TAXATION

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21534, 25 July 1935, Page 20

TAXATION

to tot P.DfTon or I'srr. PE*sa. Sir,—ln "The Press", last Tuesday. "Taxpayer" started out to show the people how and why New Zealand! was so much in debt, and that Mr Massey and Mr Coates's governments were entirely to blame. "Taxpayer" says that most oi! development works were done in Mr Seddon'e time. The man is dreaming and does not know what has been done. The South Island main trunk railway was deservedly stopped or we- should have had to find more money to pay the interest If they had large irrigation works in Marlborough and double or treble the population, then it might pay. The overhaul of the railway workshops was long overdue. At one time I saw plant in the Invercargill workshops on a par with a Malay plough—a forked branch of a tree. It is pure bunkum to call the Auckland railway station a white elephant. A city like Auckland, being the first landing place of the tourist and other people who call there, sets off the Dominion. "Taxpayer" is at sea again about Arapuni hydro-electric works. The Nt.w Zealand Government's best engineers and overseas engineers said it was quite a pood place. To say it is a floating bog is silly. The contractors' engineer had tested the ground out before: any work was done. "Taxpayer" predicted that Mr Coates' trip to England over the meat would be a failure, but Mr Coates has made the same success with the meat as he does with everything he undertakes to do, 1 never see mention made to the assets we have against our £302.000.000 debts, leaving out the £80,000.000 war debt. The advances to settlers and soldiers and advances on people's homis are quite £100,000,000 or more. Then the railways are worth another £60,000.000. Add to these buildings, docks, harbours, roads, hydro-electric works, etc. The country is equipped to carry 3,000,000 of a population. If we had that population it v/ould cost very little more to run the country than it does now, and there would be a considerable enlargement of our home market. I would like to see emigration start at 5000 carefully picked people, not necessarily farmers. We want highgrade tradesmen more even than farm - ers to start new trades and rehabilitate existing industries. It would metui at least 100 houses a month extra, and to a few months we could raise it to 10,000 a montU and have far less unemployed—Yours, etc., GEORGE LISE. Templeton, July 23. 1935.