CAPITAL AND WEALTH.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 398, 6 January 1909, Page 5

CAPITAL AND WEALTH.

Sir, —I will be as brief as possible in my reply to "By George." I would suggest that he read carefully your article of December 16 an land values taxation and ray letter appearing December 23, 1908. I did not suggest- that a man could make a living from '100 acres of solid bush 'land with his. own labour only and without capital. - Neither did I suggest that lie could make a living from 100 -acres at the North Polo without capital. My ; point was, that if you give everyone -an. equal right and opportunity to land,' they will not De dependent on others for capital, but' will soon produce'- sufficient wealth to provide themselves with all the capital .neces-: sary to carry on the various industries they are engaged: in. Another paint is "that land is absolutely fesseiitial to the production of. wealth, capital: is 1 ; not.','' .' "By George"

"Capita],' which is really wealth saved up." I should like to ask him. how ho thinks the first capital came into existence? Did the Creator provide it ready-made for man, or did man produce it himself? If the formor, then it was not wealth, but natural opportunity ; -if the latter, then it follows that it was not necessary to the production of wealth. I admit that capital is necessary to the "efficient" production of wealth, hut that is an entirely different matter. And again, the "Spectator's" and Dominion's argument was that access to capital other than that of tlio worker himself was more essential than 'access to land, a proposition which I venture to say I have shown to bo absurd.— I am, etc., .. LAND NATIONALIST! January 4, 1908. . " ! ; [Those who read our correspondent's previous letter will see that, like , most of those who hold the same views as himself, he has found it convenient to change his ground when confronted with a definite proposition, the logical outcome of his contentions.],,