TAX THE WORKING MAN.

Evening Star, Issue 7307, 3 September 1887, Page 5 (Supplement)

TAX THE WORKING MAN.

TO THS MOTOR. ' Sir,— At this critical peri- did the affairs of Mew Z. aland I desire to make an appeal <o those .who, lika . myself, are considerable owners of land and other. property in the Colony. During the past lew yean we have been powerless to p-evont the wasting away of out possessions by heavy burdens of taxation; and ■ unites we, who have a large stake in the country, embrace the opportunity now offered us, the time seems very near when our p r bperty may practically aildisappear. I therefore appeal to my feilsw-owo-* mats to atrenfcthen the hands of the present StoutVogsl Government in their desire to relieve the, pnssuro upon property by raising more taxation through thi Customs duties. Thos, on whom each taxation will fall are evidently aim -at now quite wills > ing that it should be imposed, and could easily be brought to I elieve that its imposition for the purpose of p-oteoting industries would be to their Interest" by the expectation ot making employment, more.; plentiful. It is not to our interest to inquire whether, , it would be right or wrong to encourage them, to advooiting Protection They are ignorant amd weak; ’■ we are intelligent a,id strong. What we have to con-;.. ; sidcr is that, by shifting the burdens of taxation from : i the propertied classes to the working classes, our , property may be expected to rise in value, and we may look to obtaining an earlier opportunity to ’ ’ realise. If Protection could only be given a good ; start, it would soon get strong enough to relieve pro-, party from direct taxation altogether.’'.The Tory landowners in England understand that better than we seem to do. Let us by all means encourage tho ■. ideas recently promulgated here that Protection and Liberalism ate synonomous.—l am, etc., ; Indirect Taxation. Dunedin, September 2.