The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1890. The Premier's Manifesto.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 8 November 1890, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1890. The Premier's Manifesto.

«. Sir Harry Atkinson hns issued a very lengthy manifesto to his constituents, and we extract the following therefrom : The fust thing the Parliament should do. is to alter its rules of its procedure, 'so as to assume once more the power to control its own business.

He protests in the most omphat'c mann-vi- against the views of tho< nossinvsts who say that the colon. 1 is going f oni lad to worse. Th difference between the colony's ar - nual produce and its annual con■mnmtion, und the interest paid t« outside creditors represents th amount by which the colony is eithe going to the good or bad. He elites into a number of figures which h contends prove that for the year" labour the colony has gained £4,400 000. These figures have been tested as far as possible, and may he ta_eii as approximate^' accurate. As far as Sir Harry is aide to judge, much further reduction in public expenditure cannot be made, unless conveniencess and advantages now enjoyed are given up. He is against borrowing on the London market for some years, but would raise money in the colony for the purchase of Native lands, opening up land for settlement-, and to form roads. Regarding taxation Sir Harry Atkinson is against the abolition of the property tax, as the principle on which it- is based is — that a man should pay toll upon the whole of such wealth as he actually possesses, and which he can leave behind him when he dies. He points out that the capital value of unimproved land, when made for a land tax, would not be more than 42 million pounds. A land tax at a penny in the pound without exceptions, would only yield £177,000, and if £500 exceptions were given, would only yield £140,---000. An income tax at sixpence in the pound would produce £74,000. How is the loss to be made up ? He reminds his hearers that- the Government in which were Sir R. Si out, Sir J. Yogel, and Mr Ballanee, though heartily desirous of repealing the property tax, found themselves unable, to propose- any satisfactory result*.