SINGLE TAX MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3437, 17 February 1890, Page 2

SINGLE TAX MEETING.

' la <. response ■ :-to /. < idverMsemeritV about one hundred persons assembled in' the Theatfir" Royal "ori Saturday night to hearMr MoLean;of Welliugton. expound Mr George's theory. of | the ; si|igle ; tax. Mr T. Macky was voted to the chair, on the proposal of Mr .Hog!?, and in a brief speech introduced Mr MoLbu to the audience.

~;Tha lecturer premised his remarks by; saying lie had just arrived by train. He did not kuo;w]many faces present, nor was be aware whether they had any cpros, but if he trod on any he hope'd/th'ey would'exb J u'Bo;it; ; They had met to discuss one of the nioßt.iinportant.queßtions: ever oon:' 'sjdered, a question agitating the .whole pivjlise'd world. ."In discussing ithe Question he hoped they, would eibuse liifipf" be made' any'' great mistakes. His object .was tq givo : a bird's eye view of the'question, because wb.ei) i .pnce known to'tbefe tboy wduld J aiscnss it fqr themselves, They, lwd met for the purpose pf dipisjflg the Advisability ■ofvjbjmipg •if .{Sjngjev .fa? i Ejooiety'ip' Wasterjpn. He then ,H,eury George on; the subject; Prpgrers and ppyar.ty, .Freetrftde PfPteotiou, and others. Ha stated I tlijs question bad onlyb'ewogltatlpg tils public mind within tlio last five '•...•;' •■ 4 ?»#lreyjliioltaDP!pf yeara, anu,.., ' -a t\\m\n<> thousands in . -< y: . gavo it" more than tiieir sympathy.! It was recognised ,:as > the gospel of" the poor. It was advocated j byy ihnndredsv'ani<;> thousand .in |Eflgla\vJ, Ireland, Scotland and IWi&s, Iu Liverpool, oue-of tho

