THE COLONIAL TAXATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1847, 8 May 1884, Page 3

THE COLONIAL TAXATION.

io UN i.nnon. ftiu. — I the authouties ha\e put the inn-lung stu ke- on the fauneis by the new uulway tauft. It > cijiui tlu 1 (ioveumieut, to show then contempt foi Mr "Vailed agitation 10 lailway letoun, li.ivu put on ;i miihing cluige ju^t double wliat it vas. Hoiei-.au o\auiplo. Old tauft for bone-du-t, 11s pei ton foi two *;oni ; new tauft, L'l>s Id per ton. J aim hear the freight of wlie.it to Ngaiuawahia n double, what it w.i-. It is haul fm the fainiei-. to live. The puce of )>ioduce find stock has not bren so low toi ve.n-noi height so high We aie o\ei buidened with fioigbt and taxes. 1 spo by the papeis we aietoha\e anothei ta\ imposed on us hy the county council. Lt is only a straw, but it is an additional weight foi all that The fact is, Mi Editoi, the v hole colony is giound down with taxation. We have the load boaid tax, the count 1 * tax, piopeitj tax, customs duties, and the crowning one of all, the new railway tan if. Wheiefoie all this taxation .' We have not a Luge ai my oi navy to keep up. Our levenue fiom all souices amounts to over three millions a veai, and how does it all go? Well it goes tins way. Some to pay interest on loans, some to pay the laige aimy of civil seivants (the friends of the pit'sent Mmisteis and then suppoitcis), and some to make up the deficiency in the nonpaying political lailways. Oh, we groan undei this lntolciable bin den of taxation. Wo 2ii o only 500,000 people altogether, and we owe out thnty millions of lU'inev, and aio still bonowing, and pa>mgovei i' 40,000 a %eai interest on evm\ million we bmiov. For v.hat pm])ose. To coni|)lete existing linos of u'llway weaip told. lam nifonned some iailvva>s down South weie made for political supiioit, and would nevei pay for wheel gieaso. 1 know some tli.it aio now Iwmg constiucted in this island foi no othiu ])iu pose than to mciease the value of land m the hands of .speculatois (the fi lends of the Ministi v), and won't pay woikmg expenses for the next twenty yeais. Of com so the public will have to pay. There is no countiy in the woild with the same population so much in debt, and so heavily taxed as New Zealand. We have sqiiandeied most of oui boirowed capital, and mi, it is the same w ith nations as it is w ith individuals, wilful waste bungs woeful want. Besides, we aic too much governed. We have load boaids, county councils, and a vv hole host of small iigs, House of Commons, House of Loids (fancy a House of Loids with oui small population), and the supieme power behind the tlnone, the heads of departments, and all more or less expensive. You will ask what is the remedy for all this inalad-ministiation. My answer is- " Do away with half the governing power of the colony. Turn out the piesent cxtiavagant Ministiy, and put a moie economical one in then stead. Cease bonowing, and utilise existing lines of i ail way m such a manner that they will be of benefit both to the public and the depaitment, reoiganise the Civil Sen ice, and leduce the cous-tabu-l.uy to a uiumuum."' Until those changes aie effected, and our expenditure cuitailed we will continue to lie the mteiest and tay payinsf machines the mimo as the lush tenant faimeis aie, the tent-paying machines foi their landlords. We live in a country with a splendid climate, good soil, and gieat natuial lesources. I ask you, aie we pmspoious ? No, because we aie over-governed and badly governed. -1 am, &c, H. Roche. Te Awanmtu, May sth, 1884.

We call paiticular attention to Mr Knoxs silo of Mr Shirpt/s furnituie and effects to be held at Mr Sharped house, Hamilton East, on Monda} ne\t, .May 12th, at noon sh.irp.