The Press. Friday, June 9, 1910. The Duty of Giving.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15612, 9 June 1916, Page 6

The Press. Friday, June 9, 1910. The Duty of Giving.

Those of our readers who have followed oar articles dealing with the question of n "War Loiui and war finances generally, know that the principle for which we havo contended throughout is that as much as possible of our war expenses should bo raised by taxation, and that -while this taxation should be' general, since it is the duty of all to contribute something for the preservation of the Empire, yet that the well-to-do should pay more in proportion to their means than those not so "well off, and that if nuy practicable schomo can de devised for specially taxing war profits, it should be adopted. There is evidence on every hand that tho people are not only willing, but anxious, to do their duty in this respect, and that this feeling is especially keen among the more prosperous scction of tho community. Tho National Government, in our judgTiientj has seriously failed in its .duty ia this matter of raising funds for the war, and thoeo who would bo called upon to contribute most largely under any such scheme are the very people ■who resent most strongly tho Government's dereliction of duty. More than tiiflj there is an uneasy feeling, which

we confess to sharing, that even new

the Government will not have tho courage to bring down a Budget which will deal adequately with such an unprecedented situation. The point which we now desire to impress on our readers, especially those

who are in easy iinanciai circumstances, is that t/ic-y stiil have their own duty to perforin. if the Government should neg'.pr-t its obvious obligations in

this m= peer. Our duty, as New Zealand citizens, is to contribute liberally according to our moans to the funds

which arc in existence i"r the benefit of the dependents of the soldiers and sailors who are killed or disabled in the Empire's sorrier, and of other patriotic movements in connexion with tho

war. If we contribute voluntarily what tho Government ought to have

j taken from u.s comptilsorily, a very j large sum will b,-> raised, and there will j 1)0 no lack of money to carry on the | good work to which we have referred. I Opportunities now immediately to hand are afforded b}- the fund for tho dependents of the naval heroes of the Jutland fight, and that for providing hostels for New Zealand soldiers 011 leave in London. Tho least that tho.se of us who are unable to fight can do is to contribute something of the substance which we should not be able to enjoy were it not for the sacrifices made by our bravo defenders on sea and land. This, as has I been pointed out, is particularly true Jof our ".sure shield,'-' the Nary. What ! would become of our boasted pros- : perity, to say nothing of our liberties ! and our persun sl safety, if the Kaiser's | lying vaunts were true, and the British Navy really proved unequal to eop;> witii the German High Seas Fleet/ Y\ o are gted to see that so many of our readers realise the debt of gratitude they owe to tho men who fought so gloriously off Jutland, and we arc proud of tho prompt and generous response which has already been made to our appeal. But much more is still required. We hope that the people of New Zealnad will esteem it n privilege as well as a duty to establish a National Fund for tho benefit of the dependents of killed or disabled .'■crimen, and will make a point of contributing to it regularly till tho end of the war. In this way we can show our appreciation of the bravery and the self-sacrifice not only of tho Jutlaud heroes but of those who, we feel sure, will be called upon to figlit in ether bloody engagements. Such a movement, we venture to suggest, will prove even more to the point than the gift of another battleship, which has been suggested in some quarters.