The Guardian (And Evening Star, with winch is incorporated the West Coast Times.) SATURDAY, MARCH 22nd, 1924. PREFERENTIAL TAXAIlON.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 March 1924, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with winch is incorporated the West Coast Times.) SATURDAY, MARCH 22nd, 1924. PREFERENTIAL TAXAIION.

Oun readers will have noticed that in a letter published during the mid-week from our well-informed Wellington correspondent, there lias been an interesting exchange of views between the Prime Minister (Air Massey ), and a correspondent of the “Post”, one '‘Justice’, who seems to have a good deal of inside knowledge relating to the Government's methods of taxation. Foi some time now the Government has been assailed a good deal through the. agency of the Taxpayers’ Association which has its headquarters at Wellington, and lrom which quarter it would not be surprising, “Justice” obtained much of his ammunition. At all events the writer has succeeded in stirring up Mi Massey to the retort discourteous, which senis to indicate some of the shafts' ol‘ criticism have gone home. It is an open secret of course that the present Government of which Mr Masev is the operating head, has been unusually considerate for the large landowner. The Prime Minister vatliei resents being told this, but it is a fa.i nevertheless, and is widely believed all over the country. The land owner is the specially favored class with the Government, and Mr Massey lias never been neglectful of his particular friends. The fanning class has been buoyed up from time to time as no other section of the country. Whatever went wrong with the farmer, lie had only to bewail his fate, and the Government canio to the rescue with subsidies, pools or boards—and the farmer weathered the hard times with comparative ease and comfort, the financial trouble being passed on to the country as a whole, which had to he ready to foot the bill as circumstances required. Contrast that state of affairs with the attitude of the present Government towards the i goldminer, and the comparison becomes odious. The changed conditions since the opening of the war have worked havoc among the gold miners, hut the Government were deaf to all entreaties, even though Mr Masev was appealed to in person. The Government stood In and saw the industry starved, and F miners driven from their occupations, and nothing was done to afford relief. There were no subsidies forthcoming to relieve the tension, nothing done to stabilise prices—-the gold miner was left to bis fate, which quickly overtook him, and accounted for his ruin, and the petering out of the industry as a stable factor in Dominion progress. The Government by its inaction permitted a great injustice to be done, and though tile mining class did their duty so nobly over the war period with never a- suggestion of profiteering, they were allowed as a class to go under. But the farmer flourishes under the benign hand of a sympathetic Government, and the country as a whole has to go on footing tiie bill. As to the incidence and distribution of taxation, that is due for an early overhaul. If Mr Massey does not attempt the task soon, the time will be hastened when others will he called to his place to do the work. Certainly they will be more radical, but as “Justice” has pointed out, the cause for this will be attributable directly to the inaction of Mr Massey and his Government-. We have seen how a Government with Socialistic tendencies has come into power in England, but there it is restrained by the weight of the Opposition in any ultra radical action. But this might not be so in New Zeniand. If the present L.abor party obtained a secure majority in the House, we might be sure that its Socialistic leanings would be given a good deal of flee play. Upon that aspect “Justice” has warned Mr Massey, blit the writing lias been on the wail, plainly for a long time. So it is clear that sooner rather than later, the country is due for some material measure of relief in regarding to taxation, whether through the agency of the presnt Government, or the one to succeed it after next general election.