The Wairarapa Daily MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1883. THE UNEARNED INCREMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1538, 19 November 1883, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1883. THE UNEARNED INCREMENT.

'We sympathise to a very considerable extent with the views recently expressed by Mr Hawkins 011 that new fad, "tho unearned increment," mora Especially in relation to the Railway Improved Lands Bill. This measure was dropped last session, but is to come up again next year, The general object of it appears to be to put difficulties 111 the way of railway extension, Had it become law ten years ago the colony would have saved millions of unprofitable expenditure, but now it is rather late to lock the stable door. Wp question whether such a measure now can be made to produce any considerable revenue, or that the game is worth the candle. It will, if passed, enable the Government to resist pressure from railway projectors. We liko the aim of it-taking it to bo a new patent railway construction safety valve, but it comes too late, and we cannot say much in favor of the means by which the end is sought to bo attained. MiHawkins has fairly proved that they are characterised by injustice, but even ho lias in some respects almost understated the iniquity which they disclose. We do not believe that the Government are silly enough to be making a grab at what is called the "unearned increment." They simply find this "improved value"a convenient lever to enable them to resist pressure for lines they don't want to build, He thing is a little iniquitous because the State already gets at the unearned increment. It is entitled to it when it buys land for railway construction, as it is supposed to place to its credit in tho compensation account, the improved value given to a man's estato of which a Sice is taken, If this new method of tapping the unearned increment becomes law, the Stato will have the whip hand of some settlers. Say that a man in the Forty-Mile bush possesses 100 acres of land which are now worth £IOOO and assume that tho unearned increment is £2OO. Possibly ■that man has given £llOO for the block in anticipation of improved value, The Government then take a. slice of this land, and in doing this, deduct from the compensation to be paid a sum qf £IOO for the improved value they give to the estate. At this stage of tho proceedings the holdev of the land has lost practically all share in the unearned increment, One half has gone to the man from whom lie purchased, the other half is scooped up by the Government. But under the proposed new law ho will bo treated as if lie still possessed it. He will be called to pay a sunt of LIOO to the State to liquidate a debt which he had previously paid. The last state of such a man would be worse that the first. He would certainly be robbed by the Stato. The Bill also gives the Government power to resume tho possession of land within five milcß of a public railway. This privilege is one which settlers are very unlikely to givo the Government, and ■which, in our opinion, the Government are very foolish to ask for. It is a leaf out of the Land Nationalisation book, which is most repugnant to the sixty thousand land holders of the colony. The exemption, too, of ' boroughs and towns from the onus of contributing towards the unearned increment is likely to set town and 1 country by the ears, We are not very much afraid of this new Bill. Wo do I not think Mr Mitohelson will be as . enthusiastic about it as Mr Johnston. It wont suit Auckland, and if he carries it through the House it is certain to get very much knocked about in the process, and if it reaches the Upper House it is pretty certain to be, smothered there, The whole affair shows the pitiable and miserable shifts to which the Government are reduced in dealing with great questions,

Mr Warden, 8,M., sits ai Foathoraton to-day, Tho weather still continues peculiar for ibis season of the year, and we fear that exhibits at the Masterton Horticultural Spring Show on the 28th inat, will be a little backward in quality unless wo get a few sunny days before that date, Wo hear that some Wnirarapa residents who have sampled the recant inflnx of female immigrants speak in very disparaging terms of tho result. Apparently we still make mistakes in gqr Iraffl'grfttion, 1

Bishop aedpod returned froip Syifoey yesterday bjr- tho b,b, "Wakatipu. We remind our readers of Messrs Stan* field and Dark's appearance to-night in the Theatre Royal in their sparkling drawing room entertainment, It t will be remembered that this talented company paid us a visit some few months ago, and succeeded in obtaining good houees each night of their brief stay, leaving us before the had enough of them. Tho favorable impression created on that occasion has induced Messrs Stanfield & Dark to revisit Masterton and present their latest novelties in character sketching and musical effeots. Mr Oo.ker with his usual enterprise has prepared the Theatre for to-night's performance.by removing tho objeotionable second seat planks and replacing tliern with more appropriate furniture. The programme, which is all that can be desired by playgoers, appears in our advertising columns.

A reward is offered for the recovery of> a silver broach lost between Masterton and the Upper Plain on the 17th ins*;. '

In anticipation of the approaching Native Lands Court sitting, a large number of natives are flocking into Masterton. We understand the Cbnrt adjourned from Greytown on Saturday last and will sit at Masterton in the course of a few days, and that five leading oasos, and about fifty sub-divisional cases liavo to bo heard during the sitting. At present it is not'known where the Court will bo held, but probably at tho Union Club buildings.

