The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1891.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3978, 2 December 1891, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1891.

There are profundities in the Land and Income Tax Act which only an jxpert Commissioner is able to fathom. One journal interviewed (lie obliging departmental head and obtained from him some new light on the subject, though here aud there the explan - ation given seemed to need explaining. One point which seems to us to be curious is the effect of the graduated land tax on the income tax Both levies are assumed to be good healthy leeches which will freely bleed the big land holder, but in practice there is some reason to believe that one will neutralisetheother. Perhaps when a financier of the calibre of Mr Ballance makes experi ments it is only reasonable to ex pect such a result. We can imagine a lord of many acres being called upon to pay a sum of £SOO as his graduated tax, and afterwards an income tax being demanded from him. Would he not probably say my income was £SOO per annum, but you have swept it away with your graduated tax and now I have none. The income tax collector might rage and the Commissioner storm, but the graduated land tax can be made to kill the income tax, and it is extremely probable that country settlers will endeavour to work it in such a direction. Big landholders are unlikely to be crushed by the new taxes they will have to pay, the pinch is of another kind. Class taxation is impairing the value of station property, and the owners of it now are absolutely suspending improvements because a doubt exists as to whether it will pay to employ labour for the development of pastoral properties. Station staffs are being reduced to the lowest possible limit, and probably there will soon be several thousand men who will have to look to the Government for employ* ment. That Buch men will have a claim for consideration is undoubted, because the policy of the Ministry will have deprived them of their former means of livelihood. The only question will be the extent to which Govercment can find work. It has hundreds of men on its pay-sheet now, but when the hundreds become thousands its task of providing employment will be ir«uch harder, as the probability is : that the revenue under the Land and Income Tax will fall very considerably short of Mr Ballance's expectations, and without money he emnot comfort the unemployed. He is, undoubtedly, a weak financier, for the horrible mess lie got into when he financed the Village Settlements some years ago showed that he was quite at sea in dealing with pounds, shillings and pence. His unauthorised expenditure on that occasion was enormous, and it was; only by the forbearance of the House that he escaped grave censure, When Mr Ballance's Ministry reaches the j end of its tether, we anticipate that; the breakdown of the Land and In-1 come Thx Act will be the immediate! cause of its dissolution.

The reflection of the fire in Hope street this morning upon the Waipoua river and the bush in the back ground presented a most imposing scene. Mr and Mrs David Crewe, who have been on a trip to the Old Country, returned to Pahiatua to day.

Early closing is obtaining in Pahiatua, and several shops of business are in future to be closed at six o'clock. Cricketers will no doubt be interested to learn that the grass on the Masterton Park Oval has been disposed of, and is now being cut.

A few days ago a lady passed through Pahiatua on on a walking tour from Wellington to the Thames, and a letter has just been received stating that_ the journey of 440 miles was accomplished in eighteen days. The following exquisitely funny paragraph appears in the Melbourne Sportsman of a recent date : *' After the train had left Carrathool on Wednesday morning, a billycan, containing some tea and sugar, was found on the rails, and on the bottom of the can was scratched, " Homeward bound-Not required on the voyage—Backed Malvolio 100 to 3 1" The late owner is supposed to be a shearer who had dropped into town the day before to hearthe result of the Cup and whose fancy had got ' homo.' ''

Mr Buick, M. H.K., addressed a meeting of his constituents on Monday night, and received a vote of thanks and confidence. His remarks were confined to the events of the past session, with the exception of taking the " so-called Liberal paper," the Express, to task for criticising him as it has done.

The Canterbury Association are negotiating with the Government to obtain a large area as Whakatare Swamp. They propose to place fifty families possessing means on the land, draiu, and cultivate it under settlement conditions. There is eveiy prospect of the negotiation being successful.

Rumour hath it that the Minister for Justice proceeds to Kketahuna on Friday to test the feeling regarding the removal of Constable Koache. Singularly enough he is to be banqueted at Toohill's hotel.

A correspondent of the Taranaki Daily News states that the Taranaki police iifficcrs are worked from twelve to fifteen hours per day. They go on duty at 6 a.m., get breakfast, tike out the prisoners to work from 7 till 12 a.m , and trom 1 to 5 p m., and in turn are on duty in the prison from 6 to 10 p.m. The only holidays allowed are the half of every third Saturday and every third Sunday. Here, under a Liberal Government, ut a state of things but little belter than slavery 1 A firm of leading merchants in Napier having a large landed property to dispose of, communicated with their Melbourne correspondents with a yiew to finding i purchasers in Australia. In reply the manager of one of the principal land agency companies wrote as follows'. — '' We are afraid that there is not much chance of our securing you a buyer. "We have rncny New Zealand properties in our hands ourselves for sale here, and before the present Parliament took the reins of Government there wa a , consequent upon th* splendid improvement under the Atkinson administration, a growing enquiry here, which promised fair to carry considerable money over for investment in New Zealand land. This is now, however, completely checked by the vagaries of the present New Zealand administrator." Another correspondent writes as follows: —"I would be very glad to assise you in finding buyers, but the outrageous legislation of Mr Uallanceand his Government has effectually barred the vjate of New Zealand as a field for investment to all Australians. I very nearly succeeded in working up a syndicate to treat for a lagre property in Canterbury some time ago. but Mr Ballance's proposals upset the apple-cart effectually. Several of my clients who are interested m New Zealand securities are now determined to realise, whatever the cost." These letters from Melbourne confirm the judgment of New Zealand property owners -that the policy of the Government is driving capital away.

