FACING THE POSITION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2764, 1 April 1890, Page 2

FACING THE POSITION.

TO THK KUl'rOR. Sin,—The estate of New Zealand is mort,-_ gaged to the extent of eighty millions of money, New Zealandersare taxed £4,000,000 a year, to pay interest and collection of this vast sum, and our Government reduced to the position of tax gatherers and extortioners. Of the 600,000 people in New Zealand, not more than 100,000 will ber found t<> be actually earning the money to meet the demands upon the colony, and in this number there.is a.waste going on, which .is draining their powers and ability to struggle on in the face of such overwhelming odds against them. The standard few in New Zealand, who, like the Spartans of old, are silently enduring tortures, yet still maintaining loyally a grim bold front, cannot be expected to hold out for ever. Relief must come soon, or else another Kartoum, and a disgrace to England, who, after all has been the Alpha, arid therefore most be the Omega also of the heroic Public Wor'ts Policy of her precocious offspring, New Zealand. Like England of old, Young- New Zealand was born to trouble, and her destiny ia through blood and fire, and great adversity to tight onward and upwards—ever—until she eventually, in times yet to come, will give back to the East and South, the Christian gospel of peace and hope, which is her portion, nnd which Old England has given to the West and North, and to the lilos of the Sea. Young New Zealand can no more sever herself from her destiny than Old England can from hers. But Old England, Alpha and Young New Zealand, as Omega, will in the immediate future prove themselves to Dβ a pillar of Hercules in upholding the Divine right to worship God and live, which is shortly to bu so hotly contested by Mammon in this world of ours. Be this as it may, the present times are the most interesting to us all, and our present difficulties the most needful of our attention, Hope in the shape of a policy for the future guidance of Young New Zealand is what is required of our leaders, and nothing else will satisfy her demands upon them. For like the b> ok " ii.ea may come and men may Rβ, she must go on for ever." We in the north have heard the country's man speak in Hon. John Bryee, and we have also heard the people's man speak in Sir George Grey, Herods both, who tell'u.s we must be taxed, the difference only between them being the difference in tho incidence of their taxation. Both of these gentlemen, doubtless have a great deal more to say if they considered it wise to say it, than what they have said. But so long as there are bonds extant redeemable in money, so long will there be bondsmen and bondatre in the world and task masters, and as money represents mammon upon earth, so long therefore, as bonds exist, so long and in exact proportion, shall we become bondsmen to mammon, and nothing is more deathly to freedom than bondago. Gold is about to seize the dictatorship of the world's affairs. Labour alone being left to contend against his sway until they both combine, and then the kingdom is their own f»r the time being, usurping the chief offices of Church, State, and Justice, to the injury and prejudice of honour, energy and modesty, who mu3t bow down and plead before the throne of mammon for a right to occupy a spot of good earth, and work honestly for a living. Labour's apostles saying: "By George ! wewilltaxyourland. ,. Capital's reply is: "By Jingo!! we'll make all sweat for it if yen do," and Kings and counsellors confused, calling out troops and ordering them to run, run, heavy and light guards, run, run thirty or forty yards." In the meantime bonds and bondsmen are increasing, grinding taxation more severe. Mammon, triumphant and religion, hope, and freedom, and all th;it one holds sacred, gone to clima.x for relief. New Zealanders of to-day have an oppor- ! tunity afforded to them which is unique in history. A tide has now reached young New Zealand's shores which if tsken at the flood will lead her on through the channels of progress past the stagnant pools and thralls of mere depression, to a sea of prosperity. The present crisis in New Zealand's afriajrs can be turned to great account in her favour. And what appears ko much to her disadvantage to-day may be made to prove her wonderful capacity for settlement and progress. But in the first place her eyes must be opened to the facts that £4,000,000 of money annually is not beiiig honestly paid and received by and from New Zealanders. At the peril of all that is sacred and loyal and true, this vast sum is being extorted —and our legislators are obliged to speak in parables—fur England herself is looking on in astonishment expecting a crash, whilst old'colonists are becoming indifferent and Micawberish in their expectation*. This will not do. There are as good men in New Zealand as there are anywhere. But as with the Bank of New Zealand, New Zealander's affairs ! and position aro neither properly understood nor appreciated in England, and New Zealanders have lost confidence in the powers that be. Yet this want of confidence in our rulers does not necessarily mean disloyalty to the Crown or the State, but it means simply that they begin to feel themselves cornered and that they are determined to take the bull by the horns if there is no other way of escape, to unload the colony of debt and consequent taxation, legitimately and honestly to reduce the rate of interest which unfortunate settlers have to pay for the monies they are compelled to negotiate to cany on the work of colonisation and progress without which all must suffer in the end. To rsduce the outgoing of money seven-fold and to increase her population four-fold is what young New Zealand demands of those who would govern her, and these demands can be met by co-operating with Old England in a, specific manner, to be discussed and decided upon by men elected and commissioned for the whole and Hole purpose of acting for New Zealand as New Zealand statesmen should do, to release her from her present state of bondage at any self sacrifice, regardless of criticism or complaint. C>operation will do what confederation cannot do. The prince may co-operate with the peasant without loss of dignity or honour, whereas he cannot confederate without danger of both. Co-operation will build up where confederation would break down and socialism anihilate. Therefore, I insist that co-operation, not confederation, with Old England, co-operation, not confederation, with America and the Australias, is all that is required, or wise for us to offer. In the readjustment of balances between England and New Zealand £134,000,000, it has been stated, is the assessed value of our rail and personal property, £80,000,000 is advanced upon this borrowed from England by New Zealand. Now, who owns the £134,000,000 and who owes the £80,000,000; and then who has benifited, is benefiting, and is to benefit by this expenditure, Old England or Young New Zealand, or co-operatively both. And lastly, how in New Zealand to bo freed from this loan or debt ? Her customs duties and territorial duties and taxes reduced 80 per cent. Her population increased by one million and her cost of government reduced 50 per cent. Are the questions a new Parliament has to answer, and before Old English politicians or young New Zealand statesmen will t-huy be asked ? A Royal Commission, composed of Home and Colonial Statesmen be called upon to enquire into and to recommend to England and New Zealand Parliaments, a policy which will return confidence and hope to all concerned, and a policy in which the Mother Country, with her millions of men and money, can act in co-operation with New Zealand and her vast stores of wealth at present locked up.—Yours truly, A Young New Zealandeb.