DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 151, 22 July 1909, Page 2

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT

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was the most important matter for the State. They, lately had evidences of unemployment, and while this represented a loss of wealth it meant a greater ioss in the shape of demoralisation of character, arising from the feeling of despair and resulting in intemperance, ineptitude and loss of litness. 'Xhe •.ovcrnmeut should aim to bring within .each of the willing worker means to equip himself to earn a livelihood. The speaKor also referred to the waste of capital, which was essentially a loss to the laboring interests. The waste of capital in New Zealand was exceedingly great. This could be checked in a large measure by un intelligent Bankruptcy Act.

HELPING THE LABORER. Io obviate, to some extent, the waste of wealth 'by non-use, the Government was about to come to the aid of the laborer without capital- by placing him on the land, for which, under certain condi-J tions, he would not 'be asked to pay rent for IS months. The State must hud means wheniliy the people's leisure tune could be employed. Let it lind music and art and proper theatres, art galleries, etc. Thrift should be encouraged. There was no more difficult and dangerous path for State action thin artiiicial interference with

THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH hut it was the State's duty to enforce, it possible, a more equitable and fair distribution of wealth. A start had I'cen made already and more would be 'lone by alteriiijr tile death duties, and taking «,,,. tnilt wllor| , I)u , n mail(! m it should not pass into the hands of a man who had not made it and who squandered it idly. The waste from mis-use and non-use of land was probably greater here than anywhere else

UXEMI'LOYiMEXT was often beyond the control of the agencies of the Government, but there sliould 'lie no unemployed class in New Zealand. Unemployment was a national question, and must be attacked by systematic proper radical methods" and which should „ot be a mere palliative. THE DEATH DUTIES, !'c said the duty may serve two purposes le a revenue to the State and the distribution- of the wealth. il'lic Ucs.rabality of this was agreed on by men of different schools of political Uiought. There was „ growing current opinion in favor of this view, which he believed tended to lessen the evil of wirt e wealth and idle yicioiisncss of life which Ireqiiently followed inheritance of lar-e '•"•lunes The defects of the New Zeal'»< «l»t.es ay in .the non-uniform giaduation of the rate, shown by the fact tlmt an estate of CoflDO pays £175 ami one of £SOOI pays £350. GRADUATION' FORESHADOWED ••laduation s l,o„ld proceed on a u'ni"dnih'w r?" ~li" " """Oik" "h. the -h T lti ! X ' with »«"-t™ on Ire, ,"" ''' V a "' V o,le i " <lh ' id «l "lien the share exceeds a certain ;'. mou " t - Tin- I tof the total exe - t?ve Wi ' S °° ,"T "'"""' « ™»>otc ' - .1 'i ir, I'' "'A oUtsi,le New ZMl "nd, • lie sd, and the ex, ,U„„ o f clmr . ■'We g lis now frequently the subject I tig ~„ in,, uncertainty should be on .i noie satisfactory footing Sonrc provision ,ho„l,I l,e nude that when n M'operty is left „,- passes on 1,, „, other than „«,„■ relatives, Ull . \J& Peity so left on passing to him.