PIGEON BAY.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 402, 11 June 1880, Page 3

PIGEON BAY.

[from our own correspondent.]

. A public meeting of ratepayers,' convened for the purposeof' xionsidering; the i .new Property Tax' law, was; Meld' in the schoolroom, Pigeon Bay, o?i Saturday,.the I ,sth instant. , T. 0. Hay, Esq., Chairman of the Roaidjßoard, presided. ...... i Though the day \va6"'s6m'ewhftt - |elorhiy. J there was a fair attendance, evincing the interest taken in the matter by "this* : ih>| habitants. ■, < " ' \ The Chairman explained his object, tri calling the 'meeting; stated the course | followed by several oth'ef ptiblie bodies, and suggested the propriety ,of. districts' fixing a scale of v'alueTdr , different , '' l kindß of property ip the event.of 'thV , tax,.being retained in a modified form, tie' ; was of. opinionjthat f if iVdirid be fiiore ecomWiMl and-i ,*horo: iequitable to impose .taxes .which might be easily colrectegt as duties on luxuries , ,. racehorses', carriages; - guns, sporting and fancy dogs ; find that local bodies should bY empowered to collect them and be allowed a percentage in doing so. He jh'owed that in this way taxes of the kind would be! collected with no trouble to Government oMhuclV* loss to the tax-p v ayers, and as the collectors would be interested in the amount-,-.'-the taxes .would be well, collected,.;. ,After reading 'the blue,schedule referring to personal property for the information of "those who had net sejen it, he called,pri ihpsepretent for an expression of opinion on the new .Property Tax. All allowed that, in order : to carryyon. the government, there must be taxes of some kind, and that in a general way,taxes pn property were equitable, but ,ihey indignantly condemned the tax on what the new.law denominated "Personal property," as inquisitorial, vexatious,' and liable to, dp incalculable harm to men in business, by so much prying into their private; affaire. ■••'■' , After,the matter had been fairly discussed it was moved by Mr Bodna, and .seconded by Mr Croas—;";Tbat while ..this i meeting approves generally of the ■principle of a Property Tax, it protests against that part of the. property Tax under the heading of Personal Property." ;.• . .>,. ' ,' ,:, \ .Thiei was earned unanimously, ana it was resolved to sand copies of it .io the member for Akaroa and the County Council. Then after .a vote of 'tlienks to the Chairman the meeting was closed.