Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1895. THE FINANCE OF THE COLONY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5100, 10 August 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1895. THE FINANCE OF THE COLONY.

Mil John Dutihe, 11.H.R,, who is generally regaulcd as a sober-minded iiiul trustworthy authority on financial questions, has been making certain calculations with respect to the position of the colony as revealed by public returns, and has printed the nofes lip lias made 011 this Important subject, Wo lmve not room in our columns for his careful and complete diagnosis of the colonial balance sheet, but some of the results at which he arrives are exceedingly suggestive, First of all hegjvpsa return of tjie true income awl expenditure of tho Government for the past four years, and Ijnds that, on the total of these, thoro is adelicitof £SO/289, so that, the succession of surpluses with which the Colonial Treasurer lias dazzled us, have been bogus borrowed nionoy introduced into tho accounts for pyrotechnic purposes, The present so-called surplus of £180,024 is morcljr kkmpen rial loan yioncy. Tho'ii taking our public debt hfl <potes figures to I prove tlia't tho not increase of it during the term of oflice of the Liberal party is £2,291,109. This two and it quarter millions of money is Aylitit tho party has been - fattening upon, and everyone will agree that with this and the three-quarters ofiamil'lioii which tliey took over from tlieir predecessors, they, as a nofrborrofri ing Government, have had quite a

bappy time. Then there is the interest the Colony has to pay out of the pockets of tho unfortunate Colonists, Mr Duthio finds that this lias increased from £1,570,000 in tho year 1890-1 to £1,599,000 in the year 1894-5. Of course an extra of £29,000 per annum for interest matters little, but how does a nonborrowing Government have to provide for extras of this kind. It is like finding a bill for whisky in the pocket of a Prohibitionist. Mr Duthie also shows us that, compared with the West Australian loans, Mr Ward's late coup is nothing to boast of,, but we do not care to follow tho member for Wellington, on this ground. Mr Ward has been worried enough on his late mission to London; and he j ought now to be allowed a little interval to recuperate. The difference between Mr Duthie and Mr Ward, is easily stated. Mr Ward is a good talker and Mr Duthie is a good arithmetician. In the House, Mr Duthie can hardly hold his own against tlio fluent and ready Mr Ward, but when it conies to adding '■ up and checking figures, Mr Ward is nowhere, compared with Mr . Duthie.