The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11,1893. CURRENT TOPICS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2896, 11 February 1893, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11,1893. CURRENT TOPICS.

One of the points of the " new taxation " towards which attacks have been directed is the taxation of money lent on mortgage as it affects people of small means —particularly those who are dependent upon the income from such moneys for their maintenance. It seems not to be generally known that under the Act the Commissioner has power to remit the taxation on such income, and that this provision is not inoperative we have proof in a recent lettter to the' "Wanganui Chronicle " which says :—" I think trustees of widows and orphans have not studied their tax-papers or they would have seen that when good reason is shown theOomraissionerof Taxes has power to remit the whole or part of the tax. lam also trustee in a small estate where the capital is invested in mortgage on land, and on which the family are dependent on the income— anydeductionfortaxwasAreal hardship. [ brought the matter to the notice of the Conimis'sioner, and, on inquiry being made, received a courteous reply that the tax would be remitted," Thus another alleged grievance, out of which much capital has been made, is lost to the Opposition Press.

The attendance at the public meet* ing held in Wellington for the purpose of promoting a National memorial to the late Sir H. Atkinson was certainly not large numerically, but we think an assemblage of 120 representative men was not to be considered small. We will not say that the resolution to limit subscriptions to a maximum two guineas each was wise, considering that in some parts of New Zealand tens, would becheerfully given whilein others units could scarcely be afforded, The meeting had probably in view the many resolutions of regret at the death of one who had served his country well, and considered that those who who'supported these resolutions would readily subscribe the small sum fixed towards a permanent memorial. Almost every County Council, most of the Borough Councils, and a great many Road Boards and Other public bodies passed their eulogiams on the deceased statesman at tjje tim,e of hjs, death, and they should require no prompting now tp show that their resolutions were not mere idle words.

We quite agree with the Mosgiel Magistrates that the information against the Wingatiu farmer for harvesting on Sunday should not have been laid. We are not in?0™! ed who laid it, but may assume it t-p, fcave, been some busybody—official or otherwise. What a time su'h an informer might have had in this county since harvest began! What would he have done had he found, instead of one cockatoo stacking his hay, forty reaping machine at work on one property alone, and very fe«? farina throughout the district on which harvest wor.k w.as not-being done, mure or less openly. We regard harvesting on a Sunday in this climate as akin to lifting an ox pr an ass 00* of a %* roft^JW? 1 day-a work whicl* if delayed ti)l % morrow way be too late..

The Volunteer Mrs Brigade fc one of the public organisations of whiplv Ashburton haa most reason to feej proud The members freely give their tim« and risk life and limb in the interests of the public, and the public should not be unmindful of Shis when they have the opportunity of support* in" the Brigade in some small way, The Brigade's funds have beoome re. duced by the expenses of necessary repairs after the big East Street fire, and every drill costs money. We trust that no fire will occur to absorb, the ..re-. waiter of the funds, and ws also hope that the r«ident» will see that the efficiency of the Brigade is n^t impaired through want of the necessary pro; yjeipti far cm rent expe»wfc