THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1901.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 143, 30 April 1901, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1901.

£>NE of the-first duties of the new Conniiil _wilJJbe Joi etrike 4 rate for the ensuing year. That rate willytor the first tiiiie, be oil the Unimproved lvalue/ and, by "The Government Venation of Land'Act, 1896," most be struck on the values shown in the District Valuation 801 l compiled by the Vainer General. As it is uow five or six years singe the Government valuation of the Borough was made, this means that the rate will be struck on a valuation to which practically >nly a few of the ratepayer* have aad an opportunity of objecting* vVuen the valuation \was made there was no immediate prospect >f local rates being struck .on land values. Consequently only the tew wealthy-property owners who ■are fortunate enough to' hold gti, much land as to be ealled on to pay land tax troubled themselves tg to what value the Government' i pat on their, properties. In the' meantime land in the Borough , iias largely increased iu value. It | ♦nusfc be within the mark' to say J the increase is quite fifty per cent. If the valuation-roll stood exactly to-day as it did when: made, the rise in land value, would not affect the incidence of taxations But thongh poor people who are not required to pay land tax made , objection .to" the Government t valuation, wealthy people made objection - and had their valuation* reduced, • * fbe result oT these redHettons is ttat the pe«>ple>vho made no objection\^tyt.l!f^fc&.Jt«! jjay mare, than,;.the4r:f9ir^^^ ;fcn3 ; off with tth%r taMion. -'A rate of

equal fo Is iu the € on the annual value of last jearf- In consequence of the valuation reductions otf t&rholdings of wealths; people to K<?hich we have Je|erred t ;ft:now.

'requires a rate, ofT nearly ton rHence to produce £IOO, fth In-I crease of 33 pe/ cent. This, we J believe, will* be; remedied the 1902*3" rate te struck,' but the' J9Ol-2 rate mnsf be struck on-tbe valuation as it now standi. Even with a rat© of fottfpehC&H lafße majority of the rate|iayei« will find their rates very considerably reduced. But this is not the only advantage the general body of the ratepayers reap from the new system of taxation. It is an open secret that the Borough Conncil have been finding that one shilling in.the £ on the annual value has not been producihe as much money as could be found use for, but there was no way of increasing the rate, for one shiliing.ini the £ on the;'law allowed the Gouucit t 9;: tafee as general rate. The Municipal Corporations Act of last session, however, inc reased the rating power to two shilings. We do not suppose, that even our progressive Council would attempt «5b take full advantage of the increased rating power all at once, but it is almost certain that we should have had a Is 6d rate next time one was struck. A very simple calculation will enable anyone to see the great benefit the new system will prove to the resident ratepayers. We have some further notes on this subject and oh the instructive anomalies jn the valuation,which we must bold over till another occasion.

J THE Arbitration Court now eitting in Christchnrch had before it last week the case of the'T-ypographi-l eal Union v. Country newspapers, being a request for a minimum r wage of £,% 10s per week of forty. eigth hours for compositors, with f various other concessions in re--3 gard to limiting the number of j.. apprentices employed, etc. One fact elicited which is of some iray portance locally was that the . Waimate Advertiser pays higher wages than,are paid by either the Waimate Times,, the Temuku Loader or thebnlkof the papers represented. At thß time * the County Council let its con-' tract for adyertisingou'r'cbnteiiip< 1 ' orary vWy bitterly distorted some wordrf used by members i,n regard to the Council sweating newspapers, the jaundiced organ making its readers' believe that were " sweating " our employees* while the Times proprietaiy was, out of Us abundance, p iying princely salaries. Further, it published a letter on the subject ? from Mr Boberts, the secretary of. the Union, a gentleman evidently " as well-informed and truthful as the Times'proprietor. Thisletter was an for and unwarr " ranted protest agajiust the accept-; t ance of such a low by the BjUoanty Council; under thV plea t; that sucli^-e -tosfcolg; i paid. A footnote, evidently meant l': to be private, said. *M don't supf pose you could get this in the t Advertiser for me?" and *he i humorous M editor M of the'Times I added one of uts il inimitable" $ footnotes— * Our readers will; see > the point and humour of the i ; above/* The first footnote was 3 quite as uncalled for sis the letter* i 4ov had Mr Roberts Bent his eom- - ruunicatien to us it would have > been published, jNever yet have' , we bought to gag the expression >■ of public Opinion, and well the' Times knows it. This fatter I, footnotes we quletly.igoored, {or ,; all things eorne to him-who Waits, > and the present is no exception to' ' the' rule. Tb£ Titles "alone gives' , to its ideas jqgr innai endo, (uuiess we exceptits^reputa- > tion-blasting anonymous dondenge columns), and'that these; should be refuted ( Ju<fge_ of the Supreme Coj|s£iß~«oncluof their Considering* the during which the Times! iplpted under; . the system . now being bo vigorously protected Against and tiat it had refused to co-operate ~ us in keeping prices such as would pay both employer and employees, «ae mig-hi have expected v golden silence. There is no ruleagainst*he'BMJPLos"Bß" be)*)g ''sweated/' " In the case referred to the Tidies ' ; alone is responsible for_a low pisce . ■ "being paid. Aem anyone tf ijth a& > « spark- of ,mantitiess, 4iUtfc«,- f - or fairf expect soiile ' tuvm at -.' apology, 1;,-, b]at Jye* x «#xpe& hone Wu" - Weuw we * * of 4nfortnitfg , tmesteteof to'y^l V- ,- "" ' -■» \" ,"" : W 5

veracity of anything that appear? t| in' that.brgan—-accidents exceptect^