CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1917, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

POOR TIKOKAX'GI! Now do you wonder it's kept in the dark, By the quilJbling screeds of its factory clerk? % To the Editor. Sir.—The .Finance Bill, ]9lfi, did not become law until, may I say, August last. The very full and inquisitorial" re turns as to standard income, etc., demanded under that' Act, were jiot out till ucvembur. Mine, one ot the earliest, w: a not returnable before January 9, l!) 17. The majority of farmers were not assessable under ordinary income tax, though many were liable to assessment underjpart, of the Act, Excess .profits: My neighbor Jones, with a 1 duty to pay of £35, is a case in point. Next, Mr Hine may assume the moon's made of green cheese. "Quite all right, old Chap, quite all right," as Walter would say, so it is in Tikorangi. Very green! As to the "damnaWe iteration" for his final bray about patriotism, let him recall Ram Johnson's remark on that score, Saw', Mr Editor, •finally, I hare given Mr If. reason. lam not hound to give him an understanding. This has been such an exhibition, and, really, there is a limit to one's interest, even in the "unique."—l am, etc.,

ROBERT J. BAKEWELL. P.S.—ln my last, about Jones, there is a seeming error as to Smith's rate of taxation with reference to 400, but the rate of 16d i 3 reckoned on his average assessable income with reference to ordinary, super, and special tax—R.J.B. INDUSTRIAL EFFiCIENOT. . To the Editor. ' Sir,—lf; is generally admitted that the people of Denmark have accomplished wonders in the way of industrial efficiency in their little country. She is today one of the most productive countries in the world, and this is due to her industrial intelligence rather than her rich lands. Her position has been attained through her lad 3 being taught the art of farming more than anything else. Here in Taranaki the need, exists for better education of our rising generation in this direction, and the matter of the cultivation of the fertile soil around our beautiful town of New Plymouth might well interest the Minister of Education and the National Efficiency Boa'rd. If we are to attain an enviable position in our Dominion, the better education of those who are to toil on the land needs the attention of the responsible authorities. I particularly wish to call the attention of the Education Department to a block of 2S acres belonging to the Justice Department at Motoura,. and suggest that this be acquired for a few years as a Framing ground in agriculture for the lads at school. The site is close to trams, and a few years' training would not only benefit, the lads, tut leave us with a valuable asset, which under proper and improved social conditions, need never be used for the purpose for which acquired, viz., a prison reserve. In this way our rising generation can be trained to clean" and. improve the land and rid it of rubbish, an art long neglected in this district.!—l am, etc. PRO BONO PUBLICO.

A COMPARISON, To tlio Editor. Sir, —Re par on average pay of miners compared with average business man, what a pity the latter class could nob have taken the miners' jobs for a week or two, as increased production would have meant still larger earnings. Then wo would have seen some great and joyous hat-throwing on Good Friday. Compare again our plutocrat and Macfc diamond brother's conditions of work with the average business man. The former descends into the warm and beautiful bowels of the earth, drinking of the pure coal dust and. gas-laden air. working in the beautiful light of his Sweet-smelling- oil lamp, which is placed firmly in his hat, so that an occasional drop of hot oil will trickle down his nose to add still further to his comfort, and then again, in most of tlio mines there is a certain amount of water dripping from the roof, 'Which prevents him from becoming overheated. Then at crib time, no bustle or hurry home. He just lifts his nice cold tea and lunch' and enjoys himself for half an hour, and, by way of a change, every other week- he sleeps nil day and has only got to work at night. After each shift he has the pleasure of scrubbing himself for 20 minutes to get clean—very pleasant, especially in midwinter at 1 a.ra. Of course, there are a few inconveniences in bis otherwise luxurious life, such as the Huntly disaster, premature explosions, a fall of coal, which might mean a couple, of weeks, before he is able to get out, and if there happens" to bo a fire at the same time it's very unpleasant. Then, by way of excitement, there is a runaway truck now and again, mhieli it's far better to dodge than try to stop. Yet with all these things, be isn't 'satisfied. Now, take the average business-man. Ho has to wear a clean collar, good suit of clothes go out in the hot sun, the fresh air, have his three-course lunch, read the 'Daily News, have an occasional drink between times; every day tho same, yet never a word of complaint. Take again,, for the sake of comparison, the action of yur two great Imperialistic statesmen, Sir J. G. Ward and Kt. Hon. W. Masscy, who had to shift their quarters from the Hotel Cecil to the Savoy, which they did, as the cableman tells us, "smilingly and without a murmur,"'and not satisfied with this they are even now running the risk, owing to the unrestricted submarining, of being unable to return to New Zealand by A.D. 1=920. Still another nearer home. In the worst season Taranaki has known for years, the dairy farmer allows his theese to be commandeered at £SO per'ton less than his English and Canadian cousins, yot with the full knowledge that, unlike them, in the near future be will bo called in the ballot to take his place on active service. But comparisons are both odious), endless, and uncalled for.—l am, etc.,

RENOWN, TAEANAKI LAND VALUES. To the Editor. Sir, —It is now some weeks since the controversy on Taranaki land values was commenced by Mr Simpson, and it seems a pity that later commentators on the subject are getting away .from the main question and. are dealing, with matter that is incidental. It is a pity that childish and trivial personalities could not be left for those with nothing else to do. Mr Simpson opened by dealing with fhe matter of placing another million or two million people on Taranaki land, and the arose has* '* i* to hj«

done. It is plain that we must have population to keep up our quantity of produce and strengthen the Empire and develop our resources entirely. Mr Simpson suggested a method of making room for these people and giving the poor man a chance to get on the land, and it L the only -way I can see as yet to make room. There is absolutely no chnnce of more sections of land" being taken up by prospective settlers, if there are no unoccupied sections. Then why not cut up those large farms that are held now by one settler and his family, and place more on it? I have in my mind more than one man holding three or four sections of 100 acres each, and this same land would support a family at least on CO acres, and is being done by adjoining settlers. Besides, the large area man's land is only partly used and developed. Nationalise' the land? Certainly, same as they are doing with so many businesses in the Mother Country. Make every landholder a State tenant, with a secure term to suit him. Abolish the evils of speculation by making the State the land agent, and compensate t no tenant for bis improvements. And, incidentally, make the farmer who farms the farm work for his living and produce something and become a useful citizen. Producers are the backbone of the country. What matter what system fliev have in Yucatan, Timbuctoo, or the North role? We in this country have a system rcekin* with abuses and rotten with age. Havo we benefited from older countries in this respect? No. Are we making provision for future unborn generations? No. Have ouf rulers got the interest of the country at hand? No, Come, let us got out of the mud. Acts of Parliament can close the pubs and commandeer wool and cheese. Let them also take the land.—l am, etc., ; FARMER.