The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1884. MR MONTGOMERY AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1679, 7 May 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1884. MR MONTGOMERY AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Mb Montgomery has spoken at Christchurch on Major Atkinson, and by the time Sir George Grey takei Mr Montgomery's place on the platform of tlie city of the plains, Canterbury people will have had a full dose of political bathos. Mr Montgomery's speech was devoted to raking up old grievances for the purpose of setting one part of the colony against another. He carefully pitted Canterbury and Otago against Wellington, Westland, and Tamnaki; the latter province being, as the dwelling place of Major Atkinson, pictured as tho black sheep of New Zealand. We can forgive Mr Montgomery forabusing Major Atkinson and trying to show that ho spent more millions than Grey ond. Macandrew and expended them more corruptly, We don't agree wither Montgomery in. this, because some years ago we happened to be behind the scenes when a railway job was perpetrated under tho Grey-Maoan-dreu'regime which wefeel certain Major Atkinson would 'never have undertaken, We know, as a matter of fact, that both Sir George Grey and Mr Maoandrew were unscrupulous in expending tho Public Works Fund, but we do not 'know as much of Major Atkinson, We can, however, excuso Mr Montgomery for. trying to paint Major Atkinson as black as Sir George Grey, but We cannot for trying to . create ill-feeling between different sections of the colony. As the leader of tho Opposition, he is bound in honor to fight for the colony as a whole, not .to favor any portion of it at, the expense of the other. His policy during the coming session is—(l) to create two provinces in New Zealand, one for the North and the other for the Middle Island; "and (2) an income tax.' We do not believe that he can get a majority in the House or the country on either point. If the North Island were one province; Auckland and Wellington would bo like cat and dog, and if the Middle Island were similarly constituted, Otago and Canterbury would bo like Dr Watts' bear anri lion. An income tax would be a grand'thing for the country settlers of tho colony. This class of people are wont to have no income, All that they make off their properties is sunk in improvements, An income tax collector in a district like the Waira-

rapa Would hot make his travelling expenses, The towns would have to find f)l the money required, Givil servants, clerks, merchants, and the professional men 'nave more or less fixed incomes which could be got at, but the.' country settler would and could get off such-an impost. He keeps no bnlance-filieot as a rule; he is unable to produce a profit and loss account, If. an [income tax commissioner demanded Jiis position, he would probably only be able to display an overdrawn bank book, and a lien on a coming wool clip. Wo are not afraid of an income tax, but we do not anticipate one, because tho towns of New Zealand-have the whip hand in politics just now, and they arc. not so foolish as to change off a burden of which tho country districts lienr a lion's shave for one which would fall almost exclusively on the dwelled in tho centres of population, Mr Montgomery can hardly have taken counsel with his friends in proposing such impracticable schemes. Possibly his friends are contented that this slioald be the case, because they are free from any responsibility for his opinions, and will have less trouble in shelving him when the sweets of office come to be shared by the Opposition,