The Sonthland Times. INVERCARGILL: TUESDAY, SEPT. 23

Southland Times, Issue 1797, 23 September 1873, Page 2

The Sonthland Times. INVERCARGILL: TUESDAY, SEPT. 23

In the present constitution of the House of Representatives, a collision between it and the Legislative Council appears inevitable, unless we admit, what is by no means likely, that the Upper House will, for the sake of avoiding a result which some of its members would above all things deplore, unsay what they have previously said in reference to the Provincial Loans Bill. It will be seen by the telegram we publish to-day, that the House of Kepresentatives, confident in its own power, intends to make a stand, and we assume that it will not be denied that except in extreme cases the action of the people's representatives, in reference to a matter of taxation — because after all the Bill in question is one of taxation — ought not to be set aside by that of a nominated Chamber. It is intended to test the question at issue more definitely; by sending to the Upper House a virtual reproduction of the rejected Bill, affirming the principle, but omitting some of the details — being in Bhort, an approval by the Assembly of a loan to be raised by a particular Province upon its own security. Having denied the principle of Provincial borrowing, the Council must, for consistency's sake, refuse to grant special permission except under such exceptional circumstances as would defeat the object of the introduction of the Provincial Loans Empowering Bill. The probability of their rejection of the second attempt by the House of Representatives to carry its point, is assumed by the provision made to meet the contingency, which is the introduction of a property tax, including all descriptions of property of £500 value and over, the proceeds of which tax is to be made the security upon which further loans are to be raised. That the Legislative Council will assent to a measure which will so materially enhance its members' share of the burdens of the community, need not be for a moment supposed, and probably in the rejection of it the Council will not be without sympathy outside its own body, the tax being open to considerable objection, although upon the face of it seeming fair and reasonable. Small ;properties, such as those at or: about £500 value, comprise in their class a 'comparatively large number of unre- ■

munerative holdiags, and the tax will fall heavily upon parties who, having invested, are receiving no present return, and have no prospect of an early one. For very many reasons an income tax appears to be fairer than a property tax. jlt is, however, far more difficult of collection, and in this particular instance could not be so framed as to answer the end for which the property tax is proposed to be imposed, namely, aa a security for loans to be obtained. The Government would have been far mo re certain of the sympathy of the community had the Btand been made on the rejection of the Waste Lands Amendment Bill, and the selfishness of the Council, as well as of its adoption of the principle of class legislation, would have been more apparent. We have not looked with any great degree of favor on the Provincial Loans Empowering Bill ; on the contrary ]we have expressed a decided opinion against its policy, but the question now to consider is, whether, as the representatives of the people have affirmed it, the voice of the people must not be assumed to be in its favor. If this be so, it follows that as a matter of taxation, the people having by their representatives consented to tax themselves for the enjoyment of the result, their will on the matter should not be ignored by a nominated body whom the people have no means of calling to account. This simple view of the position of affairs will commend itself to the calm judgment of most persons, and can be reasoned out without of necessity involving the consideration of the question as to what extent reform in the constitution of the Upper House ie necessary. The present is, under any aspect, a season of impending peril, and every well-wisber of the Colony will anxiously wait for its deliverance.