Hawke's Bay Times Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1871.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1186, 1 December 1871, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1871.

Arguing from precisely the same data pr premises, various conclusions may be arrived at, according to the peculiar bias of the reasoner's mind. Thus from the fact of the Colonial revenue having .of late years gradually declined, being still decreasing, and the probability of further falling off during the remainder of the current financial 3 7 ear, a contemporary argues the necessity of increased taxation. Ai- first sight this, of course, is the conclusion that presents itself, but, like many other appearances, we believe it to be a fallacy. There is a point in increasing the burden of taxation beyond which it is not safe for Ministers to go,—a limit whicb a community cannot pass. Beyond this point additional taxation fails to add an increase to the revenue, and only succeeds in impoverishing the people. If that point is not yet reached in this Colony it has been pretty closely approached, and the deduction we should draw from pur contemporary's data is, not that we should prepare for increased taxation at an early date, but rather prepare to resist any such attempts on the part of anv Ministry that may be unscrupulous enough to threaten it. There will be time enough during the recess for the public tq make its voice heard in condemning Goyernmental extravagance, and insisting that instead of adding to the taxation of the Colony it should retrench its expenditure. Mr Yogel says it would be " inconvenient " to dp so. Peihaps so: well, let Ministers subniit to such inconvenience, rather than Impose the greater inconvenience on the whole community of paying so inuch more in the shape of taxes than is} necessary for good government or than it is able tq bear. The reason given by some of the members of the Assembly for supporting the alterations in the tax on receipts are curious and striking. They were strongly opposed to the tax, but Jieing supporters of the Government

felt bound to vole for it. They did it, however, with the conviction that it would press so heavily .on ib.he general public as to open its eyes to the true state of affairs, and create such an expression of public opinion as would force the Government to alter its course. Mr Galder was one who supported the heaping on of these burdens of taxation, as he considered it the only way to awaken the people to {he real meaning of the legislation of this and the last session. It seemed like a mockery to talk of settling on the lands the population that was to flock to our shores from the old country. " Was it at all likely," he asked, " that people were coming here to live when they were met by such taxes as those ill the bill before them V Mr Rolleston was another who believed that the effect of the additional taxation would be that it would awaken the people and expose to them what the present policy meant, by dispelling the existing delusions. Mr Bunny, another Government supporter, voted for the measure on that account, at the same time not at all approving of it, and hoping that next year the Government would see the propriety of taxing the rich instead of the poor.

Thus we see that several even of the the supporters of the Government only voted for the tax because they saw that its effect must be to awake public opinion and produce an alteration in the entire policy of the Government so far as it relates to the taxation of the people. We trust that such will be its effect, and that the alteration produced will be the contraction of Governmental extravagance and a lessening instead of an increase of the burden of taxation.