Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1895. MUNICIPAL FRANCHISE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5036, 28 May 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1895. MUNICIPAL FRANCHISE.

,'iik Mayor of DiniDiliii in a telegram o this Premier respecting the uuemiloyed in his city says" Our ability o help would have been greater had iot your Government • seized every pportunity to take revenue from us fhicli we were justly entitled to etain. Even now your threatened egislation in widely extending the minicipal franchise is making things [idler and work scarcer, for propertywlders will not improve or spent uoncy on their property when then lower of electing men to control th iiirse strings is likely to be take: mt of their hands." It i iomewliat singular that Severn nonths ago we pointed out in ou eading columns that tho immodiat ift'ect of the proposed eidargomen if the Municipal franchise wouli X injurious to the working-man, am now tho Mayor of Dunedin, in almos identical words, points out the sam :lillieulty. It is the Govcrnnicn policy which is throwing men outo work throughout the Colony, am Mr Fish is quite justified in point ing out this consideration to th Premier. It is unfortunate for tli working-man that MrSeddondoe not seem to see tho danger involvei by his proposed legislation, for ii reply to Mr Fish, lie says;—" Tpu reference to the' proposed legisla tion as affecting municipal affair could scarcely he said to be in gooi taste. For it must be within you: knowledge that the widespreai depression and loss of population ii Dunedin is the real cause for th non-increase of buildings and hous accommodation in that part pf tb> Colony. I regret exceedingly tha you should bave thought this i fitting opportunity for attacking tin Government, and the more so for i leaves your action open to miscon struction, and uncharitable person may say that it is an attempt t make political capital at the expens of the unfortunate men whose neces sities compelled them toappealtoyoi to aid them in obtaining employ ment."Piittingonsicletliequestioii'o "good taste," we are pf tlip opinipi that it is not tho wide-spread depre's sion which affects Punedin, sp muc as the want of confidence which me: of means express as to thefutur condition of the Colony under th novel and suppressing legislation o the past few years. Money is chea; now, and it would pay to imprpv land and to build houses at th present time, but the men, wb jiridei' ordinary oii'oumstances wouli invest money in suok under takings, are afraid of th changes tbe present Governmen has already brought about and ar distrustful of what it may do nexl If tbe Government pledged itself no to make auy further radical chaugf

for the present, there would at once I be a revival of industrial enterprise; | but Mr Seddon nails his flag to jihe maßt, and while the danger signal flies men keep their money in their I pockets and will not risk spending it. What Mr Fish has said to the Premier is iu the best interests of the working man. Mr Fish may want to make political capital, and from this point of view the one is as bad as the other, but the grave fact remains, that unless we get political changes, a change either of tho Ministry or of the Ministerial policy, the unemployed difficulty will grow.