LAND NATIONALISATION. Auckland, June 11.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 377, 15 June 1889, Page 6

LAND NATIONALISATION. Auckland, June 11.

At the usual meeting ot the Progressive League last evening, the subject of land nationalisation was further discussed. Mr C. T. Ren&haw opened the discussion. He said that in new countries land was of little value ; but as civilisation progressed, land increased in value, caused by natural development, increase of population, etc. If this natural increase of value could be turned into proper channels for the t public good, there would be no need' for any other taxation. No one denied that what is produced by the people collectively, the people, as a whole (i.e. the Government), have the best right to. Land was the most natural somce of revenue. The people as a whole make the land valuable, therefore they have the best right to the rent. He considei'ed that the abolition of all taxes on labour and its products would cause people to come to New Zealand in great numbers. ]SJr A, Withy said that as all wealth was made by labour, and all incomes as well, if you tax incomes you tax labour. Again, in the collection of an income tax, a man could very easily defraud the Government; as to the amount. Mr Farrington said that advocates of the single tax forgot that when they taxed land they u ould tax the poor man who had perhaps put all his little capital and a lot of labour into it. Many companies make their money out of things other than land ; gas, for example. Such companies would not bo touched by a land tax to the extent they ought. Mr Kw White thought the working of the land tax in China rather refuted the assertions of the single tax advocates. In China were large estates, some containing 50,000 acres, which were rented a& high as 28s an acre in some cases. Mr T. White didn't understand the meaning of monopoly of capital, and he que&tioned if the single tax, puie and simple, was in operation in China. As for the big estates, he couldn't see what harm they were, for they would ha\e to pay the tax just in the same proportion as the .small holdings. Mr West didn't believe in an income tax, as he thought it would not be required, All people would contribute more or less to a land tax. The &cheme of land nationalisation in China did not go far enough — its advantages were more than counterbalanced by disadvantages.