STATISTICS PLAY THE DEUCE WITH FALSE ASSERTIONS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2352, 6 August 1887, Page 3

STATISTICS PLAY THE DEUCE WITH FALSE ASSERTIONS.

TO THE EDITOR. Slit.— If it was not for statistics rash assertors would have had it all their own way. Mr Forrest, Mr Russell, and many others have always been pointing to. Victoria and New South Wales, as evidences of the benefits and evils of protection and free-trade. They always quote Victoria as flourishing under protection, and New South Wales as languishing under free-trade, but now they will be dumb. No longer shall we hear of progressive Victoria and stick-in-the-mud New South Wales. Statistics have placed facts in their true light. In 1871 the mala adult population in Victoria, Between 25 to 45 years of age was ... 133,413 In 1881 there were 99,407

Decrease 35,910 In 10 years of protection there was a decrease of near 30,000 in Victoria. Now, look at New South Wales.— In 1871 there were 53'275 In 1881 there were 115'991

Increase , 33-71(5 In 10 years of free-trade there were an increase of nearly 33,000. Mr Forrest and Mr Russell are fond of crying out, “ Give us protection, so as to provide work for our sons.” This saying is very taking, but taking sayings are always wrong, at least here in New Zealand they are always so, and the more taking they are they are the more absurd. The decrease of adult male population in Victoria show’s that protection drives all the sons out of the country, and the increase in New South Wales shows that the sons stay at homo. Mr Editor, this driving all the marriageable young men out of the country will bo attended with lamentable consequences to the young female population.

God’s laws are He so decreed it that for every Jenny there was a Joe. Foolish man with his protection is going to overturn natural laws, and whenever natural laws are interfered with great evils follow.. This is a rule which admits of no exception—no, not one. . Protection will drive all our young men away, and of course, that being so, our young maids will need to become old maids. Women werd created by God to bo devoted wives ane fond mothers; by man's interference this is to cease ; sweet sixteen is to spend’ her lime in a workshop, and by-and-byo with competition she would bo doing so at 12 hours a day upon starvation wages. The present Government wore going to give tho franchise to the ladies. Now I defy Bible readers or freethinkers to prove by tho Bible or by nature that it is necos-

sary for females to have votes, but it is a law of (!od that they should have a husband.

The present Government would give them a vote, but by protection they will drive all the young men away, and so keep the females from their natural destiny. The Government would give them a stone, but refuse them bread.— Yours very truly, Habapifi.