PAYMENT FOR PUBLIC WORKS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22359, 24 March 1938, Page 7

PAYMENT FOR PUBLIC WORKS

xo THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir.—l was very much interested in certain remarks made by ," on '. *" Semple at Kaikoura on March 19, when he claimed that we have no right in our time to harness the child of the future with a legacy of debt, and that it was possible to carry on with the greatest public works programme ever known in New Zealand without borrowing from anyone so long as taxation was not reduced. In other words, Mr Semple’s philosophy appears to be that these stupendous works should be paid for out of taxation and that the burden of repayment of the cost should not be spread over those who obtain the benefit. I.am sure this attitude will come as a shock to most people. 1 have always considered it a sound plan that the cost of public works should be paid for by those who benefit from

them, provided that such repayment is not spread over a period longer than that during which the benefit exists. But not so Mr Semple, who appears to think that the enormous funds required for his grandiose schemes can be met by the people of to-day through taxation while the benefits of such works as may be permanent or semi-permanent may be enjoyed by posterity without their contributing anything to the cost. Mr Semple apparently envisages New Zealand as one of the most highly creveloped countries ip the world. Obviously such a country will need a large yppulation, but by proceeding with his philosophy, the Minister for Public Works, by beggaring the people of to-day, is going the best way about reducing the population, not increasing it. It is about time the people of New Zealand, including the workers, woke up to the fact that the Labour Government is proceeding apace on its plan of complete socialisation by taking their capital through taxation and putting it into schemes, many of which are quite •unjustified by the prospective population of this country.—Yours, etc., UNWILLING VICTIM. March 23. 1930.