The Wairarapa Daily MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1890. Holding a Candle to the Devil.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3431, 10 February 1890, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1890. Holding a Candle to the Devil.

Oun local contemporary is promoting the single'tax'-agitation in this district! There can be no possible objection to a full and iree discussion of this or any other political project, but he is going beyond this by assisting the formation of a politioal organisation which is absolutely antagonistic to tho principles ho has been wont to profess, His platform has over been bosed on a protective tariff, which would be abolished in toto under tho single tax proposal. Why, then, Bhould he foster a movement which'- promises'' to annihilato his most cherished convictions? The reason is tolerably obvious, for while he, as a protectionist, advocates a land tax, the single tax oranks, as anti-protectionists, favor a similar levy. Tho one point the two parties hold in common is the imposition of a land tax, but outside this there is absolutely divergence, There is a general eleotion coming on, and in order to carry elections it may be necessary for protectionists to bold a candle, to the devil and secure the

cc-operation of the anti-proteotionis single taxers. A good election cry ii always in demand and if" single tax' be a better one than "protection ti localindustrieß/'wemayexpecttohea more of the former and less of thelatte or if both will have weight at i critical time it is quite possible tha they will bo used indiscriminately ai occasion offers. The card which win: will be the trump, oven though il belongs to another, pack and ii temporarily deposited up the eleeve of the player. Our contemporary, who is hopelessly committed to protection, advise 3 the single tax theorists to content themselves for tho present by abolishing the property tax and only touching such customs duties as press on tho necessaries of lifo. By doing thjs they will stand on a platform upon which he will be able to work with them; but of course it is understood that the abolition of the property tax would he a first step which might bring the single taxers to a vantage ground from which they could make a bigger coup, and by one fell swoop revolutionise our politioal institutions. A Bingle tax is still to be the ultimate goal, but at present our local contemporary is only free to go as far with them as the halfway house, which will find the property , tax repealed, the customs tariff partly abolished, and a progressive land fax imposed, "Howwould this,' 1 asks 1 our contemporary, " affeot the settler?" The following is his own 1 explanation on this point:

Well, hero is an example that has been quoted:—A sinall former whoso land with improvements is now valued and taxed under the Property Tax at £lslO, but whoso laud without improvements is only worth £SOO, would pay, under the single tax, £5; under the present Properly Tax be would bo linblo for £G 6b, In addition to this, if the amount ho would sate in indirect taxation through the oußtoma is considered, it will be eden that the relief he would exporienoe would bo very great—quite equal to a good rise in the price ot grain, Wo take it tbat though everybody knows .for certain.tha amount the email farnior above inferred to pays uudor tho Property Tax, it is a mere matter of conjeoturo to assert what ho would pay undar a land tax. Our contemporary" suggesfe 15, but assuming that the unimproved value of his land were £1 pec acre, and that the shilling rate whioh our contemporary, .recently, named, as a possible imposed, 1 hie tax would be £25 per annum.' It might bo pre,"-for it 'must be borne in mind, thatjuat as ;muob-revenue asj may be ; required must ,be; collected from the! land, owners, arid ..if'a shilling an aire did riot i»ake up the 1 amount two "shillings an acre would be demanded,'and tho small.farmer instead of paying £5 a year might have to find ,£6O or file his sohedule. Theend arid object of the single tax is to make one win..pay what fouri

or five xueii bave Therefore the burden hitherto 1 borne » on.several shoulders,would \k\\ on ,l theonb'pait belonging to the farmer. ■■■; Assuming.thatbigiuuaholdirstak'e \ .up more'than their proportionate ■' Bhare. of taxation, the small favmer ■• under the single tax will be fortunate ' if he escapes with lesß than three or j four times the:.load he now carries. If out of a team of five horses a waggoner released four and, told.the , fifth liorse that he would, by buou a release, have lobs to pull, wo fancy ,

the unfortunate animal still attached to the vehicle would find himself in a bad way, and yet this is (exactly the position the Bmall farmera will be in whon their fellow colonists are relieved at their expense- from the onus of • contributing, to the revenue ,:of- the, Colony.' At; present the merchant,, tip storekeeper, the doctor, the lawyer, f and. even the working man holp to raise revenue, but underlie single tax project the merchant is, exempted because the farmer pays for him,; the tradesman is let off, and the ' farmer finds his contribution, our a boat friend, the lawjev, is no'louger a ,1 taxpayer, for his little bill-is to be

jent into the farmer, and'the'doctor iliough he boa professional Groaaus, s not to be taxed because tbe farnioi vill generouflly pay, bis: score, h >rand monopoly of paying all dues if ixtendod to the farmer, and this w'( lo not grumble at, but--is.it not adding

mult to injury to aska'small faib'et ;o support such, a project on ; 'the 'round that be will be ; better off ii ;ie pays the debts of five or six'other

lorsous bcaidea hia own. • Wo ma; be-, prejudiced, but this new project if it : be not insanity,, is very lik robbery and rasoality. i We wouli ike to regard the artizana and worl ing men of • omv towns as follw jolonistsworking together for tbogoo

)f New Zealand, but if the men in tb lite say to the men on the land "pay our debts for us," there ought t be a pretty plain and Bharp answe from both the small farmer and fror

the big farmer.. We have been toli in old times to bear one anothera burtleiiß," but this new gospol which makes men throw theit burdens off tboirown ahouldevs ou to those ot heir fellow creatures smells of brimtonei.-•.": '■ :-' '■•'•