MR. CURTIS'S SPEECH ON THE LAND TAX BILL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 193, 13 September 1878, Page 2

MR. CURTIS'S SPEECH ON THE LAND TAX BILL.

The following is Hansard's report of Mr Curtis' speech on Tuesday night : — I wish to explain to the House, iv a very few words, the grounds on which I feel myself compelled to vote against the second reading of this Bill. When the Financial Statement came before the House, and the Colonial Treasurer told ua that it was the intention of the Government to propose a tax upon landed property, I was quite prepared to support that proposal. I quite agreed with the Government that it was only fair tbat landed property should bear a portion of the burdens of the country, and it was especially fair and just that those lands which had been greatly enhanced in value by the operation of the Public Works policy should contribute towards the payment of the interest upon those loans which had been expended in such a manner as to give that enhanced value to them. But, Sir, the Statement of the Colonial Treasurer was followed by that of the Minister for Public Works, in; which,

it appears to me, the Government ts prepared tp recommend the House to abandon, so far as *^he South Island is concerned, the colonial character^, of. .the Public Works policy, tt jig •oro.tJose-d' to abandon iq the South Island that leading feS'titfe of the Public Works policy— that which'/ X thtfrk" no honorable member will deny ivafc the leading feature of the Public Works policy — the construction of the main trunk lines of railway from the North to the South torough both Islands of the colohy. H h fio«* proposed altogether to abandon, ab fftr a"5 ritieiist onc-fyufth part of the South Island is concerned, that e'ss'ehiia'l feature of the Public Works policy itiifirited 1 in 1870. It is proposed that at least onefourth part of the South Island — the whole of the northern portion — should be deprived of all railway Cotta-funication with the rest of the cojonjj*, and it is further proposed that the inhabitants of this pait of the i'otfrrfry shall pay anew taxation for the purpose of aiding in iae conStrdcfaon of railways in more favoured parts of the tcZotVy: And. even more than that, it is proposed, as' f&gft'r'd'-J a very large portion of the northern part or the South Island, that they shall not only contribute as much towards the support, of railways in other parts of [the colony, from which they are themselves excluded, as the residents in those favored parts of the colony do; but that thef shall actually pay, as fat* as a large proportion ofthe inhabitants are concerned; a taxation rtmountidg to from two to three, arid, in rr-'a'ny Cages,- foitr times as much as "is paid in tlie sot'itlVefh parts of the colouy. Sir, under these cirthttistahces it does appear to me that so great an injustice would be inflicted upon that portion of the colony to which I belong, aud, iv fact, to the whole of the northern part of the South Island, that I shall be compelled to vote against the second reading of this Bill, although, apart from these considerations, I am decidedly in favour of its principle.