ib|^ntij-e*-^^^c|of''Biiigl^|<ix^Visa. lmfer©tio|onlT of Ame'ricalbu Welliiigtonri.though caiitious, bai treated, tbe subject with respeot nnc given its exponents a fair heiring Masterton was afarmingdißtrictaii( thqprrwrfflirrbt^si£ua''wii they (the Single Taxers) anxioua ut put all taxation on farmers ? Hi: must explain' a Single Tax mean tbe total abolition of every- form o taxation (i on labgr and industry,am ins|ead aHtax^ 6a. janS..V TKe lbn( only apuM frouy' wbicWall ;axes might be gatbered. Tboj »otild«ay jt was.very-;tiice to put tin ytioie'of tlie taxes oh.the landowner* Unless the tax was ouethat wqnlc 'amove all unjustiiess,''tli'e'y' ini'giil jeggs or bri pta at it. 11 requir id'sfimVexplanktion as to tbe mannei ijjWbieh thuyuqvj ,'paid their, .taxes diis' colony'' annually" collootei 21,515,000: throughi ; ils;.unsionw low was Ibis vast sum of one and n mlf ■ millionsii collected N fron ich a small population, bo .asked The 'toilpr'a* and -worker'd *V a tiion ban the lion's tbe questior fasj-riiiglittliaj ft be ji§ ? jjTlie sum o -j870,60tJ Was'tfie amount eolleolec rpraithe property tax; from peopli rho owned property of over L6OO ii ,'lieir contribution to tbe custom: axes' be sel<dowri ! at L 194.782 rhiob added to tbe property ta: mounted, to,. L5G9.782. ; The tota h'debteiiiiess' 'of'the colony'W j8G,979,6C1, and in order to mee liivrenHntcresl, the Go ( vernment.li|ii o'annually raise about LT,941,810 l'be,pther.,pay£ra outside of propcrt; ax payers, bad to provide th lifferencff equal to 1/1,872,063. The; vonld ask why such a vast, anm c va iririually req'i'urod} ;To that hS wouli •eply because of the public work nlibyi oi in ''lankiiii •ailways, roads, Ac. Ho asked was i 'aii'Jah'drieasonable, and just tint jeople .haviugylesß .than LSOO woctl >f property sliouwihe'icalled upon ti irpvide L 1.872,000 aganst the Lai Million of ..the., (itbkii who owne' rast tracts' of land, If they though t right, let tliem.goon doing so,:, li ;betf gave (facts an'i}. figuros from 1 tb statistics of the. Colony showing hov ineqhaily the laid was distribute iinongst the population. It wa inked " wbyitax, the land ?"■• To tin je would'toply because it was' tb mly source of all wealth, (M Renall: Hear bear.) ; ' Man v.ae i land animal,' and should no Jtoop to pick; up the crumb -hat fa!l from the ricb. v: lf the; lid not,give hmv land be wa" iimply'an iiitruder., Therefore ,b ivould say those who held poseessiot of the.land:sbould ibe taxed on it plue/and for the privilege'of kfiepin] others; off it.v That.'h'e would Biy was ft,fair.thing'td'do.' It waß'lecognißed by great thinker ihat land could, npt.bV nationalised originally intended by some of>. th advanced party. The, object of tli single taxerß was not to deprive then of their land, ''Let; the irriaW ii possession bold the. land; ,le i>verythif% he grows and produce's b free of taxation, and let him simpl, pay ta'x'fbr the right of using th' party said, if i person JioHs a continent or 100,001 acres he ninßt pay for the privilegao holding a monopoly, and," if he don' work it, it wPn't pay him' to keep it. (Applause,)" He -. .expected mor opposition to the'single' tax move tneiitfrom property owners in town than in the country, J t was estimate: that one. percent on the<unimprovei value of-the'lands would return i million pounds'. ; It : wag 'not"tb policy of the single .taiers.to umko'-i revolution, ptit'gradually to inlrpdiic their principif, 'they* Wilted tb to f]rsl iCqnsider. whether, tb prinoipleof single taxation wasfm'r and if that was. answered iu th affirmative,) "they ;wbiijd f then Va; M! Let us sweep away the whole of tb property tax aud part of the customs the whole to be. recouped, by a tax oi laud," He then went ob ; to how the elngle'tax,would'Vvprl Supposing ■.£,' frian."h'eld ; >,|Be«ioi worth £100. : .exclusive. of - bnildiage His party,said the, improvement jliould escape taxation and the lair ihould be taxed. That would produc £1 per cent,..if tlia land wa ivortb. morp,, and in!,iWellingtoi some Y Bectious v - -frotri •their' ■'big] ralue would have . v ,to. pay £ lo 80s per foot per a : niium,they wouli see where the larger taxation wouli loniein; • Bb'also'irt tho ! country ; can holding 500 acres' worth £5Ol ay jar, and ifcanpthc leld land, worlli two millions he.wopli iavet'p paypro rata. ...Some.Baid.i single tax .would not work. Did the; -junkitwasinvagueat the preseii ,ime in New.Zealand 1 'lt certainl; iViis, but it was kept quiot. • The Stat! iad_a perfect 'ti&ht'ia \k ; tbe land nit it was also taxing f improvemeuts If it was recognised as a right'td tb an'd then ittvasright to increase thi 'ale of suoh taxation aud removo tin -ax on labour. •iTliroughout'th'e golc ields the principle. waßsingle taxation, \ man was allowed to take up OO'bj 10 feet fof'wliibL;bs.paid. £1 'p'e'i mnun], : ' TwoV cdiild,. increase tbl irea and pay £2, apd .jsjxV lp and sc in, but tlia laiv was that tliey.must vork it,, A man could'not take up a leotionandsitdownov; W'h adcghv i> nanger, '< The "State; would' tike it iotwitb§tand,ing he' had' paid, the itigle fttV ! pn it.".; ;It was' the 'same vjthgovernment, leaeesi -If;.thej ook up land under,that system an'J iaid .tbe single tftx of £1 pjra'bre heyl must work if or it •wo'dld' b(eii'ed : by T -the State,"and,:tKe man work^otit,. .{Jftiljio ..wi.lL. ertain'tpwji' r if ranted'to' take up anadre Veotiqn" hey could do bo,- but they must uild.,His^aw.waVTn"force,,as ; ,|o ainers, were'they of leßaii]toliige'nce ban farmers and runbolders,: iLantl .•as: taken-.'■'up : - of igeater -iexten'l [tan a .•■inan'M could possiblv 'ork,. 'its' 1 ' Value, jncreased b>.

