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Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1929, Page 4

Practical support of the Government from one of the independents' of Parliament in regard to the vexed question of taxation suggests that the United policy has a fair chance being enacted During the Budg»,i< debate last week Mr Hogan, Member for Ram gitikei, and returned as an Independent, declared himself strongly in favour of the Prime Minister’s proposals 1 to tax big landowners. He considered that the proposals, were double-barrel-led, in that they aimed at breaking up large estates and increasing the revenue. He showed that 300,100 people held 24,000,000 acres; and 1082 people held 18,000,000 acres, which instanced the fact that an area equal to half the total area of the North Island was held by 1082 people. If this were carried further, said Mr Hogan, 4000 landowners could hold property equal to the whole of New Zealand. Was it not time that additional taxation was imposed to break up big estates. The friend of the people was the man who declared that the land should be held in small areas, so that boys that were being trained in agricultural colleges might be given an opportunity of obtaining land and proving their worth The man who complained that owners of properties worth £150,000 on unimproved valuation would have to pay more in taxation was no friend of the people In a portion of his own electorate houses had been emptied and chools closed as land aggregation went on and three and four farms were bought up and turned into one. If Sir Joseph Ward’s proposals had the effect of refilling those empty homes and schools his name would be lauded throughout New Zealand, . and there would be no sympathy for the man wh adveated keeping large flocks of sheep on land while settlers who wanted small holdings were kept off. Mr Hogan declared that when the rank and file of farmers discovered they were not being taxed at all they would not have much faith in those who wore now endeavouring to mislead them. Tt .should be realised that no farmer with land of unimproved value at £12.500 would pay income tax. Why .were the small farmers being summoned to meetings to pass resolutions' of protest? They were not going to be nffeetcd, and when they realised that the. man who had £20,000 to £15,000 worth of land on unimproved valuation was the one who was going to be taxed,, they would agree that the friend of the

small farmer was in office rather than those who were agitating so that young men might lie kept off the land. Reform was silent when this was mentioned, and it was silent, said Mr Hogan, because it could not contradict his statement. In reminding the House that - mortgage exemption had been substantially increased since 1921, Mr Hogan suggested that there must be a reason for it, but he hoped the Prime Minister, in considering any variation of his present mortgage exemption, would not go below twothirds of the capital value.