PROPERTY TAX.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 449, 26 February 1890, Page 4

PROPERTY TAX.

THE PUBLIC MEETING. Auckland, Feb. 24. A public meeting of those interested in the discussion of the property tax was held on Saturday evening last in the Academy of Music, Lorne-street. Some difficulty was found at the start in obtaining a Chairman, bub finally Mr «>ohn Reid took the position. The Chairman briefly introduced the subject for discussion ; but there seemed some indecision among those present as to whether, owing to the small attendance, the meeting should nob be adjourned. A motion for adjournment was pub and lost. Mr E. Bell then began the discussion by moving, “ That we form an AntiProperty Tax League to agitate for the abolition of the property tax, and to demand retrenchment from the public expenditure to the amount of its revenue.” Ho moved this with pleasure because New Zealand was his home, and he wished to abolish evils existing here, and to prevent others from arising. New Zealand laboured under a very great debt. So long as their bondholders lived outside the country they largely escaped taxation, while if they lived in New Zealand they were very heavily taxed. Many a man of capital was driven out of the colony, or prevented from coming into it, by this obnoxious tax. Money was sent out of the colony to be invested elsewhere, rather than uliat it should be eaten up by this tax. The loss bo the revenue should b 6 made up by retrenchment. The Education Department vote would bear very large reduction. The Railway Department also wanted reform ; and there might be large reductions in the number of public servants. A little less officialism was badly needed, as the late transactions in regard to Puhipuhi clearly showed. The property tax as it pressed on mining companies and others engaged in developing the industries of the country, was a very strong bar to enterprise ; and the whole of the community was bound to suffer from this undue taxation.

\Mr H. Green, in seconding the motion, said he believed the tax to be a suicidal one. He gave instances of enterprises that had been killed by the tax. Mr A. Boardman spoke to the motion. He thought it was a pity that such an unsuitable night had. been chosen for the meeting, and that it had not been better advertised. At the same time it was satisfactory to see that the Anti-Property Tax Committee had at last decided in favour of retrenchment, For that retrenchment there must be a simplification of the system of government. The Government must be deprived of the means to bribe members with money for their districts. One of the curses of Ireland was absentee landlordism, and New Zealand seemed to him to be in the position of a country owned by absentees. Dr. Laishley said the motion just put before them must lead nowhere. To form an association, to abolish the property tax, and to allow the present Government to remain in power, would have no practical effect. An association must be formed to return a new House, with men pledged to retrenchment and constitutional reform. He would move an amendment to the motion, “ That a central Political Reform Association should be formed, to return at the next elections new men, capable and reliable, pledged in writing not only to abolish the property tax, but other taxes, by sweeping reductions in expenditure, and, above everything, to effect stern constitutional reform.” He was assured on all hands that it was idle to send down one man to stand forth and demand reform. They wanted a compact body pledged to a particular platform. For this they must have a central Reform Association, with branches in the various out-districts. The men to be sent down must have a true knowledge of what constitutes national happiness or misery, and must have the will to apply that knowledge without fear or favour. We wanted a modified Hare system, a reduction of the number of members, an elective Governor, and several other constitutional reforms. It was enough to look at the Estimates to see how money was wasted by the present; system. Dr. Laishley mentioned particulars of some votes in which money was wasted.

The Chairman ruled that Dr. Laishley’s amendment was out of order. Mr W. J. Napier believed that the amount now raised by the property tax might be saved by reduction in expenditure, and without touching the education vote, wnich Mr Bell seemed so ready to attack. There should be a very great reduction in the Civil Service system. There was a strong feeling among the public that those opposed to the property tax had some other object in view. If retrenchment was made in the education vote it would only be a seeming retrenchment, for people must either pay for the retrenchment directly, or children must grow up in ignorance. Those promoting the meeting practically said that it was a mistake to educate the masses. Mr Napier then traversed MiBell’s statements as to the possibility of cheapening education, and proposed the following addition to the motion: —“That after the last words of the motion the following words be added : —‘But that in effecting the retrenchment rendered necessary by the abolition of the property tax, the Government should not curtail or diminish whatever expenditure may bo rendered necessary to maintain or develop the present system of education ; but that if any additional taxation be required, it should take the form of a tax upon the unimpioved values of land.’ ” He thought a land tax was a necessity in New Zealand, so that they might prevent what had already happened to a great extent in Australia—the concentration of large tracts of land in the hands of a few persons. Mr G. L. Peacocke seconded Mr Napier’s amendment in a brief speech. Mr Waite moved the adjournment of the meeting till Thursday evening next, but the motion was lost. Messrs Gordon and McLachlan spoke to the motion. Mr Bell objected to the addition of Mr Napier’s words to his motion ; and after some slight disorder when Mr F. Cherry rose to speak, a motion was carried for the adjournment of the meeting, without anything having been done with the motions already before the meeting.