CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 284, 1 December 1941, Page 6

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

THIS CRAZY WORLD

(To the Editor)

People everywhere have gasped at the action of the Russians carrying out the "scorched earth" policy in order to avoid letting the Huns have anything of value. Houses, factories, machinery and crops have been ruthlessly destroyed in advance of the invaders. After the war, millions of pounds and many years will be required to restore what was ■ burnt or broken in so brief a time. This is what happens in modern war, but in New Zealand under peace-time conditions, in a less dramatic way the same policy is encouraged by so many local authorities with the tacit approval of the State. Despite the fact that the Government. possibly with its tongue in its 'cheek, professes to want to have more houses built, by the continuance of the present rating sj-stem in nearly half the local body districts, it is doing its best to promote a "scorched earth" policy in the Dominion. As taxes on Chinese and dogs were probably imposed to make them scarce, is it not obvious that rates on houses have the same effect and statistics seem to prove this contention? The progressive citizen will soon find that he is the new criminal soon find that he is the new criminal when he starts to build and thus gives business to traders and emplovment to labour. The punishment for this misdemeanour is based on the value of his outlay and the penalty is repeated annually a« long as any improvements last. Every' local body has its spies who snoop around watching to register any improvements being made in order that the authorities can mulct the enterprising owner with an increase in rates. According to them the undesirable citizen is not the bam burner but the barn builder, not the man who allows two weeds to prow where one grew before. " ' 1 i , " » ' ' ' G. M. FOWLDS.