gjjeeeed. Last year when the double hono*ariura jyas given to members, the first man to eoiiai* his share was the Honorable Mr Rolleston. He njade a most violent attack on the Government for having allowed the double honorarium, but. }ie was the first man to collar it himself, Contrast this with the conduct of the HonoraWG Mv , Ward, the present PostmasterOencial, The House passed his salary last year, \mt hd has never taken one cent, of it, and lie does uoi intend to take it, yet Mr Rolleston has abused him because lie lias taken travelling allowance, Mr Ward has worked the whole yea? without pay, yet he is abused for taking travelling allowance. Now, if there is p pure unselfish politician in New Zealand it appears to us that Mr Ward is he ; no other man has done anything in the Government .Service before without pay. yet he is insulted because he has taken travelling allowance. After Mil* thO Opposition are capable of anything. The position of Mr Ward is i*u follows :—Part of the retrenchment policy af the late Government was that the number of Ministers should be reduced to six. Previously the legal number of Ministers was seven, but when the number of the House was reduced, the number of Ministers was reduced also. Now the Atkinson Government never took any notice of that; they had eight Ministers when they left office, out of whom acted without pay, the other seven being paid. There was some talk of prosecuting Mr Mitchelson for having

paid himself without the authority of Parliament. When the present Government took office. Mr Ward was included as a Minister without portfolio, which means without pay. It was found, however, that the work was more than six men could do, and Mr Ward was induced to take his share in it. It was at once seen that he was one of the best, and the most practical Minister New Zealand lias seen, and Parliament determined that he should not work for nothing. The Mouse voted a salary to him, but Mr Ward has not touched a penny of it, all he has taken is his travelling expenses, and the Members of the Opposition are abusing him now for tnkingeven that. Mr Ward's conduct makes a striking contrast to all other politicians, and perhaps what is annoying them is that they suffer so greatly by the comparison. "The Pick-and-shovel Ministry" is the latest nickname given to the present Government. The reason the}' are called this is because they have provided work for the unemployed. Instead of letting Government works to contractors, who in their turn would let them to sub-contractors who would institute the sweating system, the present Government have got their engineers to make an estimate of the value of »»»y work requiring to be clone. As soon as the value of the work is ascertained it is divided into small contracts, and each of these is given to a gang of the unemployed. By this means the Government get their work done cheaply, and the profits of contractors go into the pockets of the men who do the work. For this they are called the '• Pick-and-shovel Ministry." The Government have instituted the co-operative system amongst the workmen; it has been a great success, and no doubt their opponents are angry, because they have solved the great problem of the unemployed in a li3althy, sensible way. It has been discovered that there is a majority of one in the Legislative Council in favour of extending the franchise to women. In that case women will be in a position to vote at af the next election. '■"""■ -■'■ I ■" ' J.'J I! J..