Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1905. ODD AGE PENSIONS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 July 1905, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1905. ODD AGE PENSIONS.

It will ho interesting to many old ago pensioners to learn that, in compliance with the request; made last session by Air Guinness to the IToinier, ho introduced yesterday, by Governor’s message, a new clause in the Old Age Pensions Bill, which provides, ‘'l hat, in computing the amount, of pension payable to husband or wife, the net capital value of all the 'accumulated property of each shall be deemed to be half the total net capital value of all the accumulated properly of both.” The effect of this new clause will be to get rid of the anomaly that now exists of the whole of the accumulated property of (he husband being used to reduce Ids pension, and thus half the value of the same property being again used in the calculation to reduce the wife’s pension.

GRADUATED LAND TAX. .Mu Hogg’s suggestion during the debate on Ihe Address-in-Rcply that, the graduated land tax should bo increased is evidently founded in the belief (hat it is necessary that the process of tire ‘‘bursting up” of large estates, which Air Ballanco frank!v had in

view when he introduced the system of graduated taxation in 1891, should be renewed or extended. As a matter of fact, there has been nb very considerable "bursting-up” of large properties. The Government has generally found owners ready enough to negotiate with it for the acquisition of their lands by the Stale upon equitable terms. But, notwithstanding the fact that, the Government lias, under the provisions of (he Land for Settlement Act, resumed over 130 estates, there has been no very appreciable diminution in the last ten years in the number of largo properties held in the colony. According to a return that was laid before Parliament three years ago, there were then 861 persons in New Zealand each possessing land of an unimproved value of £IO,OOO and over; and another return shows that, in 1902 there were 93 companies and persons owning, outside boroughs and town districts, land of an area exceeding 20,000 acres. Moreover, if seems that of 115,713 landowners in the colony, only 15,864 pay land (ax of whom 11.541 pay less than £lO. In 406 cases the land tax amounts to £IOO and over, and (hero are 53 owners who pay more than £SOO. Land taxation Jn these latter cases resolves itself into a tax upon wealth, and it; is in this aspect, as it seems to us, that Air Hogg must look for the justification of (he view he is pressing upon the attention of I lie Government.