WEALTH OF TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1917, Page 7

WEALTH OF TARANAKI.

To, the Editor. Sir,—ln reply to Mr. J. B. Simpson, I don't quite 3eo how nationalisation of land is going to do away with protected industries. We have nationalisation of land, or, 'in other words, State landlordism, on a small scale, and there is just as much speculation in that as private-ly-owned land, You mention the graduated land tax in its present form, It ;is not worth considering as a factor in stopping speculation. There are thousands of acres held for speculation, and I still maintain that if the bulk of taxation was raised from land speculators could not hold it. When the so-called liberal Party came into power about twenty-five years ago they did nothing to keep down the price of land, and the Massey party have not. The people working in protected industries are. not producers of wealth. Under the present, system of taxation men with large Jamilies are the most heavily taxed. According to returns taxes are collected tp the extent of rather more than £0 per head. 'Of that amount about £i pej head is raised through the Customs, t>o that it follows that men with large families pay out of all proportion to the wealthy, and, considering nearly all out ,wealth comes oil or out of the land, that is where the tax should be placed. I thank Mr. Simpson for his offer of boob, but have read it.—l am, etc., ' • PROGRESS. ' Hunvoi'th, March 29. ■ '