The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 1890. The Property Tax.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3421, 29 January 1890, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29, 1890. The Property Tax.

We notice that an attempt is being made to show that a land tax in place of the present property tax is inevitable, and that the colony would benefit by the change. We would gladly see a movement in favor of [ abolishing the property tax altogether provided no other form of direct taxation were substituted for it. A young colony of struggling settlors has no business with either a property tax or a land tax. . There was a time in the history of New Zealand when we had neither, but this was before the public works fever broke out and generated an all round extravagance, developing also a hungry army .of political agitators and ■ adventurers, Direct taxation was' tho penalty the colony had to pay for its sin; first came the land tax, and as this did not; bring money enough into tho treasury to pay interest.- on .borrowed money and maintain'an army of civil servants, called into" existonco during the Vogelian era, the property tax was substituted ob a more powerful lever for raising, the • wind, Now it kf contended that the property tax, which fairly fulfils its mission as an agent for supplying revenue, should be abandoned and the land tax reimposed in some stronger and hotter form, which will bring Mr Crasus to his bearings, " What sort of population," it is asked, "does the 100,000 acres owned by Mr Crceaus support ?" A query like this in a district like the Wairarapa does seem a little peculiar when it is borne in mind that no single individual in tho community owns: anything like 100,000 acres' of. land, and the only way of approximating such an area would be to tako the example of a little family syndicate which does jointly hold somewhere near the extent of country indicated, If the advocates of the land tax have to start on the hypothesis of a purely imaginary Mr Croosus, who is supposed to have 100,000 acres of lnnd all to himself, they aro at a great disadvantage in establishing their case. They begin with inacourate premises, from which wrong conclusions must inevitably follow. Take auothpr sample of entirely fictitious supposition. A question is put 83 follows: If the huudred thousand acres of Mr Crmsus were "open for profitable occupation, would it not then be a family for every score of sheep and a township for every,'shepherd?" , In other words, would the hundred thousand acres' wiry five thousand families? It is superb tf answer such a question, for we have 2°' S^ tlie families to put on the land, and a '7? bad they could not.raako a living off it., Largo blocks of sheep country frequently contain small patches of rich land suitable for small farm settlement, but tho bulk of the land is unfitted for any.other purpose than it sheep run, ;Rve and twenty years ago the Belmont, blook, near the Hutt, was diyidett into forty acre farms and settled with a'considerable number of small farmers. After a few years it was discovered that the land was fit for a abeep run and nothing more, aud one.;by one the small farmers folded their tents, like the Arabs, and stole away to other districts more suited for their enterprise "and the settlement became a sheep run. Whenever a sheep run can be profitably converted into small farms the oborgo will be brought about without a.land tax, and Whenever; small .farm's can bo profitably forked as a sheep 1 run the process of'conversion will take place with i r equal;rsrtyinty.'. Anojher absuwi'jjuestiou -asked is as is what good tlie imaginary hundred thousand acres is.db'ing to'the Cplmry, Ifa'Mr CrffißUsis'l6okin| after the land it is a certainty:thaiit is made to produce every sixpence it is capable of raising, and what pan land do more Jhau this?\lt' is''riot idle, it is not neglected, but is kept at its full earning power and brings in its full share of the money which keeps our

beads ,abovO;>ivater in tbis.Oolony. 'lt-isproposed tli'at Rn'aoreagd tax of -| from sixpence to ft Blrillingau acre should bo levied I' TlnVidea will no « doubt be received with fayor.by those, f billing, to shed the; last drop of their brother's blood, but the effect of suoh ! an impost would be almost ludicrous. ' From sixpence to a shilling an acre is the rental value of a very large ; proportion of our pastoral lands, and if the State toot the rental- valu3,it would'practically confiaeata a very large proportion of the freehold estate of the Colony, turn adrift thousands of industrious settlers, -have no one available to put in-their places, and be unable, to collect the interest for our borrowed millions after ruining the people who now contribute a large slice of it. The angle'tax craze and the land tax crank may be splendid in theory, but iii practice they, would be an abomination; If the State taxed pastoral lands at sixpence or a shilling an acre, if it charged the man. to whom it had sold an acre forfiye shillingsjm annual rental of one it would ako be justified in charging the small farmer to whom it had sold land at £2 an acre an annual rental of eight shillings.' For this reason we consider that any suoh. tax. would be pure roguery and rascality, and that, though sinall farmers may bo.asked to.niake a rod of this kind for their own backs to suit the hooks of a few disinterested political adventurers they are not such fools as to leap frour.the frying pan-iuto the fire, If tbey can lay the devil of direct taxation by economising the public administration and selling our railway's let them' do so, but to change the ; "de'il they know, for the de'il they''don't know" is not a wise procedure.

Col. Hume will inspect the Wairai'apa Volunteers commencing with Maatertori pn the 13th February and following np with Greytown and Feathorstoa on the Hucceedin?

