Public Works and Land Values

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 46, 18 November 1936, Page 13

Public Works and Land Values

Sir, —Under the above heading your correspondent "B Sane” draws attention to the values accruing to land as a result of the industry of the Hon. Air. Semple and the Public Works Department. I know that Air. Semple knows the values which are being brought into being through his activity, and he also knows the means necessary to bring those values back into the Treasury. The trouble with the Labour Government is that it acknowledges the principles at stake, but lacks rhe courage to put that principle into practice. It is not enough to insert a betterment clause into an Act; it js not even recover values which will be added from time to time by the Public Works. Until such time as a Government collects all the values attaching to land, because of the activity and presence of the community, it is useless to talk. about stopping the speculator and refusing to “pay tribute to any third party.” It is als-o useless to collect the community values so long as taxation has a place in the Government’s programme. These two things are opposed to each other. In order to raise people's real wages it is necessary to take these community values and at the same time abolish all taxation. The third party, the land rent collector, is then obliterated and wages and capital receive the full return for their effort. Cannot the Labour Government see that land speculation is holding up the progress of the country? Tawa Flat, Waikanae, Titahi Bar, Plimmerton, Lower Hutt, Silrerstream and Upper Hutt are all backward because of the land which is withheld from production. The holders are all waiting on Air. Semple to commence and finish social improvements and then unload on to the public, which must get land in order to live. At that stage the present owner will have all the values added by the community and the Public Works, and the State will be left to carry the baby in the shape of debt. Funny how people cannot see that the securing of the currency and credit of the nation does not and cannot alter the flow 'of money to the pockets of those who “work not, neither do they spin.”—l am. etc., E. W. NICOLAUS. Wellington, November 16.