OLD THEORY REVIVED

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 122, 19 November 1931, Page 9

OLD THEORY REVIVED

LATEST CANDIDATE

LAND RENT POLICY

The collection by the Government of the community-created rent of all the land of New Zealand, save that which is used for public purposes, was the crux of the policy outlined by Mr. E. W. Nieolaus, the Citizens' National Movement candidate for Wellington Central, who opened his campaign last "night. The speaker, who was subjected to numerous interjections and occasional uproar, contended that his policy struck at the root of the cause of ruined businesses, unemployment, and millionaires, that it would abolish all monopolies and privileges, free all production and trade from Government interference and taxation, encourage and give confidence to all industrial undertakings, ensure only the starting of those industries which could bo economically maintained, and force the private individual to be self-support-ing and self-reliant, at the same fimc ensuing to all equality of opportunity •and an equal right to tho use of the land of the Dominion. The policy is parallel with what is generally known as "single tax," but Mr. Nieolaus objects to the word "tax" and substitutes "community-created rent." Mr. R. H. Grosso presided over an attendance of about 200 people.Mr. Nieolaus said that at present the representatives of the people, who were put into power by the people themselves, did not safeguard the interests of the community, but only tho interests of a section of the community. He stood for the community rights which were being robbed from the people, by Parliament, which had usurped its power and was using .starchamber methods. Parliament, was frightened to do anything, and that was why it had made wage cuts :md had placed men on relief works. Tho wealth which was being created by the community was going into the pockets of private individuals, instead of being used for the benefit of the people as a whole, but if a rent was charged for the use of all land the . evils of the present day would disappear. Tho community created the value of the land. If people collected in a city, then the laud there would bo extremely valuable. In fact the price was actually fixed by its value to the community. Thus it was only right that tho people should reap the benefit of the value they had created. PRODUCTION TAX. At tho present time the Government, in order to carry ou the services under its control, imposed a tax on production, and the greater the production the greater tho tax. Consequently the worker was deprived of a portion of what he produced. What a man produced he had a right to, and no Government had the right to levy taxation ou the fruits of labour, tinder his system the worker who wanted lo use the land would pay rent for it, and would bo allowed to retain it or bequeath it so long as tho rent was paid. This would slop speculation and prevent artificial land values. The prico of land to-day was based on boomtime prices, in spite of tho fact that produce prices had fallen. AVages had been forced down by legislation, goods had come down, and yet land values were being bolstered up. The Government did not care twopence about the people so long as the mortgagee got his pound of flesh. When the people were forced off the land they -sought' work in the cities,and in the cities there were more men than jobs. Tho workers undercut one another, and thus wages were kept low. The time came when the people did jmt have the consuming power to use all. the wealth that had been created, and they had what was called over-production. Some said that the problem was a monetary one, but the creation of money by the printing ot bank notes would create only an orgy of speculation and tho value of the pound, note would depreciate, loxiimples of the over-issue, of currency had occurred in govcral European countries, and the results had been disastrous. No man could receive money, which was only a token, until he had rendered service, and could not receive money before ho had done some work. Under his policy all those who desired to work could do so, and the only one ■who would bo harmed would be the person who wanted to get something for nothing. The world contained everything the mind of man could wisb for, but the source of wealth, tho land, was held by'private people, who took toll of whatever came out of the earth. Because of this there were inequalities and maldistribution, find prices rose and fell. When prices were low the farmers made no profit, 3iid as a result

the secondary workers also received nothing. EXTENSION OF PRINCIPLE. In Wellington to-day rates were collected on the unimproved value of land, and this principle encouraged building and thus encouraged production. Why could not this principle be applied to the whole of New Zealand? No improvements on the land should be taken into consideration, but a tax of 6d in the pound on the unimproved value of land in New Zealand, according to the Government figures, would bring in £20,000,000. To-day the people were being taxed for £20,000,000, but they were being taxed on their consuming power, which was the source that the Labour Party desired to tax, according to Mr. Semplc. The. taxation policy of the Government simply got the country into a vicious circle, because the heavier the tax on production or consumption the greater was the number of unemployed, and as unemployment increased so taxation increased. It was impossible to cure unemployment under this system. The candidate said that for a start he proposed that the rent on unimproved values should be 6d in the pound, (.lie following year it could bo raised to 7d, and then gradually increased to Is, which was the full economic rent. A voice: "Finally wo would die of starvation." Another voice: "What about the coffee and bun?" Porsistent interjeetor: "Wind pudding I call it." Mr. Nicolaus said that the Labour Party asked for standard wages only, but he did not sea why any limit should be made on a man's earning power. He said that it was difficult to-day for a man to convince the people he was honest. A voice: "Are you?" The candidate: "I will leave it for you to say: it is not for me to crack nivsell' up"." He said that if the land monopoly were broken up, instead of there being twelve men for on© job, there would be one job for twelve men and wages would automatically rise. A voice: "We would then die of starvation. There would be too many jobs, and not enough would be produced." Another voice: "Breed more." (Laughter.) The candidate: "Why laugh! There are any amount of young nien and women' hero to-night who cannot marry or have children" because they cannot afford it." (Applause.) A voice: "You won't get in." The candidate: "I don't care whether you put me in or jiot, as long as I make some converts." A voice: "Why don't you join the Labour Party." Mr. Nicolaus said that both the Labour Party and the Farmers' Union had his policy in their platforms, Taut were afraid "to use it. They were frightened of vested interests. . A member of the, audience, who had lost his voice, struggled with an interjection, and advice that he should whistle was greeted with laughter. "Are you a Socialist?" asked a persistent interjector. "No, he's a Spiritualist," came a reply from another part of the hall. The candidate denied that he was a Socialist. At the conclusion of his address a motion of thanks and confidence was moved, and was followed by an amendment of "thanks only." The two motions were debated for several minutes by several members of the audience, and when a show of hands was taken the voting was about fiftyfifty. The chairman declared the original motion carried.