William White, aged, about fourteen years, waa arrested on nu information charging him with stealing a £5 note from a fellow border named James Lorrimer, at the Temperance Boardinghouse, Hall-atreet, Masterton. Ho will bo brought up to-morrow to answer the charge.

\7e remiod Volunteers of the parade to-morrow. Col. Butts will bo present at the review and will oxamine non-com-missioned officora. Those officera who fail to put in an appeawnco, wo learn, will lose their appointments, it therefore behovea those who value the atripes to be present on this occasion. . :

• The School Oaclots Were inspected yesterday by Lieut'Colonel Butts, about fifty answering to their names. Drill Instructor Sergt Major liezar put tho Company through their exercises, and Colonel Buttß expressed himself highly pleased with'the bids and' stated bo should recommend payment- of tho annual allowance. Ho also expressed a hope that tho corps would be, furnished with uniforms at an early date. We understand that with the funds in hand, and tho annual grant added, there will bo sulhoientmonoyto provide uniforms.

Paying out in connection with the Island Bay hack raoo masting, held on Saturday last, took pliico at tho Post Office Hotel Wellington on Monday. Tho amounts of the several stakes won were:—.l. George, £44;.]. Macara,£33; J. Smith, i'2o(includinv .-610 surplus on sale of ahorse); P. O'Donoghue, £1 10s; I R. Hamilton, £7 10s; J. Bay, £0; A. Peters, £5; J. On\£2; and J. Cattlo, IClOs,

One of tho great Shoffiold steel firms bus succeeded in prutfucinj an armour pinto of such hard toughened steel as to enable it to\ resist tho raking ofieot of tho modem steel armour piercing projectiles. Hitherto it has been necossary to provide the propor tougbnoss forßteel plates by welding a wrought iron plato to tho back but if this invention should rosily bo successful, there will bo a great saving in tho coit ot tho armour plates, and they will ba mora offectivo, ■

Referring to the collapse of the hotel in Georgo street Sydney, tho correspondent of tho Melbourne Ago remarks; —"The house contained some thirty rooms, and it. is said a few nights before had no less than sixty man-o'-wars' men sleeping in it.. It mis, perhaps, the oldest house standing in tho city, and it is said to be the identical building in which the Bank uf Australia did business in 1828, when, on the 15th of September in'nhat-year, somo thioves entering an unoccupied house opposite tunnelled under the street, and cleared the Bank .coffers of their contents, which lucky stroko is said to have laid the foundation of the fortunes of more, than one of our" first fumilhs."

The Hon Captain Russell, member of the Ministry, and representative also of Hawke's Hay, a great agricultural district, told 'me. ("Telomacluiß,") that they had a show in his district, aud asked him to give them some prizes, " leß, but what sort of prizes would you ! like ! '* Well, give the girls—tho farmers daughters—sumqthins: to encourage them with their embroidory. thoir painting, theirmuaic." lain quite willing to encouroce tho farmers' daughters," ho answered, "hut not quito in that way. 1 will invoyouthree prizes now, tho first shall be for washing and ironing a man's shirt, tho second for toeing and .heeling a pair of socks, and tho third for. reseating a pair of small boy's trousers." ; The prizes were accepted, but' thore were not many competitors, On the snbjoct of preserving posts the experience of an Illinois farmer may not prove uninteresting to many colonials In erecting a fonce around his young orchards sevoral years ago be tried many plans for preserving the posts. Having occasion for removing tho fence last winter, he noted the condition of the posts treated in different ways wlion bejngsetup. Thoao sot up with no preparation he found decayed to the depth of lin.'or more; those coated with a thick psji of. Ijpip ivero bettor preserved, but 'wero seriously attaokcd'by worms; those painted with hot tar wero as perfectly sound as whon put in the' gronnd; while those painted with petroleum and kerbsoiiß'\yere equally sound, and good for setting, As to tho best plan for treating tho posts before putting them up he says;— *' I*eJ them be got thoroughly dry, and then with a pan of korosine and a .whitewash brush,, give the lower third of tho post—tho part to gu into tho ground-two or three applications of the oil, letting it soak in each time, Posts so treated will not bo troubled by woprasoi' insects of any kind, aud will resist decay in & remarkable degree." This he finds to be tho simplest, easiest, cheapest, and belt method of preservation,

