CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 20, 24 January 1916, Page 7

CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH.

MR. MASSEY OBJECTS. The cry of many of the unions for conscription of wealth as well as of men is generally understood to bo a plea for the organisation of the economic resources of the country for war purposes, and some interesting remarks anent the feasibility of this project of war socialism were made by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. W. F. Masscy). Mr. Masscy confosspd that he did not know quite what wns meant by the phrase, but if the advocates of conscription of wealth meant that Government was to take possession of all the wealth in the country for war purposes, they were asking for what was obviously impossible and for what he could not help thinking was intended to harass the men entrusted with the affairs of the country at its most difficult period. Any person' of ordinary intelligence ought to know that we are already taxing conipulsorily by taxati on the money required for New Zealand's share of the war. Last session this amounted approximately to £2,000,000 per annum. "Speaking "generally," said Mr. Massey, " I am glad to say that the people of the country accepted the increase without a murmur, but the people who are now asking for increased taxation probably -will be the first to suffer in case it beeomeß necessary to fro much further than we already have done." Government and Parliament endeavoured to place the burden of increased taxation upon the shoulders best able to bear it, without allowing any one class to escape altogether, with the result that the prosperity we were enjoying prevented us from feeling the increased taxation seriously. It was well, however, to bear in miiid that this taxation must continue for many years after the war, an*-the period when the country might not be so prosperous as at present lad to be anticipated.