virtue; : ,o|; the; improveinetitß;of ;bis surrounding, neighbors,*, /through !'nr expenditure: :of; oir liiß'paxt. v. For tbeprivilege of holding and moiioDolisiiig mdie land tbanlit can .possibly ,himsel{'-a''itiar must. pay., on - 'the ■" iiidre^eed; vajut brought the lab'or'ol others,' and, that "by' a' single tai"iq'.'the' State.vJApplaiise),,, He...tben.;re' fprred tq .the lotterof Mr 0, Pharajyc in the Times, ; 'and'he''ppintpd ; ,oui a. 'oi ; iiian r ! 'w'itb"a •family - would be mtialr'l)Ott!it;pff : ;by ;.tb'e; Rjriglf tax, as hfiNpuldiipaJjoibirij.' for .cpfpnis'-'jidiUwßi;■•"lle : <wbuld' paj W oh it's u abtual"Yalue;,ahc, not'equal)y : rich land'of. hi/ neighbour. ,:i : .He..pmi)ted;bui where ':■■- V»«:to the SWocamß'in throng): ] iub... '»s , «i'iAl(« o flai)|jbeinp. large ummpfoven'Oluf"'. ;!>' : ..:;'•■<..;, held hy ;i had; a X"lgUi' lb (lie' lurid hi W: on ' 01 |his manbooii'j'andiHiioftsrthoVlield' krge'-'liiocks owl did not improve

their holdings, should be ted for; the privilege of keeping their rieigt :;: hours off;' until its costliness com-; pelled thein to improve'or sell. They' had divine authority for it that the land should not bo sold for ever;- . Mr MoLean's speech was .of two; hours duration and was listened to with attention. He concluded by moving that a sociejv jnl llfirars'tnbTiolFoalleTlilie'-Bingle;; •Tax 9ooiety.> .'. y ,~\<yf j ' ''■ Th- motion wis seconded l by * Mr Jaraeß 3illarsrp«t--to and declared carriad. About twenty bands were held up for the motion.

Tho chairman-invited questions and in answer to Mr Cnllen'tlie lecturer sniJ capital could not be taxed. Money was of no use unless reproductive, The object of the Single Tax party was to get the principle of tlieir B\'6teni acknowledge atinigbt. Thoy wanted to insert the thin end of the wedge and after & while they would drive it home.' iii answer to Mr Papworth he said tho abolition of all local governing bodies was an ultimate object. The ni-ney forlooal purposes would bo distributed from the central Government. The value of the land for tho purposes of single axes would be basal upon its nnenltivated valuo. The system of taxing through tho oiis.tbms was simply barefaced robbery. In answer to Mrjßenall ho said, the land would be rovalued everv threo

years. That would get at the owners , of sections who benefitted,'jby.Hheiit ?y. neighbours iinprovem'eiits-: and did ut nothing themselves. "":»,.. In answer to Mrjlogg he said ha quite approved hVljiingjyoniig-ilidus.-tries. It vasiio iiWprVcfhVwhat could not he manufactured in the Colonies.-' He would;protect young indujitiir!? 'for three years. After that it would lie robbing: the

people to benefit tho shareholders* Protection, as protection, was simply robbery. They would be compelled

to improve cr sell, as, it would be tto . BORtly to hold. • " ! In answer, Dalrvrnplehesaid.\, it was not proposed to tax'4'wye'ri. or- v. doctors any more than aryono working, with a pick and'shovel. %e

laborer was worthy of his lib. no matter what work lie followed. Their ■ ory> was " Freo land, lice people, '£' tree trade.", ,„ .;. v .,.;...... ; ~, r * Mr- HpUaydy ijmuntamed'j k Ube lecturer tufl M 'splveijAbS pibleSa of land monopoly. The lecturer • granted that all " I.and Taxers" 'were not of the same opinion. They wanted to introduce tbeir|rjncjpJM,j and other pbints'would'wofk'i'traig'it'- a after.., , After some further" remarks, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the lecturer, for. his.able.address, and a like compliment was' extended to the chair for the able way in which tlie business of .the ljad been i ■;< condifc'ted.'' Beveral* named' vera''" bsjided in for membership in the •Single Tax Society, aad the meeting closed at a late hour.