THE NEW VOGELIAN SCHEME.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2175, 19 December 1885, Page 3

THE NEW VOGELIAN SCHEME.

Sir Julius Vogel does not believe that our laboring classes are very heavily burdened. A Bhort time ago the favorite theme of many of our prominent public men was tho heavy burden of taxation laid upon the working classes. Sir Julius does not trouble to stop and theoriso on the subject. , He is going to settle the question by putting on such an increase of taxation through tho custom house as will leave, no room to doubt that the lahorftrs of, New Zealand.are a ; heavily taxed race of men. Well, perhaps, it may bo desirable from- some noiris of .view that if the working classes, having the power of electing their- rulers, choose to select an extravagant and reckless Government, they should pay the piper. But wo cannot look at the matter from this narrow and cynical standpoint. We do not want the extra taxation at all, and'we say that with prudent administration there is no neod for it. But if ws are to have extra taxation lot us have it in some form which will not throttle oup trade and commerce, as the Treasurer's, scheme would. The method of keatment which he proposes is as if 11 man'were to heap some hugo burden upon a patient ass. and tie hiii legs together so that he wild only progress with great pain and difficulty. We protest against hjs. attempt ,to make'' out that, though he proposes, protective duties, raising tho question of Protection v Freetrade. ■ The whole of this, part of his address is nothing but a repetition of the well-known arguments used by. Protectionists ever since they have beon called upon for a defence of their antiquated policy. Ho knows as, .well as we.do that'he is working witLtho Protectionist party, and that the question is the same here as that whioh has been ''threshed out in %tarid, in, the United States, a;od<n' Victoria, .and Now South .Wales.' Yet he, talks about the' Old Woi'M. theoriee. and musty-book doctrines'; of Freetrade as if they had nothing'fodo with the subject in New Zealand. ■ Wq ;are gladjtowever, to see that he recognises 'that the triumph of the Freetrade party : ih the Unitod Siates is, to.come about in due t'tnq, though we are'sorry to m thai ,hia English' Toryism clings to him still to suohan extent as to induce aim to ~beijlievethat the English peoplo are going to .revert to the dark days of Protection. • The forge majority wen by the Liberals in Eiigland,-'- Scotland, • and Wales : tells a different story. There are only two strik ing novelties, in the address.., Que is a suggestion to'form large conpaniesto turn aside the River Molyueux, and get thegbld ■in its bed. .We.aro glad to see that, the Treasurer recognises, this.isamatter for private enterprise, and wo hope he will always be o\ tnesamo opinion. ,-\

Tha other novelty is a proposal to constatute Boards of works for- large local trick. We : should have thought, the failure of his attempt to make large. disdistricts, fo? hospital ,artd ; charitable aid purposes would have prevented tho Treasurer making such a proposal. The fact is, .these boards are not wanted at all. There is plenty of maohi'n.ery in the. Counties Act to do all the local works which the ratepayers require and are.preratepayers will uot do under the Counties pared to pay for. Any public work which ■ the Acts are either works wbichshould not be clone at all, or are works, like railways, which should: be constructed foy the General Government. .•-The 'Treasurer may rest satisfied, that the country doeß not want-theso boards of works, In fact, all that ,lt wants is to be let alone by the Government as much as possible, arid to get higher prices for its-products, Hie latter of, which wants even Sir Julius Vogul has to admit is one which ho cannot satisfy iiov- profess to satisfy.—'Press,'