NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 578, 5 August 1909, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

When, ( some weeks ago, we wrote on the general question of the "unearned increment" of land we discovered that the subject is "one in which people are much interested. The public interest in' the question has no doubt been stimulated by the Attorney-General's defence of the increase of taxation in this country on the gtound that the taxes represent merely the State's resumption of part of the wealth which it has created. We are emboldened, therefore, to introduce to our readers the only intelligible reason yet put forward for the taxation of the unearned increment of land values. It arrives by this week's English mail in a speech by Sir Edward Grey, who has been torn from the Foreign Office to assist in the defence of the Budget. Replying'to the perfectly logical contention that if the unearned.increment on land is proper to be taxed all other unearned increments should also be taxed, he said: : He always distrusted that sort of logic. • The unearned increment on land was something definitely ascertainable. There might be unearned inorement on other forms of property, but it was not so easily ascertainable. On land it was ascertainable, and it couM be taxed without pressing on the enterprise or industries of the country. Here we have the plain truth about the matter. ' The farmer is attacked by the Radicals'simply because he is a plain and easy target. He is selected for special penalties, not because he alone deserves them, but because-he is more easily got at than anybody else. When Dr. Findlay, as we expect will be the case presently, makes up his mind to go completely over ■to Mr. Lloyd-George's proposals, we trust that ho will emulate Sir Edward Grey's illuminating candour.

The now broom that sweeps clean Is at work locally in the Customs Department. Since the appointment of tho new Collector of Customs to Wellington some few weeks ago, the local staff have been "shaken up," and as the result of this action have secured several convictions of more or less importance. The more active policy which has been instituted, however, while it may affect the revenue infinitcsimally, is also likely to give needless offence to a number of innocent ~persons in responsible positions. On Tuesday ait officer of a trading • vessel was prosecuted and fined for taking ashore a set of carvers, which had Dcen presented to' him on the occasion of his wedding by his fellow officers on' board bis steamer.

A simple course would have been to have demanded the duty and reminded the of- < ficor that it was an evasion—if a trivial : one—of tho law to carry ashore any dutiable goods. Instead of this he was haled boforo a magistrate, and the latter, construing the statutes in the severest mannor, fined tho officer and confiscated his wedding present. On tho arrival of the Manuka from Sydney yesterday, Customs officers, departing from the old rule of passive observance, raided the forecastle and tho private cabins of the officers and engineers in, search'of dutiable goods, much to the annoyance of those responsible officials, who naturally resent being placed under suspicion by such action on the part of tho Customs authorities, who are no doubt spurred on by the success made of their prosecutions in the Tongariro> case. . Unless the Customs officials have strong grounds for suspecting that some evasion of the tariff is contemplated, the practice they are now following appears to bo quite needlessly offensive. The Minister for Public Works has a blunt way with him at times. When he says no, he generally says it with a good deal of emphasis, and does not leave any' doubt as to his intentions. The report of Ms interview with a deputation of Otago Central residents who pleaded for a further extension of their railway shows the Minister in pleasing contrast .'to some of his colleagues. He deemed it his.duty to the country to refuse the request of the deputation, and he did not mince matters as to his reasons. The attitude of the Minister was very commendable, and affords some reason for hoping that he will be equally considerate of the country's interests in other directions. We would direct his attention, for instance, to a railway now in course of construction on the West Coast of the South Island. This railway happens to be in the Minister's own electorate, and what he has said of the proposed extension of the Otago Central line applies with perhaps greater force to the extension of the Westport-' Reefton line. A¥hen the population of the Dominion totals five millions there may be Borne justification for the extension of the Westport-Reefton line, although in view of the class of country it passes through this may be open to doubt. At present the portion of the line constructed pays handsomely because of the coal traffic, but the extension beyond this point cannot possibly pay for an indefinite timeperhaps never. The Otago Central extension would open up country for settlement, but the Westport-Rcefton extension passes through wild ' and mountainous country quite unfitted for settlement. Will Me. M'Kenzib, in the interests of the country as a whole, tell his own constituents what he has told the people of Otago? We hope,so. Should he fail to do so, .we shall expect the.'Minister for Railways to express his views on the subject. He also has been very outspoken in the matter of the construction of non-paying lines,_ and, we believe, has for some time had his eye on the,particular line referred to in his colleague's* electorate. The public will await with interest an early, announcement on the sub-j jeefc. ~ ' . ' : ' The A. and P. Associations' Conference acted very properly yesterday in taking notice of the lax state of the law ' in respect of veterinary surgeons. At the present time there is nothing to prevent any ignorant rogue from adopting the style of "veterinary surgeon" and setting out. on a career of injuring stock and swindling stock-owners. There, is nothing in the law, indeed, to prevent any incompetent person from setting up business as a veterinary- ; surgeon; and using the letters M.R.C.V.S. after.' his name. This, we need hardly point, out, is a most' undesirable state of affairs, not only from the point of view of the"owner of stock, but also from the point of view of the veterinary surgeons , who have spent time and ■' money in ' qualifying themselves for their work. As much skill is required for the proper treatment of sick and injured animals as for the prober treatment of sick and injured human beings. The medical profession and the public have already some measure of protection against the unqualified quack, but more stringent legislation is required, and has virtually been promised by the Minister for Public Health. ' It is perfectly easy, and very necessary, to apply to veterinary science the prohibition against the unauthorised _ use of styles and designations which it is proposed to apply in the ease of general medicine. Nobody wishes to prevent cap-, able amateurs from treating stock.' All that is wanted is that professional ani-mal-doctors shall make no false pretences as to their qualifications.