RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 October 1912, Page 2

RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES.

{'to the Editor.) .Sir.-It nave ine satisfaction to MV again the familiar signature of ; our whilom I'i iend from Coldio's : Hi'iic who ha.s undertaken to teaeh 1 our ratepayers the art of getting lit-iu'liis without enrllinjr them and it gives nie the more sat islaction to know that I can trust the intelligence ol hi\ lellow lownsnien to arrive at :i just verdict u|hjii this snbI know that there are some like one who has even stated in print that- il given the chance lie will have his leHuw-man's earnings, hut I helieve the great majority are with me in desiring fair play, and I >ay that the illustrations I in my last letter were complete proof that- this single tax is unjust, and .Mr Withy' s misquotations of it. read with mv last letter, .should prove this.

Mr "Withy says in fact yo-iirtmvn is suffering from the .speculator and monopolist complaint : now just the whole lot of yon take my physic and you will be quite well. Hut Mr Withy's cure is worse than the disease. I would ask Mr Withy hi again rejd my illustration of how the .CI saved would be treated by single tax and then read the stuff he has sent -along in bis illustration : what kind of people docs lie think read The Chronicler lie has tried f<; sift, my 'argument for defects au ' ! failed. I will now try sifting hi.,. J lie says: "In ihe lirst place the true value was C2U. but. Jie speculator squeezed another C 2 ( :. making it Co"J." \Y.as there any compulsion to give that speculator thm. extra Cl'fi. or was he one of the gulIdile sort- and paid Co"2 for what was worth very much less? Tf not. where does Mr Withy's argument eonio in? This man made a purchase: he did in a pay a penny more than he agreed upon ; he knew every condition under which lie bought that land ; and then he liecame a speculator himself, for no one would buy laud to lose upon ii. -Mr Withy implies that no one knows about the thousands of pounds lost in liiin-d speculations in the last few years, and that fo-dav his man can

■»11 y from ninny spe<-ulators at ;i less |)i'ice than that by them! I "ill point out to Mr Withv

•a much easier and happier way for : liis friend to iM his hoiis<\ and ■ ;11»111_lc tlie lines ol' single ta.x sentiment. Lei .Mr I'Vls erert. him a limise fur the lifiielii. ol' his single fax argument and finish if. in urli a .vtyle that he uon!<l ever have Mr Kels in grateful reiiicmlnaiice. Now, his icllow w-orkcr. who liecainr a •■pefiilatoi- lirst Imi <lid not have the single ta.vers" favour and could nol 'mild his house (ill later, would hare the happiness of paying still an in-

ci OMSfil amount of rates out of his earnings for the |~ and benefits enjoyed hy Mr Ko| >s ' protege. 'I here exists illi> fundamental" difIVivnre lietween Al> AVit.liy ,;ijid niysell : Me says practically <'very man of you <jh'{. whiii |~v ~;,,, | Ron , (| KV oilier follow, and never be a speeuliiinr: \vliili> 1 say every man of yon ciiltiv;ile self-reliance <ilid thrift.: lie men to load and iiof: to follow: Llien every man would lie a speculator, because he would have something to speculate wilh. My only remark sis to what Air Withy says about my imagination is | d> ask him to read the letter from Messrs Palmer. Thompson. and Tnoliy and there are m uiimher of "ilier small farmers to which ihoso remarks will :ilM>'>"— n<l seeing lie. '■'insiders himself n n authority on iood farming. T would adri.se liim to "H <a small farm in our township he I'm re iho enininn; r\s,-. and hy personal (>\-;imi)le (oneh the Levin farmers the hest .system of farming; ],o would Tiecome a puhlie henefaetor. nnd a fnrtiiiifite speeiilator. Hut T fear nothino; would lure Mr "Withy (o the |irosj)ee{; of hoino; a silicic tax victim. 1 fancy Uiat Air Withv's "f'xt. |-ara-ra|)h to some other Later referring to some other P |f "-<'. -is all \vork, M -.- here wmt •'» eat their own cake nm\ not Jot, Mr Withy help his friends to it. N'ow. r eom«. to Air Withy's remarks about my bee illustration, »»<1 lii.- remarks are Midi delightf'lll.v funny rearlin-. What wild people say if 01.l f,.;,. 1w l [0 S()[) J,, | |is f;,,,,,, !|l "">'- *be wolf and the lamb bnd li,,isliorl hy saying "the lamb foil npoi' Ux.' wolf and devoured him?" 'Hie only answer that ] think would fit is that he must have been ;in an<"sior of Air AVithy'.s; and now I will tell your renders the serpiel ;' ! »'»ii those bees. ] did not tell .'• las* Lime; | thou-ht it would k "''l»- I was travelling J,, • |] 1( , train some time after what happened to the bee.s. nnd had for my «-»i»l>iirii()ii a -entleman who ko\,t '"■es in the district «,,<! larmed them successfully: and .soon we were talki"K.l»POS, and J told him what happened to my hoys' bees. "Well " 'lo snid. "did your hoy S crcp I(1 , |vo any honey about?" "Yes ""I s-\kl-"they put out the broken oomli ■liter extract-in;; ~,ost of the honey for the rest of the. bees to clean it.'' •Ui< 'he said, "thntdid ft! AVhen '"'•'s fi"d honey thai they c «n Infto witliont working f», r j fc |,I K , V fnir]y K» >iwl after it: tliey won't work, and they soon l«n-n to .steal other bees' honov: it is (he easiest thinto teneli them to steal, am? onco tho - v k ' ar » iiothinrr will break them

of it; tlioy will push their way into other hives until you can pick them out by their bare heads, caused by the velvet being worn of! their heads in trying to capture the other bees' treasure; but of course the other bees fight. an<l the war goes on to annihilation."' "If 1 drop a. piece of comb," said he. "I not only pick it up again. but T got a bucket '1 water and wash the place clean so that they shall not get a drop of honey but what they work for." If the boos lovo hnnoy that they have not worked for, should wo be surprised at Mr \\ ithy tea?hiim the same idea among men. especially if he receives honey from American single-ta nci's to keep him going in his advocacy The next-sentence must be a sinalo tax gem. hut it is only a sham. it requires more attention to expose the sham than T feel justified in eiitorinix upon in this letter: but 1 lmpo to hoar again from Mr A\ iihy. and with your permission will return to this interesting subject.--1 am. etc.. •TAMES PTtOrs'K.