The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1139, 9 December 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1879.

If i® pretty ruruoced that the anticipation of the pruperty tax caused tile withdrawal of capital frum tili Colony and am-sted investment. A eontemporary tefls na that it has com© to tea that noarly a million on the eve of fcuinu' invested We will lie rewhence in tame, if the Property Tax BiH bttoniti"* law. The actual •> p<?riv tions of the tarul t the| antipathy against it in. some quarters, ha 3 j not been half 3" tUmaj.'ini? aa the antieipatton* off whafi thtf Oy vccnnti'tvfc w>>kcl*l us believe is a more equitable and judicious from their hands, the Property Tax was in every particular characterised hy wisdom and justice. This was at the outset. All nature was en th»' tip-toe of anxiety for the enunciation of this wondrous policy that was tt> transform i ear penary into opulence. The moment for which all had impatiently waited arrived «jaite aooti enough, and the feeling J •of admiration with which everyone was prepared to view the Treasurer and hi+ tcolleague# was turned into surprise tha 1 , | vven Sifajor Atkinson should have evolved such a crude thtuif, as the result of ao> much "sweat of intellect." S With characteristic obstinacy he attempted to> thrust the whole thing down _the throats of hoo. members and colonists. Bat tliejrwoold nothanreit. IntfccHotae , and oataide the Hooso the grow incoa- * ' s'stsnciee in the Bill were pointed oat; «»d, for once. Major Atkinson's eyes were gradually opened so as to ert.atfch^mtaseesomewnatasotherado 1 . Vic ;•• from taxation —Major Atkinsons i«nris{m»l intention reins; to tax even false .(teeth and hair-"!td that a margin of LSBO iiwsWad ef rr-110 is to be allowed. Anyth'm& rather *r j. ys vejptacet»others. measure, »••• nicely fitted tejtetner, with SolniH'Hiian wisdom, that not one word could be changed without marring the hetttttifat harmony of the whole, is • u|v*i\ - shreds hy i*arliacnent. Bat its identity may be absolutely obacured fey emendations. The stings, which its originators at first • claimed t» be the moat necessary and ; adnftrabte jprtions of the Bill, are being j ■. attracted. The operation is a tedious and j j .»4ifEeolt one, andjaut coffered kindly by its j •' aathoM, but "anything rather than loss of, v is the motto which Major Atkins- ■ '* • aedolously ebsemes. He has ever T»«%.es the lame. When he joined the prise tit Ministry we hoped that his. post experience would have a salutary effect upon his political nature, and that good governonent, for which the country *&• pining,

would be the result. We were mistaken. One or the most palpable evidences that he vraj still the Major Atkinson who two rears before was himself impeached and found guilty, was his impeachment or tne Grey Government. There w*a no'need te ci "-geratc. The plain unvarnished truth woolu Uavt sufficed to show that the Grey Government were not perfect. Yet Major Atkinson announced a spurious deficit that he might paint them black enough to improve his chances of succea. by comparison. Having taken op tni position, he went from bad to worse,.-"urn announced that tin? deficit was so laige that nothing but th,- property tr.x would enable him to n.crt it. The occasion was, favorable for such an attitmtc. jMcmbera of Parliament wore »" thoroughly tire>i r>f thr chiblsplay lor which tho prixeiitGovernment when in »>pp»'iti«n were ntaitdy rtstpinsibl*-, that th'-y ritfo.vcd to have government, of v.hatever Kind. This » the only renioii why the present Halt - Whitaker- Atkinson Government have been allowed to remain in power. They talked of the iniquities ot the Land Tax and of the money that has been scared away from tho country through it.< operation. Why, the simple mioiir of the Property Tax has had an effect by far more damaging. I« the Bill should pas3 T injuiy will be done to the Colony that will not be rectified for years. The Land Tax Act is an i insignificant measure in comparison with i it. If the Colonial Treasurer conln be induced to acknowledge that, in his over-: anxiety to impeach his predecessors, he overshot the mark, and that lie now hnds, i as the result of calmer investigation, that the sweeping measure which no man but i himself, or newspaper, in the Colony, who ;» not trammelled by party obligations, | sceois to approve of, will not be necessary, ' there would be good reason to hope that ) tie Colony would soon rise above the I difficulties which have grown out of the , svtvin of prodigality which has obI tained f«r so many years. The Froiperty Tax is not required in a modi- | tied form—it 13 not required at all. We believe that there are men in Parliament that could grapple with the Colony s difficulties with more ability than that displayed by Major Atkinson. The niediciue which he is prescribing is worse than the malady. It will only aggravate the coinnltim-* The proposal to administer i; is | fccttvg nut vilh opposition from one end of the Colony to Ijie other. 3lr. George M'Lean savs that it is no doubt a bitter pill to swallow. Mr. M'Loan never gave 1 birth to a more palpable truism. Jim he j was not quite so correct when he blamed ! the late administrators for the necessity |to administer it—a statement that has : been repeated t»i tuirwtm. _ Major Atkin- : gon coats his tardus with sugar bj holding oat the hope th»t the lJiils will be amended in Committee «o as to omit. taxation of personal effects. Ac. Under the extreme pressure, which is called by unthinking men 'and political schemers rabid opposition, he has hinted that we may expect the Uill to be even further purged of its dross when Governnjent _" applies itself seriously to it." this »"* consoling. What will the Opposition say to ; this t Here is an intimation that the Government has been humbugging the House and the people by intentionally falsifying the true state of the Colonj s finances. The reason for such an action 1 is bad and the action is worse, but who ' can fathom the effect that soch uni scrupulous conduct may have the I Colony-