Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1948 SOMETHING IN IT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 3, 4 October 1948, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1948

SOMETHING IN IT

While one hesitates to recommend further taxation in this already heavily-taxed country, there is something in the suggestion at the cancer campaign meeting at Whakatane on Wednesday night that such funds could be provided from taxation rather than the generosity of the individual. It is unfortunately fact, and it was pointed out to . the meeting, that the heaviest contributors to such causes are often not those best able to pay. Though it has a Marxian ring, there is a lot to be said for the slogan, “From each according'to his means; to. each according to his need.” Such a principle would' at least spread public expenditure fairly ever the whole community. People in this district at- any rate are getting a bit weary o2 street appeals, house to house collections and calls for subscriptions to a series of causes, most of which are truly worthy of support, but which too Mren get their support from a limhed number of soft-hearted citizens while others, more skilled in the art of saying “No” remain w<th their pockets untouched. A thing like the cancer campaign can be claimed to be of indirect, if not direct, benefit to all of us. Why not, then, all of us bear the cost, in direct proportion to the share we can afford to pay? Organisers of the recent Children’s appeal had the right idea, when they set quotas in direct relation to earnings. They asked a day’s pay or a day’s earnings from everybody who collected any sort of income whatever. On that basis the sum contributed would have been substantial, but not all accepted that basis, unfortunately. However, it does suggest an idea. Might it not be possible to collect, say, a day’s earings from everybody once a year to make" a solid fund - from whiefj. money can '.be. drawn' for purples .as the: at prdsssfbeforj&gis.? . yy.' V f’ ,v h" There,is another way it, which- piightbe’ .tice, though perhaps not' so-fair in its distribution' of the burden! For a certain period each year, postages could be loaded, say, id, and that extra charge on all

postage stamps sold go to funds for the benefit of such objects as the Cancer campaign, the Plunket Society, St John Ambulance. Association, Red Cross and other worthy organisations that have charitable and nationallyimportant objectives.