' Te Aro House ''Faib.," jTo clear out Hie balanco of our Summer stock of fasliionablo Drapory, wo intend to hold a grand'/ Fait" for thirteen days only, ot tho Wholesale Family Drapory Warehouse, To Aro Houso, Wellington. Tr, Ano House "Fair." This ''Fair" will commonoo on Saturday, February Ist and terminalo on Saturday, Fobruary 15th. Visitors from tho Walrarapa will find | that wo Btill maintain our reputation for giving tho most wonderful bargains possible at tho Wholesale Family Drapery Warehouse, To Aro House, Wellington. 'Tjs .Ann House "Fair." No matter v.'hat is required, we pu'i'i |ind unsurpassed bargains forpurcbosers,iln"everydopar|imontofoiir warehouse wo shall havo speoioljyshcap lots, far below their value, at the To Aro Houso "Fau'/'.Wellington. j. ' ' .■ , Tk Ano House, "FAin.'-'. We invite our Walrarapa friends' to pay us an early visit to go through' iho iWJo, JJillinery, Dress Drapery, Carpet and Clothing dep&rfmjfflts,. and verify our assertions as to the astonishingly loy prices at which wp shall offer our Surplus Summer Stock, at Te Aro 'House, Wellington. Ts Alio House "Faib"' Commences on Saturday, February Ist, and will cdine .to ,an end op Baturday,Febru'ary 15th, and'lhlis' only thjrteon olear business days will bo available for picking up bargains at tho " Fair;'-' i'p Aro House, Wellington,

-•'Xiitsii- are more breweries in Kiigland thfliti' in atiy obiter country of Europe. = The new King of Portugal is a crook mitt, and two years ago .took a tint prize atjWimbledon. .• '■' Tho jewelled collar presented by the Sultan to tho Empress of Germany is said to be worth £45,000. Wo remind ihosn interested of Mr F> H. Wood's fortnightly stock sale which takes place at the Taratahi yards tomorrow, oommencinß as usual at one o'clock. \ The' catalogue of entries is published in Mr Wood'B usual column. We understand from the agent, Mr Marsh,' that " ricamtnell'a. Treasure House" is meeting with a ready sale in this district, It is a work of great utility and contains clear, direct, and specific information on every conceivable subject. : ...

Noi quite one hundred and fifty names are now entered on the voters list of the Town Lands Trust, and as the list finally closes on the 31st instant, wo advise all who Imvo not already done bo to interview thd Secrotary.Mr 11. Brown, at once I and see that their names are duly entered, Many pcoplo seem to think that as their names were on tho old roll, or that they are well known residents, they ncod not trouble to renter, but this is erroneous us the old roll is done away with and the now ono contains only the names that are now given in for registration, ■ Thoso who were present at the Theatre Roynl last night thoroughly appreciated the excellent prngrammo put forward by the Bairasfather company. Mr Bairnsfathor was a host in himself his quaint anecdotes being told in a manner that quite fetched the audience. His songs also were highly appreciated and ho rendered the humorous ones in a very taking mnnner, the delighted listeners applauding to the echo, " Got up and bar the door 0" was tho song that found greatest .favor, judyin? by the applause which followed it. " Scots wha Hao" was sang in a thoroughly patriotic style and in response to an encore Mr Baimsfather gave."For a' that." Mrs Bairnsfather's Binging was suporb and her phrasing perfout. " Mary of Argylo" was vociferously encored nnd in response" Annie Laurie" kas given and might bo considered the Kern of the evening. " The Crocket Bawhed" a duet by Mr and Mrs Bairasfather was expressively rendered and encored. Mias Bairnsfather's pianoforte recitals wero performed inn manner that pronounoed her an efficient artiste, She also played the most of the accumpaniments. Miss Bairnsfather's songs wcro rendered in a very pleasing manner. Her yoice though not of "rent range is very charming, She was encored for every item, the beet boiup a song composed by Mr John L. Kelly ;of the" Observer," (Auckland) in memory of Dr. Livingstone. Master Baimsfather acquitted himself in a manner worthy of tho sou of his father and.he had t'o reappear aftor each soug. The Highland Flinp was danced by Miss and Master Baimsfather in perfect taste and time and had to be repeated. In connection with this dance Mr Bnirnsfathersaid there wero but ten steps, although he had seen twonty.six introduced in America and m many as forty-eight in Canada (laughter). Tho entertainment concluded with "Auld LangSyne"wluch was heartily joined in by tho audienoo. To-night the propraimno will be open to the public to arrange, Mr Baimsfather intimating that any Bong asked tor would be sunj by tho company, Good news from Wellington, and quite true, you can got a splendid harmonium from L 5, piano or organ from Lls, organ with divided octavo couplare all in solid black walnut cases from Ll7. This boats all thoohoapesfc houses in town, Pianos tuned for 7s, or by tho year four visits LI, travelling expenses added: All kinds of musical instruments tuned, cleaned, and repaired, uew reeds put in accordeansj Concertinas, harmoniums, and organs; also liberal exchanges mado, Any instrument may be purchased on the time payment system from 2s 6d per week. Call and exchange your old piano for a uew ono at F. J Pinny's Musical Instrument Depot, Manners-street, Wellington, (Sole agent of the 'celebrated Worcester organs.)— advt