To all whom it may concern.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 540, 4 December 1890, Page 2

To all whom it may concern.

[_TO THE EDITOR*J Sir,—l would like to earneetly cal! the at* tuution of my fell»w working men, and others to some of Mr Arthur's ideas on political matters, as judged from his public adresses, and the replies given to questionß put to him, and theu to ask them to consider carefully— ln he the. man tQ truly reprwni our interests in Parliament ? Take the question of ‘ Woman's Suffrage ’ first. Mr Arthur said he voted ,a?ainst the Bill brought iu last session, which was to give the legal to women to vote for members of Parliament; and if elected would vote against the measure again. Is the world progressing, or not ? It is almoat past belief that we have such a rank Tory amongst us in the year 1890. What I nob grant to our mothers, after all their patient work for us, their indisputable natural right to guard the interests of their children, to see that this fair land they have brought ue to is not monopolised by a few, to the exclusion of the many ? God forbid ! la thia connection, I say, wa'ch the newly formed Waiapu County, with its 21 ratepayers only, and take note of the desolation of Tologa B’iy. And then Mr Arthur's views on the ' Land question.’ What are they ? 80 contradic'ory and unsatisfactory. Would he putatax on the unimproved value of all land, including the big sheep runs, from 50.000 to 100,0U0 acres in extent, and the land of absentees, who are living in luxury ia London and Paris on the produce of these estates ? Mr Arthur answered ' No? Would he limit the area these people should be allowed to hold to 20,000 acres each P Again ‘ No? They could not get a living off such a small lot, says Mr A. Pure humbug ! my fellow* workmen. You know that, and it should be just as clear to you that Mr Arthur's sympa'hy with you in your supposed desire to obtain a freehold, is on a par wi»h the utter al-surdity of supposing 99 per cent, of the population will ever be able to acquire a freehold while tne present system is in vogue. Would he tax Native land? Most certainly he would, and he would have * tree trade ' in that land after the tax was put on, so th-U th“ land-«rabher would have another chance, I believe thie proposed policy would bear auch an interpretation, as that is what it really amounts to; and this, sir, in the nineteenth century of the Christian era. Alar I tor human nature I Mr Arthur approves of lhe Crown lands being sold, and not retained by the State, and that speculators should be allowed to buy them. Now it appears to me, if land speculators and others are so eager to buy, it must be to the interest of ihe Rtate to retain *uah a valuab e a«ee\ and only lease it to those who would use it well for mutual benefit. The same wi:h coal mines and other natural sources of wealth. Bi» Mr Arthur's sympathies are still with the private speculator he.*e, whose operations—called enter* prises—are ah with ths idea of growing rioh on the labor of others, and lhe Blate can go to the dogs. Mr Anhar's view is th« earns iu regard to the B>ate Bank of issue. If such was established in the colony, the steady streams of dividends which are flowing away from New Zealand to London and e Bewhere> would be interfered with, and private i roflti, « made from our labor —would b- diminished, and that cannot bt» allowed. When asked i{ he would advocate • that Government and municipal contracts be giv n only to firms pledged to pay a stated minimum rate of ?’ he again said ‘No ’ 'He thought the cheapest tenderer should have the contract,’which means, sir, that auch contractor would seek for men who would work for the minimum—or very lowest rate of pay. That’s Mr Arthur’s • Liberalism.' It varies considerably from Mr Kelly’s t that is very clear. At the same time, Mr Arthur quite approves of Class legislation when it affects Civil a-rvants, —but not on behalf of working men ; persons in the public service should be we) I p rid—he did not say he thought £6 to £2O a week was lob much for them, with prospect of a good round sum as compensation besides (what’s the compensa* tion f<»r?>; there should be no competition allowed for their wmk (no lowest tenderer this time buys I), for in Australia they pay as much as £5OOO a year to one officer alone, and they know what they are about Iq Australia, says Mr Arthur. I hope, they re illy do, but is is very plain tn me, that we should not know what we ars about, if our votes are recorded for a man who has such contradictory, one sided, and unfair ideas as to the way in which public money, land, and labor, should be dedt with iu tht colony.—-I, am, e-c,, CoLOSOAXi*