Some of the residents in Queen;street propose putting iheir hands in their pockets to secure the. services of a night watchman. No doubt tho Borough Council, as far as its means will permit, will encuurngfl a volnulary movement in this diiectinn.

, Some excitement was cauaod in Queon street on Saturday tiftornoon by a young racing filly clearing out from the Empire Hotel with a boy on iis baok, aud dashing down tho street at headlong speed, finishing up on the green at KurupuniHowever, as the boy kept his seat, and the filly kept to tho centre of the road, tho former received a lesson in riding, and the latter did a little open training, though it was not calculated to improvo her legs.

The Wellington (Jity Rifles have challenged the Maaterton Rifles to the return match to bo fired at Masterton on St. Andrew's Day (30th inst„), It will be remembered this leain visited Maaterton a fow weeks ago, but owing to the inclemency of tho weather were unable to fire the return match. We liopa that they may be more fortunate on St. Andrew's Day. At twelve o'clock to-day as was anticipated, Mr W. Lowes was elected MayQr of Masterton for the ensuing yoai' without opposition, Mr Bisli retires on the third Wednesday in December, after two year's good sorvice carrying with him the respect and good will of the ratepayers of the Borough. Mr Lowes will have to work hard,to sustain the prestige of the office. No one, however, doubts Mr Lowes' capacity or his devotion to the interests of tho town Masterton has always been fortunate in its Mayoral selections, and has tu be congratulated on the one which it has just made.

We. understand that Mr Rhodes Donald's property at Manaia has changed bauds, Messrs John Judd, junr., and Georgo Judd. of Graytown, 'being the purchasers, Tho sale was effected through Mr P. H. Wood,

Alexander Mitchell, of Moroa, farmetj has filed a' declaration of insolvency.' Buaincas. in the filing line appears to be fairly brisk in anticipation, possibly, of the nioro stringent Act which comes into forco next month,

Tho Masterton cricketers had a very : good practico on Saturday afternoon, when a great improvement was noticeable in the all round play of the membors/tlie fielding especially being very good. A scratch match was played botweon sules chosen by Messrs Harrison and Perry, the former being victorious by thirty-eight runs, some »f t!in culls shewing up very well in iha baitinu-. A challo''::e has been Bent to the Greytown Club .1 play a match on Saturday week, December Ist, and in the moantinin it behoves our cricketers to keep up their practices, John Atkinson was charged before Mr Lowea, J,P,, ibis morning, with being illegally on the premises of Thomas Wagg. Accused said lie was a little drunk and did 'not" know what he was doing. A preyioijs conviclion of larceny being on record against the prisoner, he was sentenced tosoven days hard labor. George Wilcox waß arraigned 011 a similar charge and received a corresponding Bontenco, Both men were found after midnight sleeping in a 'bus in tho Prince of Wales' Hotel yard

The boat assortment of clocks yet seen in this distriot is now on view at Mr A. Bish's jeweller, Quoon-Btreot, Thoro are among them several varieties of the alarm clock, some extremely pretty timepieces under the name of the "Mikado Striker," 1 and ''Lodge Clocks,"a novol clook called the " Calender," which has an extra hand pointing to the date of the mouth eaoh day and a great vanoty of timekeepers of all kinds. Tho above being a direct importation are being sold at wonderfully low priees and anyone desiring a good well finished article at Binall cost aro requested to lake advantage of tho present opportunity, Seo the windows to-day !—Advt.

; A Wise Deacon'—"Deacon Wilder, I want you to tell mo how you kept yourself and, family so well the past season when all tho roat of us havo been sick so much, and have had the doctors running to us bo often,." " Brother Taylor, the answer, is very easy, I uaoil Hop Bitlors kept my family well, and savfd large doctor's bill's. Four shillings' \i!orth of it kept us all well and able to work all the time, and I will warrant that it has cost you and most of tho neighbors £lO to £IOO apieco to keep sick the samo time, I 'fanoy you'll take my modicrao hereafter,' Seo'

We BELIEVE that if every one would use Hop Bitters freely there would be much less sickness andinisery in tho world, and people are fast beginning to find this out, whole families keeping well at a trifling cost by its use, We advise all to try it. Read

Catabrh of the Bladder,—Stinging irri talion, inflamation, all Kidney and Complaints, cured by " Buchu-paibai' Moses, Moss & Co,, Sydney, General Agents;

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