THE NEW CRUSADE.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 86, 8 October 1889, Page 4

THE NEW CRUSADE.

♦ TO THE EDITOR. Sir— ln his address at the Exchange Hall Sir George Grey strongly denounced tho acquisition by private individnah of lame traofca of land, and stated hia belief that tho only euro for tho ovils wo aro sufForinn from is tho imposition of a land tux. Yon. sir, in your lato artiolo on tho London strike, deplored tho sufferings of tho dock labourers and their families j nnd yon havo frequontly dwolt in ono form or other on tho injuatico of tho prosont condition of things, that loads to the nociunulation of large fortunes on the one hand, and that condemns tho producers of these fortunes (and in foot of all wealth) to the extromes of want nnd starvation on the other hand. I sco by lato cable news that the Trades Counoil of England has adoptod the nationalisation of the land (i c., the single tax) as a plank in their platform. Tho new Lonaon County Counoil is moving in the direction of taxing ground rents in London, and have instituted inquiries that havo revcalod tho foot that there is in London alono unoccnpied lots, held for a rise in price, to tho valne of one million and a half, not paying any taxes. It is becoming more and more rocognised that tho troublos in Ireland nriso wholly and solely from landlordism, and there is every reason to believo that the objection of tho Tories to grant Homo Bute arises from their fear that the landlords would suffer ; and they aro struggling might and main to impose on tho English people a huge burden of several hundred millions sterling for the purposo of buying out the Irish landlords before Home Rule comes to pass. Honry Georgo's three months' campaign in England has aronsorl tho masses of the people and tho Liberal leaders to tho study oi tho land question. Tho single tax movement has bocomo so aggressive that tho London Times has been writing vigorously againßt it; and I sco Gladstone has thought it matter of importance enough to publicly denounce it. All shows that a great ohange is pending, and there is every reason to bolievo that the single tax (or its equivalent) will bo the battle ory at the coming general election in England. New Zealand is not quite fenced in yet, but is getting fenced in far too rapidly for the people's good, and we are suffering more and more from the effects of oivilization in this respect. Tho Antipoverty Society is doing good work in Auckland, and recently showed its power by carrying a resolution in thi> pr> Asnee, and in the teeth, of Sir H. Atkinson against tho property tax and in favour of a tax on land values. The justice of bucli a tax Jics in this, viz., that these values aro orcated by the people, and that therefore they belong to tho people, and havo a right to be taken by the people, for all publio nses whatsoever. The Single Tax Society, established in Wellington, I venture to predict, has come to stay. Tho halfcrowns of tho 30 membors who have already joined will form tho neucleus of a printing fund to disseminate information, arouse disoussion, and answer questions, and overcome difficulties that may arise in the inindß of those new to the subject. Hoping you will find a place for this in your valuable journal, I am, &0., 9.E., or Jambs Geove.