The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 924, 14 November 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1881.

There is much to praise and lit'lc lo find fault with in !'"r Buiiton Boys' recent addresses. His express! views are liberal without being revolutionary, His meeting at Carterton, we are afraid, will not, however, help him much, He unwisely allowed Mr. Eenau to trump his trick. Fighting against two strong

candidates like Mr Buchanan ami Mr Bunny he rcquiries every move in the electioneering game to bo in his

favor to have a fair chance of winning. Turning to the subject-mate of Mr Boyfj' speech, we agree with him in deploring t]ie .carrying of the lleprcsentation Bill of last session, but, of course, regrets of this character are now all in vain. Mr Boys hopos to represent small-farm interests in the House, but, as far as we can judge, they have already been fairly represented. If, however, one interest is to be allowed to predominate over another ii) Parliament, vc would gladly see that of small farms in the ascendant. We are sorry that Mr Boys advocates changing off the property-tax for a land-tax. Even supposing the latter to be the fairer one, altering the incidence of taxation every year is in practice very inconvenient, and interferes materially with the commercial and agricultural progress of the colony, His plan, too, of multiplying exemptions from levies under the iShccp and Rabbit Acts would, in practice, be attended with much embarrassment, and would tend to reduce the revenue to a minimum, and increase the cost of collecting it to a maximum. His proposal to leave the people to choose their own form of local self-govern-ment runs on "all-fours" with the legislation of the Hall Ministry. The result lias been, however, that the people have not availed themselves of the privileges accorded to them, ami, in many instances, stagnation in local self-government has been the result. Can Mr Boys, we wonder, have seen any of the analyses which have been published of the returns under the Property Assessment Act! We presume that he has not, for, if lie bad, lie surely could not have informed his audience that tho small industrious farmer has had to pay, and the large landowner has escaped. More money has been made out of large landed proprietors and capitalists by the Pro-perty-tax Act than has ever been ob tained from them by any other measure, Mr. Boys, we are glad to find, is an advocate for retrenchment, but we would have been pleased to see him giving more credit to the present Ministry for having absolutely effected it, Wo have heard retrenchment talked of for tho past fifteen years in New Zealand, but only in one instance have we known it to be carried out, and that has been by the Hall Ministry, It is possible .that another fifteen years may elapse before we seo any further practical step taken in the matter of retrenchment, It is one of those things which if is very easy to talk about, and very difficult to carry out. We arc Sony that Mr Boys pledged himself to resign at a moment's notice in tho event of his elected and being called upon to abdicate. Too much complacency in this, way'does not strengthen a candidate's chances,

'There is ,0110 point on \yhic)i \vq Wai'ti)^ 1 congratulate Mr. Bjys, and that.Sjj;liis, declaration that he will,:'<it represent all classes in the commuiiity.' Whether he bo successful or other; '■wise in his present quest, the contest, as far as he is concerned, will be an honorable one on such a basis. Had Mr Boys endeavoured to set class against class as Mr. Rbnali has done, wo could not have entertained that respect and consideration for him which is,due to an old settler who has served the district in many public capacities fora.long.soric's of ; ) r 'cars—as it'is we recognize'tliat Mr Boys, . from the stand which he has taken on this point, is entitled (.0 the esteem of all classes in the community.