IT WAS A DREAM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3692, 15 May 1883, Page 3

IT WAS A DREAM.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph.] Sir,—l Avill endeavour to remember and trace as clearly as possible my Avondcrful dream. I Avas transported into another Avorld, Avhere the land Avas luxurious and eultiA-ated with great care, in fact like a garden. The heavens Avere of the most bcautifiul azure. The sun Avas most majestic and radiant, and yet its heat .was never scorching but, always mild. Its inhabitants appeared to me of a superior type, more specially the tender sex. The harvest and cattle Avere plentiful and beautiful. The name of that hoav Avorld Avas "AVonderland."

Of course my first thought Avas to inquire from the people henv they managed to be so prosperous ancl so happy, and lioav and avlio Avere paying taxes '( I avus promptly told: That the land avus not in the hands of a few, but divided among all the inhabitants, and as. for the taxes tho Avord _" equity" Avas the motto of the taxation principle. • At this stage I felt the knock, and avus most surprised to learn that ■ those people kncAv more about Ncav Zealand than my. self!

Thcv told me: " You aro a New Zcalander. AYe have heard of the monstrous fact in connection with the colonization of your country that 120 or 130 individuals out of a population of half a million are owners of an extent of land Avhich is something like a twelfth of tho AA-holc of the islands of New Zealand, or, of about 50,000 acres and up-AA-ards each. With such a distribution of la_d improvement, is impossible, and consequently your prosperity is but fictitious and hard time's aro in store for you." They continue: "All produce comes from the land, and the land is for that simple reason tho principal basis of taxation. AYe have hero valuators, whom Aye entirely trust, avlio value the land AvhcuAve think the declaration of an individual is false " —

I stopped them sharp at this juncture in order to ask : "What do you do Avith those people Avho make a fraudulous declaration h" They said: "Two things only—l. They have to pay the difference'and expenses to recover the same; 2. they are degraded, and never can vote or fulfil any public duties during a period of five years or upwards."

They then went on to explain that, the valuation of the land is taken, _(1) from its value according to its situation, i.e., in town, along railways, kc, and (2) from its production, as' wool, grass, wheat, sheep, cattle, minerals, coals, kc. kc I ventured to observe: " If you tax but the land are you not afraid that soino of your people Avould sell it to avoid taxation and build houses instead r" They said : " Oh, not at all. Every man who rents houses pays taxes on them on the same principle as land ; avc except houses occupied by their proprietors as their own residence." Here I enquired again: "AVhat about people who have neither land nor houses, but money?" "Nothing so simple," they answered: " they pay taxes on their capital and interests derived by placing it in banks, shares, loans, kc, as well as land and houses pay for their A-aluc and production or rental." Seeing their kind readiness to answer my questions, I asked : "AVhat about importation r" " Importation, Sir, pays its share in proportion to the A-aluc of the goods imported, whatever they may be, aa.l ten per cent added as presumed profits." "Does exportation pay taxes :"' "No, you foolish man, the produce exported has already paid when in tho land." " Have you any crown land, and docs it pay taxes r" "No ! Avhat is the use of it. It Avould be like a man Avho takes money from his right pocket, to put it in his left one." "Now, please, explain lioav you make the repartition of taxes r" "Nothing so easy, Sir, any schoolboy Avould do it. Listen to this : AYe Avill give the following figures as an illustration : —■ 1. A'aluation of land and its produce .. .. .. £50,000.000 2. A'aluation of houses aud rent added ~ .. 2,500,000 3. Capital bearing interest and interest added .. .. 15,000,000 4. Importation ad valorem ancl ten per cent added for presumed profits .. .. 2,500,000 Annual A-aluation of the country .. .. £70,000,000 Budget: A year's general expenses, as construction of railways, roads, bridges, sinking fund, kc, kc .. £1,000,000 Year's receipts from all sources, as railways, post, telegraphs, kc, kc 175,000

Difference to bo paid boraxes ~ .. £825,000 —Divide £825,000 by £70,000,000, and the result will give you the pro rata of tax by the pound."

I then inquired: " How is it that you tax capital and interest in each ease 1- "

" AVell, Sir, avo have here, or better avc have not here, some fellows avc call absentees, and before they expend their money soincAvhere else avc tax it." But I again asked: "Sonic people must pay a good deal of taxes r " " No, not at all ! Everyone pays only in proportion to his consumption. The land owner charges his taxes on the produce of the land, aud he who buys pays, and so on." Just at this moment the cat jumped on my bed, ancl I awake Avithout having made up tho division spoken of. I do not Avish, Sir, to correct my dream. I left the figures as they appeared iv it. Those inclined to make the division AviU find out twopence by the pound.—l am, etc,, Jericho the Dreamer.