THE SINGLE TAX.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 284, 30 November 1896, Page 2

THE SINGLE TAX.

Mr John Johnson, writing on the pingle tax, says : " Under perfect luw bhe landlord would bs a burdou to" the community, tiub under our present defective laws, with trade depression more or lesa constant, the aiuffle tax would intensify competition and depression so that tha single tax would injure tho landlord withoub benefiting any other class of tho community. This is admitted by Mr Fleursrihiem and the author of ' My Dictatorfcfaip.' Tho last-mentioned writer says : 1 I recommend the introduction of th« single tax because I know that it will bo intensify competition that people will rush inbo bho embrace of socialism to obtain relief. 1 Tlioso ruon are great authorities

>nd very ablo raso, who have epeob much time in mastering the subject.

" Mr Withy wants fcho labourer bo get the whole produce of hie work, and fckis ho pro poaes to accomplish by the introduction ot the single t;iv. Two-thirds of India and a c&naidorablo parb of China are already under single tax rulo. I would aak single ! taxers nco the waj?es of labour any higher under single bax than under the landlord 1 V they are, why don'b the people leave the latidlord districba and settle in those whore rout is paid to tho State ? Single taxere, from Henry Goorge downwards, are c&re'u-l to coticaal the fact that) the aing'6 cax has boon triad in ludia and China for coaturiefi. " Anohher error or faJso represenbation of our sinf;!o taxere is fchab unused land has a proaent. value and if ib belonged to the State rent could be not for it. The vacant allotments round Auckland havo no presenb value: their owners afc prasent pay rates on their prospective value, but if they belonged to bbc State oven this would not be paid and extra rates would have to bo paid by tho owners ef present buildings. Our single taxera call this relieving the capitalist and labourer of their burdens, It these vacanb lota were ail used to their fullest extent by being built upon the tobal rateable value of biie city would be reduced and less rent would bo paid than is paid now. Ifc ie the eamo with country land. If ill tho waste lands of the colony were cultivated the total value of cultivated landa in the colony would be reduced.

"If Messrs Fowldn and vVithy wish bo give the worker more of the produco of his labour, why do they nob tackle trade depression and competition ? Half tho present labour of Auckland is waf-ted in competition alone, and if it was entirely removed the wages of labour would bo doubled. The landlord gets tho benefit of rent and royalties, bub no one benefits by the labour which is wasted in cotnpatiliion. It in a pity that Mos»r« Fowlds and Withy's abilitiea should bo exerted in trying to injure one section of the community to benefit another when they could he so mucb. nioro profitably exerted in benefiting all."

Mr A. Sanford writes :—" We can destroy tho value of land, but wo cannot make use of it for State purposes. Taking tbo rents of land by taxing it i« a simple j»roceHß, but to cake the rental value of land ia an impossibility. The valuo ot land is tha i-xcJt any able, value of tho rent that tbo land i*« yielding or is likely to yield at some ftiDure time. Thi3 value ceases to exist in proportion rb tho ront ia taken. Unearned Incromonb of land ia tho source of all the spare values wo hare available for exchange and ia tho lifo blood of our civilisation. By its use vto have acquired all our preaenb knowledge and power over uncivilised people?. If we try to take unearned in crement, ib will vanish like a ijhoaG and leave us in a worao state t.han a horde of savages. Tho workers could certainly shifts for themsolveH, as do tho eavages ; but thero would bo co many shirkers (with no prizes to v/in) that we should need to etart tho industrial army ab once to compel tho lazy follows to work. If we destroy the unearned incremenb of land, we shall have destroyed the foundation of every other ?pare value, and tho whole structure on which society and civilisation ia built will como down with a crash. Unearnod. increment should be called " capital," aa it is a value that always goea on increasing aa tho standard of living is raised with the masses. This value is not like a labour valus thab can be created until tho article would bo un»aleablo. Before we destroy bhe exchangeable value of ronb we mush ho change human nature thab each and all will work for the good of others.