PUBLIC OPINION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2563, 26 July 1909, Page 7

PUBLIC OPINION.

OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

Jfjf The evil at the present time is not ' only that the land is looked up, but Avhen it is opened it is opened under conditions Avhich may possibly favor the “speculator,” but which certainly do not give the small settler any' encouragement to do his best. Thus our natural resources are being crippled, our annual income depreciated, employment limited, and Avages depressed. This policy is as bad for the 'individual as it is for the (Country at ’large, and calls for prompt, and drastic amendment. —“Auckland Herald.”

IMMIGRATION. If assisted immigration could be carried out Avithout blundering there would be very little cause for coin-' plaint, but, under the present blind and heedless modes of dumping down new inhabitants there is bound to be dissatisfaction, not only among members of the labor unions, among employer-farmers, for example, who pay for assisted immigration. It is time that colonial politicians and people wake up to the fact, upon avlioso existence we previously insisted—i.e., that it is very difficult to obtain supremely capable farm laborers and domestic servants in the British Islands. Assisted immigration in most cases gets only the inferior article. The superior article is at a premium at Home, as here, and can get good Avages Avithout omigrating.—“Tuapeka Times. ’’

SHIPMENTS OF WHEAT. Between the Government’s returns and those compiled by private firms from official sources, there is a discrepancy of more than 260,000 bushels. In view of the fact that this quantity represents about one-eighth of the exportable surplus of the country, its whereabouts is a matter of some consequence. It is either in New Zea.and or out of it. It is difficult to believe, in the face of facts and figures, that it is still on hand, and tlie simple assertion by the Agricultural Department that the official figures are correct requires some corroborative proof before it can be accepted as satisfactory.—“Christchurch Press.’ 5

PAKEHA AND MAORI. The duty of the European to the Maori has been well performed. It remains for the Maori to demonstrate, through his leaders, how responsibilities can be shared for mutual betterment. —“NeAV Zealand Times.”

THE ALL RED ROUTE. We hope that Sir Joseph Ward will seize the opportunity of bringing to a head the secret and long-drawn-out negotiations of the last tivo yeans, and of letting this country know exactly ivhat the position is. We have all been very patient, but he canuot expect us to wait'for ever. —“Eveniug Post.”

A HYPNOTISED PUBLIC. If a farmer’s crop is fired by a traction engine he can ootain compenbut if it is fired jby a railway engine he cannot. This is Avrong. It As not merely undemocratic, _ it is unjust, tyrannical and inequitable, Avhatever the form of Government. ' It causes considerable loss and constant anxiety to the farmers along, tlie railAvay lines. It would be remedied unhesitatingly by an indignant public "opinion had a great section of the public not been hypnotised into‘the beliei that the agricultural community is_ alAvays seeking to take some mysterious advantage of the rest of the population, and to defeat the benevolent intentions of the best of all possible Goi’crnments. —“New Zealand Herald.”

COST OF EDUCATION. Whatever the cost of education may be, it should be defrayed by the whole nation, and the State should thus be entitled to retain its management. Mr. Fewld’s proposal is, alarming. But it cannot meetAvith the aproval of an administration which prides itself on being advanced in its ideals and methods. It'As unfortunate that such proposals should be made when the Prime Minister is absent, and when industrious attempts are being made to undermine the Government and to popularise its enemies. Wo view the remarks at Christchurch of the Minister of Education as the clumsy and ill-digested notions of an administrator avlio feels himself to be unequal to his task, and are loth to accept them as any indication of the policy. — “Oamaru Mail.”

THE LAND AGAIN. Ncav Zealand stands to-day a sorry spectacle. The men whom the people have chosen to serve them have deserted them. The country, in the tightest pinch it has had for nineteen years,, is blocked both from relieving its immediate wants, and from getting to the root of this unemployment business. So long as wo have idle lands and idle workers we don’t need more than a little application and commonsense to right matters. Open up the empty land on a Aound basis and there will soon be wohk and pay for the men kicking up their heels at the street corners. This is not to say, that the thing to do is to take these self-same townsmen and- attempt to put them on the land. Most of them would be as much adrift ,on a farm as they would be in the rigging of a ship. A percentage of them, those with exceptional grit or some knoivledge of farming, would win through, but grown men who ’don’t know a hog from a hogget Avail not do much good in the hack blocks either for the State or themselves. There are plenty of farmers’ sons looking in vain for a bit of land that they can call their own, and who have l>een waiting many a long day for the chance to do that Avhich Avail speedily solve our unemployed pro- „ a ior us.—“ The Citizen.”

The sittings of the Police Commission in Christchurch are being awaited with somp curiosity, mixed with a little trepidation, by members of the police force (says the Post correspondent). It appears that there will not be a rush of voluntary witnesses to give evidence, and quite a number of tlie men stato that if they can possibly avoid appearing they Avill not come toward: The reasons given for this attitude are various. • Ono is a sense of esprit do corps, which is against washing dirty linen, in public, arid the other is a, haunting suspicion that, despite the, terms of the amnesty published by the Minister for Justice, officers who give evidence Avhich is not' too acceptable will have the displeasures of the powers that bo visited on them. In view of tlie;statements made at Invercargill by ex-Detective Connel, all the. local detectives expect to be summoned to give evidence. It is understood that ex-De-tective Connel will be called before the Commission in Christchurch, in order that lie may be further examined concerning his statements in regard to the waterside Avorkers at Lyttelton and Mr G. Laurenson, M.P.

To. the thousands of sickly, rundoAvn, nervous, full-of-pain and suffer-, ing men and. women, avc recommend with all honesty and confidence this true friend, “Dr. Ensor’s Tamer Juice.” The Cromwell “Argus” states that Mr R. IC. Smith is having l rather a bad time on his fine farm at Tayras just IiOAV with game, as the large flock of Paradise ducks are still playing havoc with liis growing crop of rape, and added to this there is a mob of 15 deer coming down at night on to a paddock of turnips which they not only eat, but do a lot of damage by pawing a large number out of the ground. He has offered a reward of £1 a head for any of the deer shot in the paddock, and the Argus thinks he would be quite justified in using drastic measures to deal Avitb the ducks also.

There are pills that are called LaxoTonic, For diseases both urgent and chronic, They’re the best to bo had, Be you ever so bad, And tlityr patrons are never sardonic. LAXO-TONIO PILLS. 10*d -and Is 6d.

While investigating the question of the slump in New Zealand frozen meat values a representative of Christchurch “Press” learned the curious fact that when the weather is bad at Home the demand for frozen meat falls off appreciably. On the other hand, when a long spell of fine weather is experienced frozen meat is keenly sought after by consumers. None of the gentlemen intervieAved could ascribe a cause for the circumstance. All they could say was that it was a fact borne out by many years’ experience in the meat trade.

For Influenza take Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. Never fails Is 6d and 2s Gd.

The most interesting case before the Railway Superannuation Board (says the Post) was one illustrating the operation of the privilege of the .purchase of “back time,” the first of its kind. A railway maru who had a break in his service had paid five years’ contributions (£9O) to secure kis continuous record for superannuation purposes, and thereby was granted a pension upon retirement of £42 per annum greater than he would have otherwise received. Should he not survive two years, and get his £9O back in extra pension, his beneficiaries will receive it, as all payments to the fund are returned to the legatees of a deceased contributor.