The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1889. INTERESTING TO FARMERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1915, 11 July 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1889. INTERESTING TO FARMERS.

Thebe is one thing to which we desire to direct the attention of farmers just now. The new Property Assessment Act exempts from taxation all kinds of machinery with the exception of those employed by farmers, and it appears to us quite justifiable to ask why farming mahines are overlooked. In 1885 the StoutVogel Ministry brought in a Bill to exempt from taxation not only all farming implements, but all farm improvements to the value of £3OOO. Mr John Ballanee, the present and only leader of that party in the House now, said recently in his speech at Wanganui that farm improvements to the value of £IOOO ought to be exempted. The Conservative party have brought in a Bill in which all other machinery, excepting farming machinery, is to be exempted from taxation, and that is just the difference between the two parties. Farmers ought to think over this matter, and try to distinguish between real and pretended friends. Hitherto the

farmers have voted for the Conservative party, and here now is the way they are treating them. The Stout-Yogel Liberals would not tax the farmer for every foot of fencing he put up, or for every improvement made to his dwelling-house, or to his stable or outhouses. They proposed, instead, to place the heavier end of the burden on the wealthier classes. The Atkinson Conservatives propose to free every kind of machinery—even sewing machines —from taxa--1 tion except farm machinery, but they have overlooked them. Who are the friends of the farmer now ?

The following are the exemptions made under the Bill, which is now to hand:—

(1) Brick, tile, pipe, or other manufacfactures from clay, earth, or stone. (2) Crushing, grinding, aad cleaning grain or any corn or pulse, and for the manufacture of such grain, corn, or pulse as food for men or animals.

(3) Manufacture of woollen goods, or goods produced from fibre or any kind, including the preparation of fhormkm tenax. (4) Manufasture of dairy produce of all kinds. (5) Manufacture or working of iron or other metals. (6) Moulding, turning, and planing of timber, and saw-milling and limberraanufacluring in all its branches.

(7) Fruiting, lithographing, electrotyping, or any other art or process connected therewith respectively. (8) Quartz-crushing, dredging for geld or , silver, or boring or,sinking for gold or any other metal br mineral, or any mineral oil. t (9) Sewing machines, (10) Sugar-refining or boiling or other manufacture of sugar, or of goods in whieh sugar is the principal ingredient. (11) All mining machinery within the meaning of “ The Mining Act, 1886,” or any other Act for the time being in force relating to mines and mining. (12) Railway locomotives. Thus machinery employed in crushing, grinding, or cleaning corn is enumerated, but there is not a word about reaping, or sowing, or threshing machines. Some great statesman said once that when he wanted additional taxation he always imposed it on farmers, because they were sure to submit to it as quietly as their own sheep submitted to shearing. It is from this the Conservatives have taken their cue, and the worst of all is, the farmer cannot see it. When the election comes round, the large landowner goes round to the farmer and says: “ See, I am a farmer like yourself: what suits me must suit you; vote for So-and-soand the farmer bellows out, “ Three cheers for So-aud-ao,” and he flings his hat in the sky for So-and-so and votes for So-and-so ; and then the So-and-sos get into power, and they shear him as he shears his own sheep.

Now there is one lesson which farmers ought to learn from this. First, they ought to know that the most radical politician that ever lived, or ever will live, could never think of injuring the farming industry. The man who would injure the farming industry, which is the life-blood of the colony, would be mad indeed. Farmers, therefore, may rest assured that no matter how radical a politician may be he will, unless he is a lunatic, always favor the farmer. On the other hand, the wealthy classes recognise that taxation must be paid, and they do not want to pay more of it than they can help. In order to relieve themselves of taxation they pile it on to the farmers, knowing full well that an unctious smile and a whisper to vote for So-and-so will put the farmer in good temper for the next election. Let the farmer now mark how every industry is remembered by the present Government except his own; let him also remember that his own was the first industry recognised by the late Liberal Government; let, him | remember also that Mr Ballance, the leading representative of that Ministry, is in favor of exempting agricultural implements and improvements from taxation, and let him then decide for himself. The big manufacturers and large capitalists will get the tax taken off their machines, while the farmer has to sweat and groan under his load of taxation. We have often told him so, but the farmer would rather believe a Lady Vogel’s-curtains story, and now let him pay for it. Farmers ought to ask their representatives in Parliament to get their machinery included in this measure. They are as well entitled to exemption as anyone else.