RATING UN THE UNIMPROVED VALUE.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 235, 17 November 1905, Page 2

RATING UN THE UNIMPROVED VALUE.

(TO THE EDiTOi-.) Bib, —I noticed iu your issue of N vember 3rd an advertisement announcing ihi.t a sufficieu: number of ratepayers had signed a petition to ad-'pt rating ou unimproved values, aud that a poll wiL be taken on November 21st. I think this is a question of very grert importance to tbe dis trict and one that bas not been sufficiently discussed .or studied by the average settler, The only argument in its favour, so far as I know, is that it acts as a dsterent to speculators to take up land aud held it without improving ir>; but as practically all lands be e are taken up under O.R.P. or L.1.P., where improvements are compulsory, this argument applies but elightly to pcir county. On the other band I would like to know bow we would rate (for instance) a sawmiller under this system fairy in relative to farmers, bearing in mind the traffic on roads it would, entail. The same would apply to a dairy factory, hotel or any other industry or business. But the greatest objection to the system, to my mind, is this : that we would be playing right into the of the Liberal and Labour schemes, to rackrent and tax tbe harde-st work ing and most industrious people iu the community, I’or the unimproved value is subject to a land tax. If we adopt rating on tho unimproved value our improvements will ba under valued and the unimproved value unduly risen, so that it may' become taxable, or that the lessees interest in his laud will ba reduced ; in other words, the selling value of L.I.P. land will t;i reduced to a mere trifle. We hud a I taste of thia down South some two years ago, but rating on the capital value acts as a to some extent. Mr Ell, member for Christchurch City, and other labour members, are end iavouring to br-ng in a Bill every session to make it compulsory to rate on unimproved value.—Youra, etc., OBVERSE. ~ROADSi ETC. (to the editor.) Sib, —Our iroaiis are now dry, with the exception of a few bog holes. These holes are caused simply by neglect. If those who arc paid by us to attend to the roads did ru these Seddonian bogs would be drained. At present the water is allowed to stagnate, instead of being got away by the usual water tables or channels at the road slue. It would be rather amnaing to see Seddon, tbe promiser, plodding through the mud hole opposite Sobye’s on tha Oparau road or through the sludge channels between Oparau and NeWton’rf. We are informed when we write to Wellington that | special money has been put aside and that anything required will be carefully ojnaideted with the estimates, but here ends any further communication on the matter. We have all now came to the conclusion that whilst the ■‘towns have new public buildings we unfortunate back block toilers (as far as tbe present Government is concerned), can da the beat we can with the diabolical attempts at engineering and construction we now have. As to bridges, they site being “ carefully considered,” but we get nothing. This is the progressive Government we hear ■o much about—it neglects the mainstay of tbe ountry and pampers up town loafers’ votes. We are the toilers opening up au unproductive waste, and if we only had the right by vesting power in local bodies, we could do all that is required with the rents of land, viz., 5 per cent, unimproved valve. Our County Council could then do all that was wanted. We only want our own rents. This is a question that we should ask the candidate we arrange to support: if he will battle for an alteration in the Counties’ Act, giving mere pbWei to local bodies, i.e., letting thf.n have til the money coming from t?eir coun y Government tenants to spend 4 n c r nstruetion and maintenance of necessary works, i came here after being assured at the land office that the roads I saw on tbe map were either in course of construoor would soon be started. When I i look for these roads I found that j very little money had been spent in ‘ roading, and where spent it has to a great extent been wasted, by the roads being in t|ie wrong places. Any fool can lay off a road and get possible grades, but it takes a man of great expedience to pu'; a road in the most sujtible place. If the present Government has not the money to finish what they have begun, let them either borrowed what is required, or let some more capable Government have a try Yours, etc., n G. H. MACKENZIE. [Tbe above httar has been crowded out of .the past two issues.—Ed. 8.) ♦•GROWLER • AGAIN APPEARS ON THE RCENE.

