A LABOUR DISPUTE SETTLED. THE DAIRY, FARM, AND FIELD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 39, 17 February 1900, Page 2

A LABOUR DISPUTE SETTLED.

THE DAIRY, FARM, AND FIELD.

[PUB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] c Wellington, February 16. n The lakers' dispute has been with- c drawn from the Conejimtion Board, I the parties having agreed to % re- o uewal of the old agreement. '" J c

"The Farmers are the Founders of 1 civilisation "—Whbsxbb. ' EHQLAND'S FOOD SUPPLY, 1 That some folks, at all events, ap- 1 predate the colony's production at their ' full value, here is the opinion of a 1 n ? a& » W^10 a " c^'z ® n of ano mean 1 city. "As regards one important article of food," says the Westminster 1 Gazette, " the English farmer has been cut out on his own ground. Farmers abroad supply us with butter alone to the extent of £16,000,000 annually, and English butter is 4 in the way of disappearing from existence.' On this point the following extract from an interview with Mr. Hudson, the head of Messrs. Hudson Brothers, is interesting i—' My first question was directed to the quantity of butter he dealt with, and his answer was, " About 40 tons a week.": "Of which how much is English?" "English butter is getting to be almost unknown on the . London market," he replied; '• just now it is nearly all colonial and Normandy," Then he sent for an anker of New Zealand butter, and asked me to taste it. " Isn't it beautiful ?" he asked; and, indeed, theie was no denying that it might have pleased Mrs. Poyser herself, for it had the clean, sweet fragrance only to be had from cows that have stood knee deep in clover.'" Shewing the vast sums the Old Country spends annually in importing food-stuffs to feed its millions, the following table published by the London Times will give some idea of its magnitude. _ Many of the lines can be supplied by this colony, provided the quality is right.

A BIG SHIPMENT. j The New Zealand, Times says :—The i record shipment of dairy produce despatched from the colony in one bottom ( was taken by the New Zealand Shipping \ Company's steamer Paparoa, which left £ for London last Sunday morniog. This f heavy consignment, consisting in all of c 1055 tons of butter and 362 tons of < cheese, was made up as follows: \ Dunedin, 141 tons butter and 183 tons { of cheese; Lyttelton, 68 tons butter; t Auckland, 135 tons butter; Wellington, 711 tons butter and 179 tons r cheese. The previous record was held n by the same company's steamer Bftkaia, j which left for London on January 3rd, ( but the more modern vessel has quickly { annexed the honour. The fact that two \ record* cargoes have been despatched c within a month is the surest indication f of a plenteous season, and the increased attention that is being directed to dairy ' farming. Now I like the weekly edition of the <] New Zealand Times arrayed in its } blood-red garb, which reminds one. of a a Salvation Army soldier's jersey, but c that if; is all the " salvation" it lays t claim to. It is so eminently fair, so manifestly truthful, that when the statement is made that 711 tons went from Wellington,itmust,of course, have been only an omission which "Agricola" i hastens to rectify, that of this quantity t more than two-thirds went from Tura- r naki. Anyhow, it was a good shipment, and we have reason to be proud of it, RATING ON THE UNIMPROVED VALUE. It a matter of surprise that local bodies in this district have not availed themselves of the advantages they possess by law of rating on the unim- a proved values, instead of the present s. inequitable system of raisiog local ii revenues on the gross value of landed fi property. This principle of taxation is affirmed in the " Land and Income fa Tax," and is now admitted by all as i! fair and just. Surely if the principle a is right for general taxation, there can be no sound argument agafnst its ti adoption generally by Local Bodies, ol and that it is the proper system upon d< which rates should be levied in locali- w ties. It mus.t be apparent to anyone tl who w 11 regard the question from an unprejudiced stand point, and has given the matter a moments consideration, oliat the system of rating on the improved yalue of land must of necessity interfere with the progressive spirit of the sett]er wh,p \& desirous of improv- w ing his property to the fullest extent, 0 \ whilst, on the other hand, to exempt improvements is a direct incentive to every f rm of development, and must result in a decided gain to the com munity. Taxation levied on the basis st of pur prespnt system ig a distinct tax 11. on the farmer's industry, for it levies a r '-' contribution on every new addition to ni his homestead or farm buildings, and to [!„ every acre cleared and brought into ill cultivation. On jihe other hand, rating w«

on the unimproved value is a gain to the industrious, it encourages labour and the expenditure of capital by allowing them to go free, and falls on the shoulders «f the indolent and careless owner, and especially the speculator in land who simply acquires property to reap a profit at the expense of his improving next-door neighbour. It is not the man who uses his land to the best advantage that should be called upon to bear the brunt of taxation, but the man who fails to use his property fairly by the production of wealth who should feel the pressure of taxation. Local revenue is now used for the improvement of roads and the construction of bridges, and the ratepayer who settles on land and taxes himself with general and special rates with the above object in view, and for the purpose of giving better access to his section, is carrying a proportionately heavier burden than his adjoining neighbour who holds the next section for speculative purposes only. To the latter section an added value has been given at the expense of the industrious. Why should there not be in this matter a fair adjustment of the burden, in fact an equality of sacrifice? It may be asked, however, if the principle of rating on the unimproved value was adopted, would not the ratepayers have to pay increased taxation as a whole ? The answer is, the same amount would have to be raised throughout the district, the difference being that the incidence would be altered,—that is to, say the farmer who tforks, improves and spends would be relieved of a certain amount of taxation, the man who practically does nothing to his property but allows it to lie idle, and increase in value by the industry of others, would have to make up the difference. It has been truly said in reference to this subject " that the system is therefore all in favour of the industrious hard working man, a direct incentive to the | production of wealth, instead of a penalty upon it." Unfortunately the system has not yet been fully appreciated in New Zealand, and very few districts have taken advantage of the manifest justice of this principle of taxation; but this is not owing to any fault in the principle,—rather to the fact that ratepayers have not reali ed the benefit which would result from a change. Wherever the new system has had a practical test, it has given the utmost satisfaction. The Manawatu Road Board district has lately adopted The Rating on Unimproved Land Values Act by 105 votes to 10. Probably in the near future, such a course may be followed in this district and the efficacy of the principle receive a practical demonstration as to its usefulness. Ageicola.

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