The Feilding Star, Orova & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1896. THE TAXES ON LAND.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 273, 23 May 1896, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Orova & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1896. THE TAXES ON LAND.

The member tor Masterton, Mr Hogg, is in favor of increasing the Graduated Land Tax in order to punish owners of large blocks Many suffering working men in the colony will agree that with the introduction of the system of " punishing " land owners for raising themselves to positions of comparative independence by industry aud thrift began those troubles which in many cases created the " unemployed." Our contemporary, the Wairarapa Daily Times, speaking of class legislation, says:— The first effect of the tax was to bring down the value of the land by creating a feeling of insecurity in its possession ; the second, to frighten landowners from spending money in improving it; the third, to cut adrift from the soil thousands of workers who were happily and contentedly earning good wages. A further increase in the graduated land tax will throw thousands more out of employment. This is a suicidal policy, which robs of their employment at least ten working men for every employer which it touches. A country is never prosperous when the price of land is going downwards. In a recent issue we mentioned that owing to the abundance of money in the market capitalists were beginning to invest in real estate in order to find profitable employ inenc for their funds, and we expressed our gratification at the fact ; bur. if men of the type of the member for Masterton Hold out threats that the " Great Liberal Party," save the mark, \ intend to still further smother I enterprise by vexatious land taxation, I the consequence will be that the : movement will be effectually checked j and the prospects of employment for

hundreds of good men, who are now out of work, be destroyed. It was the depreciation in the value of land caused by the graduated tax which wrought such havoc in the finances of the Bank of New Zealand, and the colony can well afford to pray for the avoidance of a second calamity of a similar character.