The Pahiatua paper has the most reliable authority for stating that the Government have decided to allocate ±'12,000, out of the ±50,000 voted last session, for roading unsold Grown lands, for the purpose of making a road which will run parallel with the Puketois on the eastern side from Alfredton to Danevirke. It is said this road will open some 90,000 acres of land for settlement, and that ic is to be surveyed and cut up within the next months. The first party of are now on their way to the and wiil commence the work at once. The road through the Makuri, oa towards the East Coast to Aohanga, is also to be proceeded with during the next few days. It is said that the men at present engaged on the Makairo relief works are to be shitted to the Makuri this week, and other men who are unable to find employment, and »enk it at the hands of the Government, will also be sent to the Makuri works.

At a recent meeting of the Executive Committee of the Farmer's Alliance, Mr L. C. Williams, of Ohristchurch, was appointed Manager of the Association for the first twelve months. He enters upon his duties on the Ist January next. The lease of the Company's premises was signed and the Company's offices will be transferred next week from the temporary offices in the National Mutual Buildings to the Company's premises in Waterloo Quay. A number of shares were allotted. The agency for Messrs Booth M'Donald and Co., Ohristchurch ; Messrs P. aud D. Duncan, Christohurch ; Messrs Andrews & Bevan, Ciiristchurch ; Messrs Reid and Grey, Dunedm; and the Buckeye Harvester Company by the Alliance wasarranced, and arrangements were also concluded for disposing of shareholders wool clip for this season. The Company may now be said to have commenced business.

A great sensation was created in Mel" bourne circles on the 21ipb inst, when it was bruited abroad r that James Melville Syniouds, accountant in the Crown Land Department, had been arrested on a charge of embezzlement of a sum of £25, together with other moneys. Accused had been under police surveillance for several days prior to his arrest, and when Detective Duncan called upon him at his residence he offered no objection to returning to the city with the officer. M.e made no statement, and was lodged in the cells at the watchouse. Bail was fixed at two sureties of £SOO each, but was not offered. Symonds yras in receipt of $ salary of £485 per annum. Latterly he bad takeji to drink very heavily, and was .otherwise leading a fast life, and this is supposed to have brought theiuKlorious termination of what had promised to prove an honourable career. He is thirty seven years of age, and a son of Mr E. S. Symonds, late Under-Treasurer, and has influential connections in nearly eyery branch of the public seryice. He has a family of four or five child) en. Sjrmonds for a lonp time had the reputation of b>ing a particularly zealous officer, and his defalcations would never have been suspected had he not been prostrated with influenza, His substitute discovered the irregularities. TJje deficiencies auiouuted to ioOO.

e ehall be ever ready to welcome the owds who may take advantage of these desirable opportunities, and the more widely we distribute pur phrisfsjas gifts the fetter jsljalJ w.e be pleased at Te Ax§ House. V/e}? llngtou. . In addition to offering advantage a to customers, such as an immensp variety, a carefully selected and fashionable stock of Roods in every department of the warehouse, we intend, during the remainder of the present mont»> to present all casl) customers to the extent of 20s and upwards with an attractive Christmas gift, at Te Aro House Wellington. . We have a regular, devised scale for the things, and in proportion to the amount of purchases so will be the value of the present, 'xhis scale will be on the same lines as on previous years, and no doubt will give equal sUMnction. at Te Aro House, Wellington. ' 'One thing yiou|4 be noted especially, and that it is tha"t' this gift <*ipt.«J)ution will extend during the present rodhth np'te thsi| very last day of December, 1890,. neither more or less. Those that are wiEe will therefore take care to be in time at Te Aro Wellington,—Ad vx

The licensing election for South Molyneux and Catlins took place yesterday and created considerable interest. It resulted in a win for the Prohibitionists, who polled 668 votes against the Moderates 208.

The remains of the late Mrs Frank Harrison were interred in the Maatertun cemetery this afternoon. Mr Frank Moeller, late of the Occidental Hotel, Wellington, has bought out the Masonic Hotel at Napier-

Four hares have been supplied by the Plumpton Park Company for acclimatisation in Noumea, New Caledonia.

In consequence of an auctioneer's license being now in force all over the colony, an Auckland auctioneer comes as far down asGisborne to hold Bales of stock.

The Bank of Van Diemen's Land has declared a dividend of 4s iu the £, equal to £150,000.

The charges of forgery against Murdoch McKenzie are to be heard in the Wellington Supreme Court to-inorrow (Thursday.) The Masterton Municipal Fire Brigade is sending a team ot five men and a delegate to the Fire Brigades Demonstration to be held in Christchurch early next y«mr. The team will enter for the steam fire engine competition. The Hawke's Bay Herald says:—The Wellington people are getting foolishly impudent, for in all their grumblings at the Governor it is evident that these people think Wellington is New Zealand. The Governor who stays longer in Wellington than he can help, while he has open to him such tovns as AuCklan i or Christchurch, is anything but wise. Wellington is a miserable place, apart from clim&te and insanitary conditions. It is bound to be the commercial as well as the political centre of New Zealand, but socially its attractions are few.

ii J. Hooper and Co are now showing the most fashionable and largest assort* ment of new spring goods ever shown in the district. English and French Millinery, Trimmed, and Untrimmed Hats and Bonnets, Flowers, and Feathers, &o.

Stylish and Pretty Jackets. Dorothy Capes, Mantles, Dust Cloaks, Garaboldi Jackets, &a. We are showing a splendid stock of Fashionable Delaines, Prints, Cambrics, Zephyrs, &a. We hold the best assortment and largest stock of nev dress materials in the Wairarapa- All the leading shades, designs, satins, and materials for the season, single and double widths. The Fancy Department is full of the best novelties, pretty aprons, ribbons rilings, collars, cuffs, and parasols etc