REPLY TO MR W. A. MURRAY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2863, 18 November 1890, Page 4

REPLY TO MR W. A. MURRAY.

TO Till-: F.nITOK. Sn:,-Mi' W. A. Murray, in n letter in your i.-suu of the. -llh inst., quotum figures t>) i.hiiw that a Land-tax would fall with i;ro;it,i'v severity upon agriculturalists than ildiM tl.'d present IViipurty-tax, and that it would lighten the taxes of the residents ana owners nf town and'city properties'. The advocates of tin; Single-tax cl.iiui that by its adoption it would nduce the cost of Government enormously, and lighten the luirdeim of both town and country resident*. This result everyone outside of the civil Purvicß , is anxioiiH to sen brought about. It is bolinved that by having one tux only the cost of collection would bo reduced by tliree-fourUis, this I think can bo easily understood if wo wuiuiro into tho cost of collection of Customs duties, which is some where nrar £100.000 per annum. Our present method of raiding the taxes of this country is costly, cumbersome and demoralising. The Property-tax leaves room for .my amount uf fraud to ho practised, and our Customs duties are scill worse. This is evident as detectives are employed at large salaries to see that our merchants and u:hers do not evade them. Now how different with a Land-tax, land cannot be hid, neither can its true value. Now just imagine if tho Council of thin little town of Hamilton in its wi.idom decided to raise its r-it<iti by inijjnHn<: duties upon all Roods that cinvi into'i!, iiisU'.ul uf direct rating, how much H1..1-0 Lo.--tly it would bo ; wu shonlrl need several otllcials to receive and deliver who would swallow up all that is at present raised, arid of course wo should have to treblo our ratestp keep pace with Urn everincrcariiiiK'iijipand that would bo made upon Ihom. Why, tlicreforc, do we not bo wise uud carry on tho busine*; of tho colony as v/a do our County Councils, Ru:id Boards .•Hid-Uuruusrli*? I will now endeavour to f<how how tho SiiiK't'-tax would bo beneiicial to tho agriculturalist who earns his livin<* purely by tilling the soil and raising stock. Tt is a well-known tact that land 'rduiotu from ian;.; centre-, of population is worth very little indued in its unimproved state. I Should s.iy th.i avenißo yaluo of Huimprovcd land in tho Waikato does not .>xc"ud 20s per iwiv, thrrnforu n fnrm nf .100 sv'jroii woui-.l bo worth &00, and a Land-tax of ono per cont on thin sum would bo i's per milium. Now, let us see Imw much the mnio farm has to pay under the the pieient l'roperty-t»x. It will bo worth tfi per aero if it is all improved, which will niako its vduo L'HOOO, stock, i-nplcmeuts, furniture, etc., another £1000 making il 1000 less £500 abatement, leaving .O">00 at Id iu the £, tho owner has to pay illlls Hit per annum, and if his family consists of six members liu pays somewhere about £22 through the Custom*, making a total of soma toli per annum, and what advantages docs ho receive for this largo sum, why, if it is an advantage he is being slov/ly but surely bled In death, and wo forsooth call those men who liavo brought this grand colony into this terrible plight, statesmen. What a pivadox—and many arc anxious to still too Ihcio men at tho helm of State to guide our ship into a- haven of peace. S>>w let mo siso how a land-lax will ellect city and suburban lauds. "no ncre of land in tha bust part of Queen-street, Auckland, without anv improvement*, is worth as much as 100,000 acres of agricultural land in tho Waikato, without irrprove-ment.-s or, say, £100,000. Now, tho owners of this city aero would piy a land-tax of til 000 por annum. A farm of 500 acres c mtigunns to Auckland is worth tIOO pur acre, witlumt imprnvcuienU This would male 1 this "iOO acres woith £50,000, which v.-onhl !>■'>• a tax of f>oo under the Landtax: and I think this a very just tax, bacauso it is the people that mako the lands valuable. I should like to ask Mr Murray if it i< not the lands remote from large centre:; of population that .i.'nd away tho bulk of the produce tint pays tho interest mi our enormous debt. Tho farms near the towns supply thri towns with their requirements principally. Now, such beiiipr tho casc.it is highly imperative that the country lands should not bo handicapped by high freights' on our railways. Our prurtfiiit. system of Government is quietly blending' our fanners to death. They t;et very iittle for their proline* , , and when they pay heavy Custom duties on all they buy, besides Property tax and heavy freights, thorn is no wonder thnt nearly every farm in tho cobny is mortgaged. Ic is only a «lmploto and radical reversal of our pre- :- -lit iniipiition.s s.v-tums t lint ran britifr bid: prosperity to thi<i colony ; and_ to_ do Lhii wn must communed at tho beginning, viz., the land, for it is fi"io Ihi.n source all our wealth is drawn, for not only havo all tlie rents of city and suburban lands to cutiio nut of nf{ricnlttiral and mineral productions, l >ut mainly agricultural. Now, if the farmers ivo «!.<■; they will r;o in stroni'ly for nntioii:!iizin(,' the land, and when this is accomplished there will he. KOiiio prospect of th:■ ir a just remuneration for their productions. U'Ji.it would Am-kl.iiid and our other lame town:; b-> but f.T tho large back country that U oonliniv.dly por.iiii'C it: wi-.alMi int.. thorn. J read in tho Auckland Herald the other day that Mr XairnV, i;m iti ILiv.o;e's Day, cunsUmc of L'O.O'JJ across is reported to have beuii ri'CJiitly leaded for lIS.OUO. The property is estimated lo carry 50,000 sheep, besides a cimptu of thousand of cattle. Now, I do not think that there is any land near Auckland that will u.irry near tho quantity of stick that this rich land iu Ifawke's IV\y is capable of carrying, and yet land adjacent to Auckland is letting at tjii or l .'l [liT acre, or oven morn, while (.his fertile land at. Hawkc's Day is letting at Ss per acre. I uierelv state this to show that it is population that gives value to land, and not its pioductivcnesK. None of tho opponents of a Lnn/V.ax ever contend that populati-u does not Rive iiicnw;n:.l value to tho land. They d.. n..t say that it is nnjusi f.u- tho people to take that which by 111-if very jjrusence they jveato ; bii , ", tli';v on!<:avo'ir t'i nlimv tliat ;i Land-la:: wruild !•« inj'irioiM to the f.innor'. and h"'i"!i"i'. ! <■ < II:" wdtliyaml city inhabit -.r' . Ktii: f ■<--•-• i'.vj stateirioutsi :>!'m r_.i: :rc;, (!>i.-u ilio fanner Wdul'l y.<; I •:■:■:■ 'r> v.itli a Iniid - !:>:. !!■;■!> t!.- p'.;-..-iil. J'roI>■• 11 v-t > a'i'l (':i-!i.;i: ■. ii liio rich ;,'..,j;|..; ;■: : M \ -■I" V I.' "1 ■<<<.■ -\-.-\ 'I of tllO pool' f:iru]'.:i■'''•'■ ■:'f.n•-, ■>■■'■';,' i!o thiiy not rccluco l.!io in!, ■.)-.- f i.:i ii.'ji and advances'; fi (ii ..■ , J i 1 this wo should havo ;;oio".

