Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1892. BUSINESS AT LAST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4196, 19 August 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878]

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1892. BUSINESS AT LAST.

Being tub extended title of the Wairarapa Daily, with which it is IDENTICAL

Now that the Houbb of Representatives is really settling down to a little work, it may seem byper-ctitical to suggest a doubt whether the work is altogether worlli doing. Yet Bitch is the dulnesa of our oritical faculties that we cannot see many good features about the Bills whose second reading has been easily obtained, while it requires no microscopic vision to discern the blots which disfigure (hern. Take, for example, the Land for Settlements Bill introduced by the Hon. T, Mackenzie, The Minister makes a great point of the non-com-pulsory naturo of its provisions; land, he says, can only be taken with the explicit consent of the owners. He knows qnito well, though he expects the House to forget, that the Bill would have contained a provision the direct converse of this, if the feeling of the country had not made itself unmistakeably heard on this point during the recess. No one—unless it be the Premier—is more heartily in favour of " compulsory resumption" than the Minister of Lands. To make a merit, therefore, of the absence of compulsion, when he is quite aware that insistance on such a elause in a polioy Bill would be enough to turnj the Ministry cut, is to court comparison with the private soldier who drew a knife on the barmaid, and, finding that she was likely to make things interesting for him, oamo the next day to tell her that " ho would say no more about it." It is in this spirit that Mr Mackenzie wishes to lot bygones be bygones. And yet there is one commendable quality about the Minister of Lands—shared, we are glad to thick, by several of his colleagues in tbe Cabinet—ho is ready to abandon bis very objectionable political principles at the diotate of expediency. He is prepared to shout very loud—but only with the largest crowd. Tbe gravest objections which can be urged against the Bill derive their force from the fact that they are eminently practical. The scheme cannot possibly pay; its virtue (which we will .civilly assume) will be its pnlv reward, The Government is to borrow £50,00.0 a year for land pur : chase j and only good land is to be bought. Wo venture to say that this sum will not procure very large blocks at owners' prices, and the "settlement" effected will be inconsiderable. Nevertheless the taxpayer haß to iind the money, and no provision what ever is made for repaying the loan'. It is merely a piece ofcos'ly tinkering. We hesitate to say much about the possibility that Governruentsupporters will be found to own the best lands available for settlement, for fear of being tp}d'thai such suspicions are the natural monopoly of'the' party at, present in Opposition. But'we jieeg have no hesitation in declaring that the Bill is bad in policy; that, if it is shown to be necessary to spend £50,000 a year in promoting the settlement of the country, we should promote that settlement far more pieotuallyby spending tbe money on | majdrjg good afad' plentiful roads than ' j^^ingup'pMJo'.s'ejtatej; The gradual destruction of freehold tenure will result if tins proposal becomes law, AH land 'h"S acquired is to be let on perpetual lease, whether it be classified as rural, suburban, or town land, Moreover, no, thirdfcarc payable to the looal authorities in respeot of these lands. , Taking, then, these various objections together, we fail to see where tbe Colony will be the gainer by tho passage of the meassure, . Wo quite understand that certain individual colonists will bo the gjaipers— wit, tbe vendors of broad acres to the fjoveinnient at a 'price which will be practically their own,

But ive predict that, of the forty-nVo members who voted for the second : reading of the Land for Sewlemants ! Bill, not a few will lie found one day wishing that they had swelled the rank of the plucky eight who recorded their convictions on the other side.

Yet even out present Ministers may sometimes find themselves on the aide oi common sense, The Dairy Industry Bill, itself a Govern- 1 tnetit measure, contains several useful provisions, though perhaps it overlooks almost us many as it embodies, Compulsory branding of all cheese and butter prepared for export, and compulsory grading in accordance with quality, will do a great deal to prevent New Zealand from losing lvr export trade in dairy produce through the greed or carelessness which has hitherto been exhibited in some quarters. The powers of entry conferred by tho Bill upon Inspectors are perhaps calculated to ruie the feelings of seme factory owners; but one cannot have everything, and if we accepi the" Liberal" principle that the State has a right to undertake tho control of all our affaire, why, we must nol grumble if we receive domiciliarj visit from Government Inspectors Jn this instance, however, the ten

denoy lo place us under State regulation is not exhibited in its most offensive form; and we are glad to acknowledge the possible value of the Dairy Industry Bill, when its clauses have been referred to experts, and thoroughly investigated in Committee, The defectß that are most apparent on the surface of the Bill are in the direction of omission, We think, for instance, that there might Lave been some provision for securing by statute that specially quick transit on the railways shall be accorded to all dairy produce intended for export. And.it would not be too much to hope that the question of shipping charges, to say nothing of proper cool storage on the voyage, might engage the attention of the Minister. Yet we are not wholly unappreciative. Pursuant to the fine old definition of "Gratitude,"as "A lively, sense of favours to come," we are I grateful to Ministers for any indication, even the slightest, that they are seeking to help their fellow-colonists while they manage without difficulty to help themselves. One of the German mistresses of ono of the Georges, landing at Portsmouth, was received with hootinga by His Majesty's lieges. "Good people," said the lady, in the

'Good people," said the lady, in the jest English at her command, "do not thus receive me; I have come for your goods." "Aye, and for our chattels too, I fancy," was the unkind rejoinder of a prescient person in the crowd,