THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1909. PAYING THE PIPER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9564, 10 August 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1909. PAYING THE PIPER.

For pome time past it has been apparent that the Government were dissatisfied with the revenue of the Dominion. There was not that degree nf buoyancy —we believe that we use the correct word —about it that has always appealed so strongly to the Ministry in the past. When there is not any amount of money available for the establishing of new and unnecessary departments, and for the furthering of the various objects, which it is the delight of the Govt rnmenf to spend money upon, the unpleasant position has to be faced that further tenure of office is not likely to be lengthy. Whatever the state of the country may be the Ministry of the day is determined to raise every penny that it can lay its hands upon. A Dominion that casually bestows a few Dreadnoughts upon the extremely wealthy Mother Country simply must have as much money m it wants, and the revenue of the Government must, of course, show a suitable degree of buoyancy, and fapid.growth generally. But it is really Very easy to incPeiiSa the raVe'iiite by increasing taxation— ] that is if the peoplo Will stand it! Recently wfe havfc had Ministerial threats Of increases in taxes in various directions, and the Government have "many strings to their bow." Fair and necessary taxation—indeed if it is necessary it must be fair—no one will cavil at, but when as the result of a Government system we find that the taxes of our farmers

are increaoed enormously we may justifiably s»sk whether it is not enough to make sane men pause. Our chief industries are pastoral and agricultural, and it is 'from them; that the Dominion derives most of its t wealth and prosperity. 'We have hadj an extremely (practical "Object ! lesson| on this fact 'very 'recently. l lf thej farmers of 'this 'eoutitry : Jtre going'to: be ground 'down with shall find the"raSiilt to be 'a : Cramping' and stifling Effect 'upon 'trade '-as a' whole, while it must'beadrtlitted that ; su'ch'a policy will ndt only ; tend r to give' a setback to land settlement, but 1 is; one f fr"a\igFit "with the "Very greatest danger Id 'our national weifare : ' Our 1 readers''may 'ask ''* where iVtne inerSa^ein^taxation?'': and bur reply 1 is "the neW" valuations' in the Mastertou 1 Ctiuhty.'' - These 4 are certa inly worth 'perusal. The'irictfcafce iri Saah'iriding is » :

Old. New. Increase. & & £ Opaki 578,057 734,308 J 56,251 Rangi-

tumau 336,803 468,330 132,127 Upper Taueru 213,903 297,808 83,905 Te Wbiti 219,139 385,538 106,399 Wakui- ( oru 653,900 886.967 233,067 Alfredton 335,621 335,621 (not re- £ valued), i 2,397,423 3,109,172 711.749 \ It will be observed that despite the fact that there has been no recent '. re-valuation of the Alfredton riding I there is a total increase over the rest ot the County of £711,749, or pearly 3.0 p?r. cent, v£ t v ;e total valuation of the County, exclusive i of any increase in the Alfiedton rid- 1 ing! Is this increase justifiable? 1 We do not believe that it is. The < farmers, it may be said, have their ' remedy in .the Assessment Court, but have they? The Court, no doubt, fairly tries each case, but upon the unfortunate taxpayer falls the onus of proving that he is unfairly as- : sessed— a very difficult matter to prove. It we were in the shoes of the farmer, however, much we might lesent the valuations or would not bother to go to the Court in the hope of obtaining redress. It may be said—indeed it very often has been said —that no owner would sell at the valuation placed on his property. Such an assertion, even if true, is no answer to the charge of excessive valuation. We do not want farmers to sell their land, we want them to work it, and to encourage them to do so—to tax them to the highest possible point, and beyond it is the reverse of wise. Moreover, there are often reasons why a man will not part with his property, apart from its actual value, or the money that he I can receive for it. But the unscrupulous felly of taxing farmers, in the manner referred to, should surely be patent to the most "advanced Socialist?" But a few months ago wool dropped, and the result? Widespread depression throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion. Financial institutions did their best, adhered loyally to their clients, but they could not do impossibilities. As a matter of fact ruin, • gaunt and bitter, was staring many a man in the face. One trembles to \ think what the condition of thi3 country wovtld have been had woo) ''kept down" until, say, the present time. Where would the "new" valuations have been then? There is nothing certain about the Ho^ fle markets. Great Brfta> m j g ht ' be involved Ift a' ucn a W ar to-morroW to paralyse the whole trad.o of New Zealand foi ( yearis,, To-day the farmers are only ]' u 't recovering from a brief "slump," and they are faced with the "new" valuations. The more one looks into the matter the more unwise and unsatisfactory appears the system by which such "new" valuations are " possible. New Zealand is truly a wonderful country for records—first - in patriotism of all the colonies—easily first of th 3 Australasian colonies in the matter of taxation—and first in maladministration of ■ national affairs. Subsequent events ■ will, no doubt, emphasise the pre- - sent position.