A Feeble Folk.

We trust that it is only a passing phase of colonial character; but the most noticeable characteristic of our society as it at present exists is its weakness. « The old order » has been well-nigh reversed. The spirit of self-reliance which distinguished the early colonists, and without which the land would to-day have been a wilderness, has disappeared. Love of idleness and ease has developed to such an extent as to undermine the very foundations of public and commercial morality. In a recent address by Mr Colenso, he quoted an ancient Maori proverb— « the proud saying of an industrious people » —He kai kei aku ringaringa— « I have food in my hands = I can earn a living by my own exertions. » The lazy modern Maori quotes the proverb no longer, and to the average settler it would be equally inapplicable. The lavish expenditure of borrowed funds has demoralized the community; the immigration, at public expense, of hundreds of idle people who looked upon the colony as a « Tom Tiddler's Ground, » has introduced an undesirable element which it will be difficult to eliminate; and the result is, that the workers are socially and politically in a hopeless minority; and are called upon to support a vast army of drones.

This state of things is too truly pictured both in Parliament and in the Press. Five-and-twenty years ago we had statesmen in the House of Representatives, content to seek the interests of the country. To-day we have nearly a hundred village politicians squabbling over local expenditure, and filling per annum two thousand pages of authorized reports with trash which it is a humiliation to read. Twenty years ago there were fewer newspapers, and they were smaller than the sheets of to-day; but as a general rule they were edited—and their editors had some qualifications for their position. To-day, many of the big daily sheets either have no editor at all, or would be better without one; and are content to fill three-fourths of their space with chronicles of horse-racing, theatres, and costume carnivals.

The most painful proof of the invertebrate condition of society is found in the growing habit of looking outside, to some governing body, to do that which should be done by the individual. A northern paper lately recorded a case of a farmer who took legal advice as to whether he could not compel the local road board to fill a hole close to his gate. The lawyer asked: « How long would it take one of your men to do the job? » « About an hour » was the reply. « Then why do you spend half-a-guinea with me? » was the next question. The farmer forgot that it would probably cost him more in rates to have the work done officially, than in time if he did it himself.

Industry is blighted by the same evil propensity. It is a worthy and honorable thing to start a new industry and push it on to success by energetic and conscientious work. It is unworthy and degrading to start a business and then whine to the State for aid in subsidies and prohibitive duties to make it pay. Yet for one man who takes the former course, there are a score who adopt the latter. The result is that consumers all round are rated to support worthless shoddy « manufactures, » unable to stand on their own merits. The man whose business can only be carried on by the aid of bonuses and customs duties is simply a State Pauper, and no one of genuine independence would willingly be placed in so dishonorable a position. And the « protected » interests are insatiable as the horse-leech. A firm of textile manufacturers have announced that they would be prepared to largely extend their business were it not for the absence of the necessary skilled (i.e., cheap) labor in the colony—and they ask that such labor be forth with imported from Europe, at the cost of the State. And as our Government is always inclined to give favorable attention to a mendicant appeal, this impudent demand may even yet be granted.

The colony will not realize the full depth of business depression until the Black Tariff has had time to operate. Legislation alone will not cure bad trade; but had our Parliament been courageous enough to defy the host of State-fed cormorants, and abolish Customs duties on all imports save liquors, tobacco, opium, and kindred articles, the relief to the consumers would have been so great, and the stimulus to trade so effective, that, with ordinary economy, we should have been once again in the path to financial prosperity. But it was not to be. Our legislation, like our newspaper literature, is not adapted to an intelligent and self-reliant community; but to a colony of « conies » —a feeble folk.