TAXING THE LAND

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 64, 12 September 1912, Page 3

TAXING THE LAND

FARMERS DISCUSS THEIR POLICY COMMUNITY-CREATED VALUES. (BT TEWGHAPH— SPECIAL TO THE. POBt.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. ' The drafting of a land policy for the local branch of the Farmers' Union was duly entrusted to a committee at a meeting of the union's executive yesterday. In the course of the discussion Mr. C. H. Ensor said that the reasons why the union should give expression to its views were that the United Labour Party was putting forward a land policy, because the Socialist Party and Federation of Labour had also' done so, and because the single-taxers were moving. The single-taxers held that all tax should be on the land— an excellent idea for those who had no land, but not so good for those who had land. It was possible to see to what extent the single'tax principles were inculcated into the minds of people when a Cost of Living Commission recommended that land monopoly should be broken down and that there should be additional taxation on land values. There had been a reservation on that clause by three members of the Commission who held that where a man was making his land produce the maximum he should not be submitted to any form of penal taxation. Limitation of area was a Socialistic move, but it was a restriction placed on the argiculturist only. The man who improved the breed of stock was adding to the capital value of the land. It was not the people who walked in the city streets who added to the value of the land. The importation of high-class stock was also adding to the value. Any man holding any area of land which was non-productive or holding it for speculative purposes should be considered a land monopolist. All future legislation should be to encourage the scientific farmer -trying to improve the productiveness of the land and the farmer who was building dwellings for workers in the country. So far everything was dove in legislation to place settlers on the land, but nothing was done for men who would always be wage-earners, workmen who would go out into the country. State enterprise had not moved fast enough, and it was time for freedom of enterprise to move with the State. Mr. D. Jones, who is organiser for the Reform Party said he spoke as a Reformer. He declared that recent statements made by Mr. W. T. Mills concerning the growth of noxious weeds on waste lands were inaccurate. Dealing with the single tax ho said that 200 acres of. land at £30, with £5 per acre allowed for improvements, would give a "land value" of £5000. The average mortgage would be £3000, or £160 per year. The Government single tax would be £250, making the )-ent £400 per year, or 40s per acre rent for land worth £30 per acre. It meant that a farmer was paying 10s an acre more than it was worth. Mr. G. Fowlds had said that he would not put the tax on in full but only gradually. He would have more respect for Mr. Fowlds if he imposed the whole tax at the start. Twenty years had been necessary to win back the freehold after the leasehold system had obtained a hold, and now the single tax was brought forward by a portion of the United Labour Party becauso Mr. Mills's crowd had another scheme, although it was practically the same. In connection with community-created values it was forgotten that it did not apply to the land only, but to all "other spheres. The draper, the wage-earner, the servant girl, were all reaping the benefit of higher returns due to the fact that they were in the midst of a large community. Mr. Mills was employed because he was in a large com* munity, and he should return to the community the increase in his salary due to that. It was the duty of the union to show tlfat the single tax was unjust to the farmer. Under single tax the land would revort to the Crown, and the money for improvements would- go to the mortgagee. On the suggestion of Mr. A. J. Bell, a committee consisting of the president, Mr. C. H. Ensor, Mr. G. Gardner, ' and Mr. D. Jonea was appointed to for* mulate a land policy for the union and submit it to a subsequent meeting." Mr. R. Evans said the Government ought to assist a man to build a house in the country just as they assisted a man in the town. If they wanted men to come into the country they must be prepared to offer them a piece of land they could call their own. The president said the discussion had been a most profitable one, and they had discussed some important questions. He agreed that those \vho» assisted others to get on the land were doing , a good service for their country. They v must not differentiate and ■ say, "Because you have been on the land you only shall go in for a land ballot." He agreed with Mr. Massey that they should give "a square deal to everybody." (Applause.)