■ m-_;i!jI--. ;in>'jf of tlicir eaniesUmas for their v.'i.'Hij'jiii;;. Sir (!oorj;u < Irny sriid that the cmitry iiuoplo were m>6 .vi well informed iiit llio townspeople. Well anyonn that knows tlio weary round of driukteiy that tho farmers follow from year's ciui tc, year's i-u J, cannot be very much surprised at this. They havu no iiitmuj- to expend on advanced literature, neither have they the lime to Rtudy it. They have to got their opinion; ruc-nd hai.'J from tho weekly newspaper?, Now different with tho dwellers in liio towns were eight hours is thuir day's hibuiu , . And wiiure they liavi extensive libraries ami loading mows, mid m-iiiy other facdilie.. f.u , acquiring knowledKO. (;jii3er|umitly tliuro io no biauio »tUcliinp; tn this farmers if they aru not an a c!a'M qiui;i so advanced ;is their fellow voilors in the towns on tho great social problem-* of the day. A few .short years npfo '-ho dwellers both in town find country wo; 11 of tho opinion that the country tieinnded upon the towns for its support. Tlin farmers snid they lidded nioro people to conanine th"ir prouuetions, and tho towns peoplu anid they wanlud more I'rotPction to foster local industiies. to Imild up manufactories ami increaw tho pujiulution. This has had a trial and proved to bo a fallacy. The townspeople now recognise that their will-beint; depends upon tho prospirity of tiin agnenlluralist-;, .in'l to briiiß this 'about should he the aim and of jvory patriot. I think I have stutu' l Hufliciunt to prove that thu farmer has all to gain by the Sin;;!ii tax, for he will only ho called upon to Day on tin: uiiiniprove.l vahio of lo« land. I think no land owner in t!ii- WuiUat.i would object t.i j«y r.'it i n!y miiu b'lt li'.ep::r ci-nt of :i L -md-Li:; it lie could K( .-t a rent of i' 3or tl fiyr acre pur niniuin- a:s i) the catm near our iiirpo tr>uv::. Tin! fmniurM are tho foundation i;;-.u wloj, ~m wli.lo sm-ial fabric jii cciiiiitructul. mi 1 iiiiy p-ii't uf thi< fabric that H not of b.;n-.!:; t-i !!;>: hinn-';r inui-t h; a '.r.utii'..n i'p"ii hi-i' ■■•-■!;ii.!i \.-, ki.-i -,io ri t :lit to Cany,- inid Ih-.io U ithuu are very ivi..ie;-oor.. T!,,y ..re the , ~1,1 :, ,m0 of ,„„• lUijiisi, syiloiiiH, and canijol l<o it rid of nnlil ti.ese systoinfi. aro chantji'il. Tlie

:'.iiipl'--t:'.:-c fiflnjilo bnlirtVß that this tr-x is t 1 !-;'lir.'t step in thi). c!|n;':ti'in cif bvinfiiiijr flwo-.it r-ront and bßnofifiirsl n:l"i>nip. Air ,lr,|in Ilryw In.-, 11si-1 i.:v<>, veiyi.inly -'atof! r-l'it it h nni. p^'-'iMt , l'> reduce , our (v:pmi uii-ir. , v'vy nudrr f.'ir pverrid ■■■■ ■;.:•).) ;;f f^.-nnu:^nt.--Vonrw:tc., PKOiinr.is.