THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1893. PROHIBITION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2585, 23 November 1893, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1893. PROHIBITION.

Til bee is only one cry .raised against Mr Flatman, and that is, tlmfc he is a Prohibitionist. We trust the electors will not be gulled by this cry ; it is simply go* up for electioneering purposes. A member of Parliament has nothing whatever to do with Prohibition. He may be a prohibitionist, &vA vote for shutting up the public houses in next, but he will nob have the slightest p° wel ' to exercise his prohibitive vote for anot. er three years. That is absolutely certain. If publicans get a license for three years in June next, it will be impossible to shut them up until June 1897. Parliament could not and would not do it, for to do so would be a breach cf a solemn contract. That, at any rate, is absolutely true, beyond the possibility of doubt. Now this fact being quite clear, we ask: Would it not be the height of madness to vote on the single point of protecting a public house which cannot possibly be injured for the next three years ? There will be another general election before then, there cannot be any danger of public houses in the meantime, and let us put off fighting for the public houses until then. But supposing the public house is in danger, what has a member of Parliament to do with it 1 The position at present is that three-fifths of the people, when half the number on the roll vote, can shut up the public houses. Now all a member of Parliament can do is to change three-fifths to a bare majority, but even if that were done next session it could not take effect for three years, for three years' licenses will be granted before then, and once grauted they camiot be cancelled. Now, remembering all this, could anything be more senseless or foolish, than to throw everything else to the wind and vote on this single point 1 The Hon. Mr Ssddon is not a prohibitionist, and yet he is fully satisfied with Mr Flatman, becxuse he believes him to b 9 a thorough, whole-souled, uncompromising Liberal. Some people are trying to make it appear that Mr Flatmau will throw over Mr Seddon and vote for making Sir Robert Stout Premier, but Mr Seddon is not afraid of any such thing. Surely when Mr Seddon has accepted Mr Flatman all Liberals ought to be satisfied ? What more do they want;/ True Liberals will ask no more questions, but yote straight

for Mr Flatman. As for Sir Robert Stout, the Premier himself is supporting him in Wellington; the New Zealand Times, which is manager! by the Hon. W. P. Reeves, and in which all the ministers hold shares, is supporting him, and he is one of the Government nominees for the city of Wellington. Now, that being so, Sir Robert Stout and Mr Seddon being friends, would it not be the height of folly for us down here to quarrel about them ? All these cries about Prohibition and Seddon v. Stout are simply got up for electioneering purposes; they come from the enemy's camp, and no one but a very simple-minded person can be deceived by such rubbish.

THE FINANCIAL PUZZLE. Mk Rhodes in his speech at Fairlie expressed surprise at the audacity of Mr Ward, the Colonial Treasurer, in staling that the conversion of £500,000 Imperial guaranteed debentures resulted in an annual saving of £2986 in interest to the colony. Mr Rhodes in Temuka said the loss in interest was £1350. Who is to be believed 1 Mr Rhodes refers us to Parliamentary paper 822. We have searched tor this paper, but cannot find it, but we liud the question of the £500,000 Imperial debentures dealt with in Parliamentary paper 821. The figures given by Mr Rhodes do not agree with those in £2l, but as there may be a 822 paper we shall not say that he is wrong. We may, however, point out beautiful discrepancies. Mr Wright says the amount of sinking fund attached to this £500,000 debentures was £163,000; Mr Rhodes says the amount was £250,000; and the Chnstchurch Press says £256,000. In its article on the subject the Pre3S says : " Our figures cannot possibly be exactly correct, as by Mr Ward's reported statement at Invercargill there is a sum of £305,000 of the colony's 3£ per cent, debentures yet to be disposed of ; but we find that in Parliamentary paper 822, the AgentGeneral informs the Premier that on July 13th, 1893, 'Average net price is 95 1/tith.' We will therefore take the average all round at 95." This is really delightful; this is couuting the ckickens before they are hatched. Half the stock is not sold at all yet, the transaction is not completed, and the Press says its " figures cannot possibly be exactly correct." In the name of common dense ; in the name of fair play; in the name of justice; in the name of truth and Honesty, could anything be a more glaring attempt to hookwiuk the public than this 1 Messrs Wright and Rhodes differ, but say nothing about the fact that their figures are inaccurate. The Christchnrch Press says the "figures cannot possibly be correct," although it conies to the same conclusion aa Mr Rhode3. The fact that the transaction is still unhuished, and that there is nothing to go upon except suppositions figures ends the whole transaction. But the fact that Me3&r3 Wright and Rhodes differ as regards the figures, and the Press gives us another set of figures, shows plainly that they are only making guesses at the thing, and that none of them has any accurate information. The Colonial Treasurer is in a position to give us the latest information, much later than 821 or 822, and we therefore prefer to accept his statement.

CONDITION OF THE COLONY. The Honorable R J. Seddon in his speech ;it Lyttleton last Monday evening said that when the Jroveninient took office three years ago the public debt was £Ol 19s 4d per head of population, now it was £59 4s 4d, or £2 15s per head less. The increase in the money lying in the banks during these three years was £1,569,859; and the increase in the amounts at fixed deposit was £1,340,683 ; the increase in the advances made by the banks to their customers was £1,051,689 ; the assets of the banks increased by £1,100,000 ; and he would ask now, Where was the capital that was driven away ? Was not this proof of the sound condition of the country ? Decrease in the public debt per head of population, increase in the amount of money lying in the banks. Now considering the great f 11 in wool, wheat, and other products, it appears to us that the above figures tell their own tale. Let us compare our position with that uuder the previous (jovernuieut. The people were flyiug in thousands out. of the country, but now they are returning faster than we desire. What a change in a few years, and are we now to go back under the blighting influence that was driving our people away, and withering like an American blizzard, the fair face of this beautiful country. We hope not, and, therefore, we sincerely trust that everyone who loves the colony, and wishes to make it what it ought to be, great, glorious, and free, will vote for keeping the present Government iu power.

LAND SETTLEMENT. Wjs learn that several persons from this district have been successful in obtaining land at Cheviot, and will soon be leaving us. Sot long ago the Hon. Major Steward (rot education reserves at Waimate cut up, and many from this district have found homes there. Village Settlements are being established everywhere, but nothing has been done for this district. We have education reserves, but they are let in large areas, and there is no one to assist us to get them cut up, as has been done ' Waimate. This is the thing to think a J . For the last six years the of just now piut haye been people of Pleasau. . . , agitating for getting laud cJ* U P ln ™ neighbourhood of their town, they *-*<* held meetings, and offered to find the money, but no land has been cut up yet. About four years ago the last bits of Crown lands in this district were cut, up and who got them? Dummies, for the most part. The district was over-run with dummies, and eventually the land fell into the hands of the money-rings. Does any oae hear of dummies now ? When has the word been used'/ Not since the Hon. John McKenzie came into power and crushed them. Are we to go back to dummyism, law-breaking and swindling, or are we to keep in power a progressive and honest Government ? Let the electors answer the question next Tuesday.