SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1878.] THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1894. MR WARD'S PICK-ME-UP.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4783, 26 July 1894, Page 2

SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1878.] THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1894. MR WARD'S PICK-ME-UP.

Mu Ward's financial proposals are fairly bold, and his statement as a whole Indicates capacity as well as a desire to lift tlio Colony out of the rut in which it now lios, His- guiv plus in this and previous years piny be taken ns evulonce that ho is a trustworthy financier, at tho same time while lid announces year by year big saving the debt of the Colony is found by some mysterious means or other to have shot up, The Colony drifts under a Liberal Treasurer faster than it did under a Conservative Treasurer, but then it drifts along a different road so that the process is less noticeable. We have, however, something to. look forward to in this year's budget. A quarter of a million is to be used 111 buying up estates, and another quarter of a million in opening up new lauds, and there is to be borrowing ijptli within and without tlto Colony, Within, a million is to be borrowed to form a'Colonial Consols fund, and without, a million and a half is to be taken for loans to settlers. It will be scon that tho Government is getting its hand well jinvith borrowing millions, and hftyingpiico started, it is unlikely to stop, 'lfyjfafd ap : pears disposed to go the paGO aud stir things up a little. The minor features of liis budget arc "local bodies," which ore to ho allowed tp tax Crown Lauds a little, but otherwise left in the same weak condition in which they now exist and a new tax 011 the importation of fruit, Wo cannot help thinking that the latter is a narrow minded affair, and that it would pay New Zealand: to cultivate rather than to kill commei'cial interchange between this and neighbouring colonies. The cream of the statement as a whole is that Mr Ward pledges himself to provide cheap money for the Colony, and.undoubtedly if lie can succeed in doing this he will earn the gratitude of his political opponents, Butiive must not take this quite for granted. .0/1 (i recent occasion the Colonial ! Treasurer went near to. allowing .the finances 'of ifew to be shijriyre'cked and tliere riinst be yet' , 'some;.'ilbiibfc I as to his financial' 1 ' qapabity. Mr Ward knojvs that a! pjp|-me-up is required for the Coloiy "#s the

i patient is m a bad way, languid and feeble. His proposals ave the Colonial Treasurer's • % fluestion is one as to whefcher tlie • stiraulaiifcivilihave the desired effect. There is no talk ; . now "about ;,tbe Liberal Party shedding" its last drop of blood before it will borrow a shilling, It lias passed the Rubicon and the only fear now is that it will borrow too much. Members, oven those i wlm support the Government are ( getting edeptical of progress and prosperity and they dare not this term, go back to . their constituents with nothing better than a volume of now Liberal measures. Something, morois neededand thereforetliepiek-me-up will require careful scrutiny. A member may.see his way to getting a few thousand pounds expended in I his electorate 011 roads arid bridges, . and onoperhaps out of twenty of the settlers in it may have a chance some tiino or other, of getting a State mortgngo at fivo per cent, and if any ' of his constituents havo money to lend, the Government will give them four per ceut for it. Tho pick-me-up goes 110 further than this, and if we are not mistaken many Liberal members will think it does nst'go far enough.