PAST PERFORMANCES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 960, 1 May 1930, Page 7

PAST PERFORMANCES

WHAT UNITEDS HAVE DONE MR. RANSOM’S ADDRESS While the Reform Party in it. many years promised what t did not do, the United in th? many TTuab?* 5 in , POWer the Hon E A said of Pi.MjX , Rans °m, Minister p * c . Works, addressing the last evenp Ct ° r? 3 ‘ St ' Mar Hall Alan Dnn Id’- ,n su PPOct Of Mr. Alan Donald s candidature. Dr alteifdance. PreSlded ° Ve " a la^« fu‘ates h said a ?L? election Mr. indeed . I,a Parties must not be judged by promises, but by perform. I.lred , h J J e na 1 am y quite p?el I 'iccl that the United Party should to oot per f° rmances it has time u ha!°v. PUt V p durln S the short hansom h een L- m power," said Mr. uansom Speaking in Parnell Air. lip had accused Sir Joseph Mr keep his promises. ' * had indulged in a lot of 0.,1i 1 kStateme nts, but definite alle--.ations \\ere what were wanted. Air. NY right had also accused the United •a ty ot failing to do anything to leneve unemployment and had asked | tor figures. Why ask for figures, said •Mr. Ransom, the United Party had | ilone a great deal toward relieving un- ; employment and would continue to do j so. The question of figures was indeed of very mild importance, said the Aiinister. who, amid a volley of interjections, passed on to refer to the enactments made during the last session. He said that the first session was not generally the best for getting work done but, nevertheless, in its first session the party had passed many very good Bills, of which one of the most valuable was the Land and Income Tax Bill. LAND-TAX AND INCOME This Act, said Air. Ransom, was one that the Reform Party had fought ;j gainst for several days, in an endeavour to keep it from becoming legislation. The Bill was brought forward in order to deal with the class of farmer who had not done his bit - n regard to taxation. The Government had to depend upon a regular source of income, and it could not i ely upon an income-tax alone: theretore it made provision that where a farmer’s unimproved value exceeded L 14,000, he should pay either a land or income-tax. That was to say, the Government called on the wealthy land owners to pay either land or in-come-tax, whichever was the greatest. There were many big landholders who were not paying their share of taxation, said the Minister, and the Bill was directed at those men. “I venture to say that not one per cent, of this audience is affected by the land-tax passed last session," said the Minister. Yet they are all affc cted by the war debt. Why should these other people escape? This tax brotight in £265,000, said the Minister, the exti'a revenue representing £94,000. Air. Ransom instanced the case of one farmer whose land was valued at £19,000. In land-tax he had paid £l3, and under the new land-tax he still paid the same amount, but when he was asked for his income returns it was found that he had to pay £753. ALL GOOD ACTS Mr. Ransom referred at some length to the individual Acts passed by the United Party. It had been said that some of these Acts had been supported by the Labour Party, and no doubt they had. "Who would not support a good Act?" asked the speaker. The Minister concluded with a challenge to the Reform Party to come forward and say which of the Acts it would x-epeal. "They were all worthy to be placed alongside the fine old enactments of the old Liberal Party,” said Air. Ransom. Mr. Donald also briefly addressed the ( lectors, and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence.