THE COMING ELECTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2854, 28 October 1890, Page 3

THE COMING ELECTION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sin,—l am glad to xeo Mr Bryco intends addressing the electors before da y< as I was afraid ho would do as he did last time, address us when nil was »'> far as a local man is concerned, I thmK it is of little consequence if he came [nun the N:>rth Polo, so long as he does his best to reduce taxation, as when a country is taxed beyond what it can bear, one of two results will follow, either ievolution or emigration. The former cannot take place in tins colony, owine to the sparce population and contigurati'Hi of the country, but the latter is already taking place. I see m your I ue?dav's issue a very weak letter, signed "Integrity," tint as tho writer is inclined to be personal, I treat the article with contempt. It is invariably the practice with narrow-minded persons to descend to the personal, to sustain their argument; suffice it to say I am not going to bow down to this popular idol, whenever the music commences. I believe Mr liryce to be an able man, and if he will but use his ability to reduce taxatiun, he will not have a more ardent supporter among his ™n k3 than your humble servant; but, as ' , c , r put it in his article, " actions speak louder than words. The fault I find with Mr liryce is that he is hand and plove with the Atkinson party, and they, in their torn, are under the thumb of the Lank of iSew Zealand. Also, that he is a strong supporter of the Property-tax. This tax has now been tried for ten years ; it has been weighed in the balance and found wanting. The only people who uphold it are those who receive a benefit from it. All else pio* nounce it iniquitous. But you will say, 1 what are we to put in place of it. My answer to that is, is it just, is it reasonable, is it right that it should cost two millions storling to govern tw' hundred thousand adult males ? Why, the thing is absurd, it is out all proportion to the requirements of the colony. We must reduce taxation if we are to keep our young men | in the country. I tell you, Mr Editor, there is no surer sign of a country s decadency, than to see people leaving it. Our country is good, and our climate is the finest in the world, but we cannot live upon climate. Our life is ground out of us, to provide the Almighty dollar wherewith to nay taxes. Of course I shall be put down as a croaker, but we cannot shut our eys to the fact that over 20,000 pe< pie have left our shores, within the last few years (that means over and above what come into it), and each of those paid £3 Is -d per head taxation. So they are a net loss to the country of over £00,000 a whieh. o course, must be made good by those that remain. This is no time for sentiment. Our members must pledge themselves to reduce taxation if we are to live in the country, and save it from national bankruptcy. I am, etc., y Ngaroto, Oct. '23rd, IS9O.