The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 862, 20 January 1879, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST.

N'i'i- 9 i&lm of bin'»» wtio' ii;*w Imwiv I l.iv.iv.-.i \vi"'Ts Uiiul h.i-i t'ni'ius wtt.ii :m '-'in*, UliTi-i.'M i : lili Ihvy !>!".' k-\].'oi:t-i-.l «•>■ till; i.li.mi i,g Jitt.-u Mb tlwaisplvfc-!* niia-i ro^t'! i ■•■::>. AiJft*»«i> "■i'" w»t':'l'k« .ai- 1 '' I '' • ii'- |! - ,!,.. ,mmi!<t <uu >" st'-l'l in Ul'-ii\ ■-;-.:-n.:, m-'.-iriid Uiuiu in b'.u;lfc<>i' ..i-"m;ly ..» lA ! up- nobody wilt but" l>iuutv uuU-ss v., k . (,i,»vo»nnMi»6 tmv bo with w-avita niiwlo * t'jtvtt uouwufc-nfwnical; wit-ft Miri nn'liuy bjf »sm*nun-x (hi** t»» in*. *.!:»• \JBMb« t<» wi,w in rvfssenw to

the matter a*they are thwnselfM. Whilst | ■maw would be quite willing to comply with- the wittest of the Government and f >\ttml the information which they arcj aaked to au-pply, were they able, tenanta; object to the principle of valuing the| r -,k-';.-'. of tr.f'l- landl-rd*. and landlords dtsuppswve wi vaiuuijt Uweu.' in*!, i ptoj>«ttc9. Net i» it in the power of, anyone t« compel thetn to act contrary to \ their cwnvktiuns in this matter.- Bat the Act gruvidssi, tea vsn antidote-, Valuers m*ot elicit th« necessary information and till apthe forma themselves in ewe they sfuudd not be tilted up by these to whom they have teem sent ; and we think that it would have been better had they done so without the- preliminary and useless reference to occupiers and landlords. The fact that tha bulk of the, forms will he returned to valuers without the of the Act having been complied with is no indication ttuiC the tax is unpopular. We believe that no-action of : any t Joveminent was more popular; and. even fiad' owners of property worth lea-* than Lo(«> lieen called upon to- pay the ' fax. we Clunk that they wordd have paid it without a murmur. A halfpenny in the pound is a trifle that owners of properties of small values eordd pay without the slightest embarrassment, and if they were consulted on the ipiestiutt as. to whether or not the tax should f>e levied cm all properties, small and -.treat. they_ would say let the tax be universal. Whatever way be the ett'eet of the tax in the ease of targe, it will net he felt in the ease of small properties, as the owner of property worth say L4OO would only have to pay M* ad per annum. ;;„[■ eau ;uw.no seriously view the tax as likely to prove burdensome tt> owners id 1; U '0(. properties, if those properties are not allowed to lie idle. Absentees, speculators, and lessees of tar-te trivets of frown land may feel it somewhat burdensome. U is matter for rejourns that the two first I classes will at last be compelled to• contrrluite something towards the cost »>f those public works that have enhanced the values of their properties and toward* the Coveruuusut of the Colony. With regard to the third class, the justice of making r.!,e,u contribute as largely as though- they «■ ere the owners of the soil may appear j somewhat doubtful, but that they tool have been- benefited, by the public works policy does nor. admit of iptestiou.. Those that Ifuinbte at the initiation of the forproceeding of imposing a laud tax. are either p.'b-tiea. enemies of the present Government, "i iur " laud-holders, absentees, "r specul.uors. v. lio fear that the imposition of the pi V ;e;it small burthen portends sonic-thing ,«o, v considerable. Hut even tf the tin should be doubled, they will have tm just cause to complain, tor they have taken, ami are still taking, a utreat deal out of cue -mrury, and it is only right that they should"return something towards the e\pens.' of maintaining ami increasing the values ot their property i. V.'e have somewhat digressed: but we have dona so with an object. ffi is fi"t improbable, that the ...pp'-m-uts of the present - now <p..pors ami men will seek to tiwke- capital o.tt ot hie faibife of tfie «;overtui>eiit to earr;. t-lwiv point in the manner preserved :y i;iie Act. The tu.vjocify of people will nor. I'dt up the .fonus themselves, either from disinclination or inability :. but thai- i* no evidence that they to pay the tax. We have not yet heard a sin-le complaint on that seove. Despite what opponent* may say. the Land Tax Act is off ot the most popuho; measures that has been introduced by a i.'oiouiaUiovenmu.'u*'. f'-r many ~. ,U y . ft would be surprising how kindly it luU been received were it not that it is ree uised its ;* means of approacluiiit a fair adjustment of the financial burthens of the Colony in the case of all elasses. The "i'".'itest imperfeeruow in the Act u the i.liHicTdty with which the tp-s wttt be collected. Valuers will iiave f- value almost unaided. This will tvst | rather more for the tirst year than the eiovern- , nrnnf. computed; but it is invariably the !e:i:e that such reforms axe iiuavvd wirn more or less ditheulty. a:el when the hrsf. operation is over, neither tim expense nor ,■!,,. f rouble >'f .■arryiriit out the provweui-. ot ihc Act should be ytreafc.