LAND VALUES LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2392, 23 February 1915, Page 3

LAND VALUES LEAGUE

At a meeting of the Land Values League held last evening, the chairman (Mr. P. J. O'Regan) referred to the. rating poll in Featherston County on February 16, when the. ratepayers had adopted rating on unimproved values by a substantial majority. The most gratifying feature in connection with the poll was that it had been taken in a farming district, and that the farmers had voted solidly in favour of the reform for which the league stood. This was the latest of several decisive victories in farming districts. Within the past year or two rating on unimproved values had been adopted in a number of counties in which' farmers predominated, including Waikohu, Kaitieke, Thames, Whangarei. and Featherston. The Featherston poll, had been taken mainly through the public-tpirited efforts of Mr. J. T. Bicknell, and he had much pleasure in. moving a hearty re-, solution of thanks to that gentleman, the same to be forwarded to him by the secretary. The resolution was seconded by Mr. D. Macdonald, and carried unanimously. The following resolution was also carried:—"That in view of the undoubted popularity of rating on unimproved values, both in town and country, as evidenced by successive polls, this league is of opinion that the time has arnved.when the system should.be made mandatory throughout the Dominion for all local purposes." , On the motion of Mr. G. Warren, the following resolution was also carried: — "Whereas further taxation will be required. next session of Parliament to meet the war expenditure, and whereas the cost of living is rapidly increasing, this league reaffirms its uncompromising hostility to any increase in. Customs taxation, and insists that the only true source of revenue is the communitycreated value of land.',' Speaking in support of the resolution, Mr. VJarren quoted figures supplied last session by the Hon. Mr. Allen in his Budget, showing the unimproved value of land in this country had increased in five years by £52,000,000. This meant an increase at tho rate of £1 per minute in the annual value of the land. Seeing that this value was a community-created one, and that fully one-half of it went into the pocketß of the 6000 payers of graduated land l tax, any further taxation required to meet the cost of the war should be levied on it alone.