"POLITICAL NONSENSE"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24414, 27 September 1940, Page 9

"POLITICAL NONSENSE"

TO THE EDITOn

Sir,—Under the above heading your issue of Saturday, September 21, gives a resume of Mr Hedges's speech at the annual meeting of the Farmers' Co-op. in Oamaru. While on his own showing his company had just had one of its four best years out of 40. he complains bitterly of high taxation, public spending and the 40-hour week, when to a great degree these same things may have largely contributed to his company's success during the period they have been in existence. What is more amazing, however, is that Mr Hedges says that conscription of wealth is a notion held by " irresponsibles." Actually I think it is the law of the land, and therefore it is rather strange that, while an outspoken opponent of conscription of life runs the risk of a year in gaol, an opponent of conscription of wealth has the freedom of the press. It would appear to me that the police should have a detective at these annual meetings to nail down anything subversive said by the shareholders when they are either sharing their war profits or taking their war medicine.

What is more, farmers should be the last to speak of the crushing burden of taxation at the present time. Just last week I read Mr Adam Hamilton's published explanations to farmers on how to adjust their values to pay as little as possible in taxes. While a worker's total income is liable to social security tax, national security tax and income tax, a farmer can handle a good deal of money during a year, spend it on improving his farm, his homestead, his car, both in depreciation and petrol for joy rides, show actually a small loss for the year, and therefore pay practically no social security tax, national tax or income tax. The system allows the farmer to put a lot of his domestic and even household expenses into the cost of running his farm, and yet the continual drone of complaint reverberates throughout the country. An " all in " war policy means more than the suppression of a few Communists, lengthening the hours of

work and holding carnivals for a charity fund for returned soldiers. It means the State claiming the life and property of all its members for its war effort. When the war is over and paid for then it may be possible for the remnant of property to be restored to the original owners, after those who have done war service have been generously rewarded. Until then, no complaints.—l am, etc., Patriot.