(fQ THE EDITOR )

{ Sik; —lt is some considerable time lainaa I let off steam. 1 feel lit- ■ bursting, especially now that the air is i full of politic j It must be truly ini (ectious, for I notice the names of oeri tain gentlau}.en moving «nd seconding .votes <■( conllJei.ee, who, I am prep >red to wager even money, were ‘ h? bt gdH-y ft? aI ) lhe’ r live? o( read i lug eoe newflpper ooli|tnu of political matter. Of ti’trnrety we arc treated ‘ again to the samff old fulsome pro j mises that were made by the Premier { the first Kawhia land ballot, again | 'At Ihst election, again a little la'er < n

I (Premier’s visit) and still once more ' now. Weli, Mr Editor, it must ba a ; silly old bird indeed that would look | 0 ’.cs at the chaff that is plenti j fully scattered around. Loans and, subsidies to tbe council of £lO,OOO or i £12,C00, fTrsooth ! What about the Te Mata people who carried a loan ! proposal L>r £2OOO only and failed to ' get it ? Tbe result: trying to supply ‘ a factory under almost impossible con- ■ ditions. True, there is a feverish , basre just at present to construct i roads. But election time will see { them safely over the crisis and back to i their normal temperature. There is' I also activity in the Advances to Seti tiers' offiee; and my advice to settlers It*, if you have need of borrowing lose !no time, for there will be a pulling | tight of purse strings shortly, and public monies will tn required f>r more neceesitious worß, such as acquiring estates unaec tbe Linds fur Battlement Act, railway deviations, a few more palatial public buildiag*, a royal commission or two, chartering of steamers for Ministerial trips where by they may draw travelling allowances after all charges are paid out of the public pur.*e. Good patient old pioneer and settler, lick the hand that cbaseneth you. Good old Dick a nth : “ Go forth ar.d promise him the freehold, even if it cometb to a no confidence motion. I will attend to tbe trades and labour people, who shall 1 have a free breakfast table, and if more taxation is neoassary why it will be in the graduated land tax By such devices as these those in office hope to hold power. At present they shake and are not sure of their seats and are prepared to listen and tom poriso. But taihoa. If we are gullable enough to retu-n them again sufficiently strung we may then wait for 2| years before our lament is hoird—they all >w that six months ti ns L I ample to buy the settler, body and ! soul, with promises and a pretence of ! making ro ids. f rit is sca*cely anyi thing eDo. Bu‘, take a broader viaw, • and fur a time drop that acute, inI tense local want, roads, and I ask the 1 questions : What useful legislation or | whaf questions of State importance j have been dealt with by the la’t Par- ! liament? I don’s know of one! The I settling of the country only dealt with ; in a half near ted manner, the native ’ land question only tinkered with (after i every attempt to improve it it is worse ! tban ever before), our railway works ! have dragged, only a I’fe being i infused at the all . •dection • time. Of c >uwe they hav- ! fostered our naticual i‘! iusr ; - «p pointing inspeotur? cJ fltebL wee»L, { rabbits, forest, fmii- t. wL (room i for a potato insp?u‘oe), factory, mac ' hinery, flax, dairy, abattoir and so 'on iminitum is fostering industries ! then truly they are doing well. But, 1 criticism aside, it is apparent to the ■ ordinary reader and tbink-r - I t alone j the political student—that the results j of our past few years administration are disappointing, to say the least; th* j vital powers and statesmanship are , exhausted, whilst circumstances have bocom ; toi strong for them, with a { host of political sycophant and toadys ■ tind gross incapables looking fur siue- | enres'and billet’. Our Ministers have 1 no time to spare, and I do- not doubt ; but that they are genuinely over- ! worked—but nut in the best interest of i the colony. Politically they have I run to seed. In tbeir young and strong days they were, I believe, the finest administration the colony ever bad, but about the time of the Boer war they commenced to ba troubled with swelled heed and Imperialism. Contingent after contingent, followed by coronations, Imperial troops, Royal receptions, etc., which cist this young and struggling country some hundreds of thousands of pounds, and we never appear to have settled down to sober work since. Methinks it would do the country good to get a new Ministry, < and if that new Ministry had the misfortune to hold power for 13 years, then I would think ii had held it too long by some half dozen years. Now, I reckon I have had a good old growl, and feel relieved. But I pity the poor comp, for this infliction, and my only excuse is election time, which is like unto old wine.—Yours, etc., GROWLER, ,