THE EANGITIKEI ELECTION.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 149, 14 June 1892, Page 2

THE EANGITIKEI ELECTION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THK STAR. iSiK, — With jour permission I should like to say a few words respecting the coming election for this district. There are two candidates in the field, one <i pronounced opponent ot'aud the other a supporter of the ! present Government. I wish to impress upon the electors that it is measures they should vote for, not men. They Bhonld cast aside all likes and dislikes, and vote for the man who is prepared to support measures which are the most beneficial to the electors generally. As Mr Stevens is in favour of the present Government ho will support the Land and Income Tax, which falls much lighter than the Property Tax did on the farmer. Under .the Property Tax everything is valued and an exemption of £500 only is allowed but under the Land Tax an exemption of £3000 is allowed on improvements, and £500 on the laud if the unimproved value doe 3 not exceed £3000. From the foregoing it will be seen at a glance that the land tax is the best for the farmer. To give you a reai case T extract the following from the Mercury : — " A set tier in the Marton district owns 250 acres of laud, when asking him which party he would support, the Conservatives or tho Liberals his answer came straight, " I support that policy which gives me the greatest benefit, and here are proofs of mj reasons. This is a statement of what I paid under a Conservative Government, and here is the one I have to pay under the present Government. Is there any ueed to ask which policy I shall support ?"' Under Conservative Government Property Tax Assessment, real property, 250 acres at £7 per acre, £1750 ; stock, | horses and sheep, £290; furniture, £100, j total £2140; exemptions, £500; tax Id j in the £ on £1640, £6 16s Sd. Under | Liberal Government, Land Tax Assessment, real property, 250 acres valued at £1976; value ol improvements, £1210; unimproyed valua, £766 ; exemptions, £500 ; total, £266 ; Land Tax Id in the £ on £266 —£1 2s 2d. Which party shall I vote for ? For my 250 acres I paid L 6 6s 8d per annual under the Conservative Government, but I haye now only LI 2s 2d per annum to pay under tho present Liberal Government. I no not agree with all the measures of the | present Ministry, but 1 shall certainly support that party which reduces my j taxation. The opinion of the settlers quoted above is the opinion held all over this district. Each farmer has only to compare his taxation returns under the Property Tax Assessment with those under the Land Tax Assessment and he will at once be convinced that the Liberal Party who have made the farmers taxation lighter than any previous Government, are well worthy of support." lhave shown that the present Government have made the taxation lighter for the farmer. I will now extract a few lines from MiMcLean's speech at Wellington to show that they have placed it upon the shoulders of those who are the best able to bear it. The Bell family owns 400,000 acres of land, and the}' paid under the Property Tax LI6OO per annum. Uuder the Graduated laud Tax they will have to pay L 4500 per annum. Johnstons own 96,956 acres. They paid under the Property Tax LlOOl. Under Graduated Land. Tax, L 2760. Beethams own 97,000 acres paid nuder Property Tax ; L 93 6; under Graduated Land Tax, L 2576." This is why they are so much against the present Government, and they believe in making the working man bear the burden of the taxation. My ad--1 vise to the electors is, do your best to return men to Parliament who will support the present Government, which I I consider is the working man's Government, and is the best the Colony has ever had, as it is the only Government that has lifted part of the burden of the taxai tion off the working man and placed it on the rich laud owner. I do not wish to set the working man at enmitj with I the rich, by any means. What I say is I this, rich land owners are not the men to govern the Colony, as they will naturally frame laws to suit themselves. The rich have held the reins of Government quite loDg enough ; let us give the other side a chance now. I may say that I have not written this with any ill feeling towards Mr Bruca or any o f his supporters, as I am dealing with measures, not men. 1 do not think less of a man because his opinions differ from my own. Each man has his own opinions and each has a perfect right to express them, but no man has a right to fall out with another bscausehe differs from himself. Personally Mr Stevens is no more to me than Mr Bruce, as I have never spoken to him more than once. I respect Mr Bruce as a gentleman, hut I do not approve of his policy, therefore I shall support Mr Steveas as I firmly believe the measures which he is prepared to uphold are the best for the electors and the general interest of the Colony as a whole. I hope the best feeling will exist among the electors throughout the whole of the contest, each party giving the other credit for having equally good intentions with themselves. I am, etc., T. E. Chamberlain.