OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1918, Page 6

OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST.

To the Editor. l Sir,—A letter signed "teonard Hill" in your columns of the Ctli, demands a L reply, if only in the interests of fairplay and truth. Your correspondent refers to the increase of customs duty fbj half a milliou, hut it suits his hook ' to leave .put the statement that land and income tax had increased to nearly five tnMons, and, as Mr Connett stated at Ingfewocd, this hit the woeMcings and ■those wealtliy enough to hear it. Undoubtedly, as your corespondent states, wealthy men have contributed to the war loan. Where wonld you get the money cxcepfc>rr<ju*those that possess it? That these men are-getting even a lo<v ■interest on their money without taxV .tion of'their income appears -tor trouble him, bvt let it not he forgotten these same men are losing from two to three per eent of what ttosy -would have mate' had tiie Government hot insisted on low bond interest and compulsory contribution of the issues of war stock. His contention that men with large families will hear the after-war costs is about aa logical and truthful as the rest of his letter, for it can be seen, with haif an eye, that such a man is beyond taxation except through tho customs, for articles of everyday use,and the above rise in customs is only a few shillings per head, or less, if the fact is taken note of that the luxuries of dress, etc., carrying most duty are bought by the , wealthy. His statement about the price of ephos phosphate is about as ituihiul ci fie rest of his Jaiter, I

dip).!r""r remember that the i Government allowed returning troopships from Egypt to carry this manure providing the distributors here sold at a set rate, I think a pound or two less than your correspondent's price. The manure was not at fjrsfc favored, and when it did come in to vogue the merchants at the source of supply humped up the price, aud the Government refused to buy for import. From that on, as your correspondent should know, the matter of import has been one of private enterprise That the Government is alive to the importance of cheap manure it may interest him to read the papers occasionally. He would liavo seen that just recently negotiations were opened with the Australian Government and the shipping companies to ensure a supply of super-phosha.tfl, as the inadequate bottoms available had piled-..up a huge amount of freight in Australia. His final fling at the butter tax is most unfortunate to his man, Mr Smith, because it was the gentlemen of the same kidney and their supporters who advocated the reduction of prices of the farmers' produce on the plea of cost of living, and finally their pressure and the clamor against hign profits led the imposition of a very unjust class tax. 1 , which, while it gave great satisfaction to the labor-socialist element, did grave injustice to a very hard-working section, of the farming community, Now, Sir, I listened attentively to Mr Smith's open air address at Inglewood with its concomitant of a grotesque darlcie distributing handbills and adjuring the candidate to "shako it up" with fitting bufToonery and horse-play, in which a tall plug hat and uniform eoat played a pari with an oration from the handstand, of the usual soap-box order, and I also heard Mr Connett at an orderly meeting, crowded to the doors, in Inglewood the same evening. Mr. Smith appeared to be a. m«"iern David, with a "cave of Addullum," whose all-embracing protection extended to anyone having a grievance except what "David Harum" would have called "disappointed boss-swappers'" In his sympathy with the returned soldier, I never heard him refer to the evils of liquor on the weak, shell-shocked, and enfeehled heroes, tat Mr. Connett said he was a prohibitionist, and enunciated his principles in a clear and decided manner on all main points of interest or policy. J nerer heard Mr, Smith 'express any definite platform or principle except that he seemed to accommodate himself to the different classes <\f hearer, playing to the gallery, successively as a Labor democrat, farming, or any other advocacy that would catch a vote. I am at sharp variance with Mr. Connett on matters of local government, and shall continue to be, but I must say I respect the man, when, in a recent controversy, he might .have shelved a certain matter on to a preceding chairman of the. county He took his gruel without complaint, and I never heard-any remark or reference in public or private about his opponent, except to admit generously points in favor of Mr- Smith. On the other hand, we are all aware that "Mr. ?mitli, either consciously or otherwise, is being run by the Llquor-cnm-Labor Party with a little sectarian bittterness and influence thrown in. If the farmers of this district return a man avowedly belonging to the class of Fraser froturned Central), they are building up "a political enemy and an element which will prove a menace and a curse to their children—l am. etc.. JOHN LYON. "Oakleigh," Waitui. ,