THE PARLIAMENTARY MACHINE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 415, 26 January 1909, Page 6

THE PARLIAMENTARY MACHINE.

Sir,—Does it ever occur.- to the masses of the. people that, though, they pay . many thousands of pounds every : year to keep the parliamentary, machihe working, they receive therefrom .nothing of substantial benefit-. in return ?. Instead, heaps -of statutes aro manufactured' .winch,so farfrom enhancing i • i% rt y T of subject, teiid only; to. 'ref i" , 1El , r > t " at this is .not the kinct .or legislation the wage-earning class■wants.---- buch. legislation can very well be' given a,rest for all time. ..What the piople do "want,_ • however, - and, what they have: a perfect -right to.expect, are laws which will be of lasting benefit to,them, such, for instancoi as a better distribution of the national earnings. This is the chief reform -that is-required, and without further loss of : ->y«, n»TO.-. already waited too - longtor. it. As yet no Government has had .the .backbone to tackle -'it,. and there; is not a member of Parliament who will make any serious attopt; to.- . .attention■■■■to' ' l "J national earnings" I mean,. of course, - >he: enbrmous land values made by Jho community,, which should bo taken by the ; State. as revenue, instead of allowing the same to'go . into the pockets of a comparatively, few, individuals who have done nothing to earn this increment, and who have, there-' fore absolutely, no right to- it. 'Under "national" earnings"-1;, would also include 'that vast of. wealth of which tli© people aro deprived through being compelled to ; work for others, which is the result of the present. system.V This_ private appropriation of. the .people's earnings, as every fairminded and 'unprejudiced person will-readily concede, :is a monstrous - injustice,- for it .keeps , the. wage-earners at the bare, living •,?'.!■ .lives (just, think of it !—all their lives 1), deprives, them of freedom: and independence, l retards progress, prevents increase of population—in short, this huge system' of spoliation is responsible for most [of the tori-ible evils which afflict and crush the majority :of . humankind. : Is there no ■ remedy for ; this' soulless state of affairs ? Of course there is., It- has been preached by years by. earnest, self-sacrificing reformers in every civilised country, -but governments everywhere will do_ anything for the people except getoflc t ' their backs. The remedy: is the taxation of land values, but •it is important that the tax shall be high enough-to De effective. It must be so high as to smash land speculation and -bring into immediate use aH unused land in town and country. The: effect would bo to make tho land -easy of- acce-33 to all who wanted it, as was intended by the Creator, to give an enormous impetus to trade, to reduce rents of houses ana business premises, and to give the community ;as a whole. moro of. the! wealth, it Eroduces. Under, such:a system.there would e no. need for Customs duties, and the 1 Hon.: Mr.-Hogg: would urge Parliament .to cease taxing the people's food, clothing, and other necessaries. , Some of. your, .'readers. - may. think that I am advocating increased taxation. Not so; I merelv wish to transfer the burden to the. shoulders of those. best able to bear. it,., and! who now escape 'their i fair share of taxation. I desire that evenhanded justice shall bo done in this matter, and that the masses shall ;have what . is. rightly their own. If the Government \will not give us this great reform, which they know, wo stand in need of moro than \ any other, then let Labour unite to" return a Government that will very soon do it; The mental and manual 'wage-earners must unite ivith enthusiasm to capture' the Parliament ary, machine and run it,' not in the interests of a few, as now, but in the interests of the many.—l oin, etc., / . . ... COMMON SENSE.- : Wellington, January 23. : [We publish this letter willingly, but, we must say that we cannot afford space for, letters, on. whatever subject,:which are mere, statements "of familiar doctrines.-] .