The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1884. THE HOUR AND THE MAN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1685, 14 May 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1884. THE HOUR AND THE MAN.

On the 2nd of this month we published an article under the heading of " British Labor and British Capital," in which we expressed our view on the existing depression in the colony; in which we condemned the policies of Major Atkinson and Mr Mohtgohbuy ; and in which we stated that we wanted a man"• to put the country right. The hour of our deepest depression has brought-the man in Sir Julius Vogel. We give below the article we published a fortnight ago in order to contrast the sentiments we have held and maintained for years'with the opinions which have just been promulgated hy Sir Julius Yogel, In the sentiments we have held and expressed we have had no support in the Press of the colony, but Sir Julius Vooel gives utterance to similar ones, they will, we venture to prophesy, become "the policy of New Zealand"-

The progress which New Zealand has made during the past forty years has been mainly due to British labor and British capital, 'l'he colonisation of New Zealand ia slill incomplete'!; Its present sparse and scattered population i 3 insufficient to develop its resourcos, nor is the capital available .within the colony adequate for turning its waste lands into cultivated pasture'. The stream of British labor' and British capital still requires 'to flow continuously towards us, and the existing dopresnou, with the many difficulties which embarrass us, are mainly duo to tho fact th.it it has been cheeked and that the tendency of our colonial policy is to place further obstacles in its way, The two political parties of New Zealand have been wont for many years past to pit a Property Tax against a Land Tax, and a Land Tax against a Property Tax, Both levies have always appeared to our mind freighted with disaster to tho interests of the colony, Of the two tho Property Tax is eminently the more equitable, but even it has. a tendency to keep British labor aiid-British capital out of New Zealand; ■ In these days of improved steam commuhioationweget intelligent travellers from all parts of the world pushing through' the colony: and'oxaminin? its capabilities. They find the climate right, they are satisfied that the soil is fertile, but when they come to consider the expediency of investing in it they discover that the State undor the Property Tax has alien on every acre in the colony, that it collects annually a direct tax from the soil. This tax may bo only light, .possibly it only amounts to threepence an acre on good land; but then intending purchasers are given to understand < that if necessary for the exigencies of the Colonial Exchequer this rontal-for it is a rental, puro and simplo-can by a stroke of

a pen be doubled or trebled. Men who possess British capital cannot trust the Now Zealand Government or the New Zealand Legislature whoa thoy thus hold a whip hand over freeholds, and then they threaten them into the bargain with a progressive land tax as an alternative and. nationalise tion of land as a possible contingency., TJioy ■ take their British capital andthoir British labor to other shores, and leave us in New Zealand to strugglo under the heavy load of debt which wo have in a medsuro incurred in anticipation ot an influx- of British capital and British labor, Of course it may bs Slid that assuming that there were no property tax and no land tax, how would the Colonial Treasurer.'be[able to meet his engagements? Tho answer to this is very simple—tho expenditure .of the colony would havo to be reduced til! it balanced its inenme, No Treasurer would make suoh reductions without he was compelled to do it j but any Treasurer if ho had to no so or throw up the spouge, would soon solve the difficily, The State in Now Zealand now collects Joar by your a small rental from every landholder in New Zealand, and by so doing depreciates tho freehold value of the land and makes it unmarketable. The land is the heart of Now Zealand, and whet l it is depressed every part of the body suffers. We havo apparently in New Zealand uo man who will come forward and do battle for thoso who have invested their all in the lands of the colony, and for.those 'who would yet be willing to come amongst us and bring capital and labor with them wero the colony only.prepared to keep faith with tho people to whom it sells its land, Major Atkinson and Mr Montgomery are apparently devoting themselves to win tho favor of city constituencies, Thoy would sacrifice the country to the towns. The record of New Zealand proves that whenever the country districts of Now Zealand prosper, the towns aro vißorous, Could we Ret a statesman to put the country right, there would be no fear of tho towns raiting, a flag of distress.

The hour has indeed brought the man wo want in Sir Julius Vogel ! He is not in the House yet! Ho is still further from the Cabinet, hut virtually he is Premier of New Zealand, when he indicates to the colony the right road by which it can extricate- itself from its difficulties, We are sick of the political blunders of Major Atkinson, .of the childishness of Mr Montgomery, and of the demagogism of Sir George Grey, and it i 8 positively refreshing to git after all their bathos, the clear, coiiimon sense of a practical manlike Sii\Julius Vogel. The true colonists of lew Zealand will instinctively follow this now and yet old leader who has So unexpectedly como amongst us, and wo in a few plain words has exposed™ sore from which the colony is suffering—that sore which fanatical politicians with their,absurd nostrums have bW so diligent in irritating! When wo read yesterday in our telegrams tlk Sir Julius Vogel asseits - ■'That thi main cause of the existing depression is the uncertainty and disquietude caused to plppc-rty owners during the past few years bA the various laxaa and proposals for laxo?, so\hat the confideneo in the value of property his ranch decreased. Ho explains this at considerable length ; and as a remedy, he slates lie would abolish the property tax, behoving that 'some other tax is devisabb, v, Inch shall not have such a disastrous, though, perhaps indhcet effect," we felt that thk right man had at last come to the fro\jt and that the colony was no longer without a leader, and tho best interests of New Zealand were no longer without ni advocate.