EXPORT TAXES.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16946, 22 September 1920, Page 8

EXPORT TAXES.

[Jjgjl y . ylO THIS EDIXQB OJP "THE PBXSS," r|'<3 Jsir,~ WJifin tne Hioverunieii& asked jIjI volunteers, and later conSonpted men, J]} to risk tacir lives* liiuds, oyesigut, jh itealtii, and prospects to go to x.iuupe, «fj .Asia, and Airica, to deiena tiieir houiea il'H and to tig&t tor tne- jCiiupue, tuo Uov'j f ornment iiad as good- a iiglit to com;|t| manaeer money or aaytiniig else , taatr ffij ifas required to equip and pay tue men, jil und to provide, pensions and pay Jtor \i tJieir dependants. iMo tax couid bo ij'i ansre fair tnaii a tax on war profits, it or rather the taking of [Ml war profits. 1\ lint Mr Maseey and Sir Joseph Ward i[ , considered that export taxes -would be e ill ' penalising production, and robbing the hi jatmerij. So, instead of comniandeer■k ing the wool at tne f re-war prices, tlie Jii " (.ioVernnieat made a - contract or barMl gain, to give tho wool-growers a bonus u of 55 per cent, over pre-war prices. As 'I ilio wool clip was,, in round numbers, i| ;tbout 200,000,000 lb—that is about alb • f per sheep on 25,000,000 sheep at 10d I tHsr lb, the value ot the pre-war clip Ijf ' was about £8,000,000. And the wool-

fPffi growers have been getting a war profit of about £4,500,000. ('iQero is soraes |J . riling substantial beyond the 55 per iff! cent, 'to bo •paicl yet.) Besides this, Is® 'the increase in the price of wool hKs in- | 1 i creased tho price of sheep, and the in- •' creased price of sheep has incrased tho 'i! 1 price of land. And, as it is with wool, *;:|| so it is with mutton, beef, butter, 111 cheese, hides, tallow, and other proiVjS i duce. Tho consequent rise in the cost of living in New Zealand, owing not !fl| only to the price of our home produced h-,|j necessaries, but also.to that ot importing! od. articles, necessitated a great increase I'll in tho rates of wages and salaries, and |i | also is very oppressive to those with. ||jH small fixed incomes and large families. lltiS By means of export duties the Government could have controlled tho prices jjkjl of home-produced and manufactured ipjg articles; it could have kept down tho |i§| price of land, and it could have raised Kg jjossibly tho whole of the money requirWjg »'d for tho war. But the Government fJj preferred to raise loans free from, inK i onic tax ! Considering that New Zealand paid I 1 iiU'tho expenses of her own men, and at I contributed a ship to the British Navy, ' | there was no reason why our Govern- . | ment should have sold any of our proji I duce to tho Imperial Government at IjS loss than market prices. There was ff | no more sense in doing that than in :<i giving tho wool-growers four and a half •fP millions a year beyond pre-war prices. If; Tiio Imperial Government sold Austrak Jiau wool to tho American Navy at * about half the American market price. Probably tho same was done with New

Zealand wool. And it appears that British manufacturers also were paying twice as much as our farmers wero receiving for the same wool. Why .should not tho Government of New Zealand have taken all tho war profits to pay war expenses? It is no use crying over spilt milk, but it is time for tho representatives of the people to do something now to prevent the prices of wool, mutton beef, butter, 'cheese .(therefore milk), hides, etc., from increasing. Also, as the enornious war debt and interest has to be paid, although the war may be over, tho right of tho Government to commandeer all kinds of wealth is not over. Debt must be paid. Some people are hoping to get more money for their wool, meat, butter, cheese, and other produce, but the Government ought to prevent any such increase by taxing the exports. It is not for the benefit of this country that the prices of land and live stock should increase. There is no reason why the average prices of food and woollen clothing should be dearer than before tho war. If the Government wants to encourage the cost of living in New Zealand should be vcrv cheap. Tho children of New Zealand are our best asset. Before education, they want cheap and good food and cloth'ing. So do their teachers. So do all the. workers of 3vew Zealand. If we supply New York millionaires with our best lamb and butter, we should first guarantee our home supplies at a reasonable New Zealand price. The Government policy seems to be to hoard up gold, wool, meat, etc., to raise and keen up pnccS. llus is the miser's Tiohcv!—Your^-roc., - J. MILES VEKRALL. Swannanoa.-