VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 18 June 1912, Page 3

VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS.

BRIEF NOTICES!

N.Z. Farmer for June. Brett Publishing^ Company; Auckland.—This is a Vineyards and Orchards Number, which should be of general interest throughout New Zealand, while it could hardly be excelled as a means of letting people elsewhere know with what success and to what extent fruit culture is carried on in the dominion. The illustrations are admirable, and are much more effective than descriptive articles in setting forth the results achieved in this country by fruitgrowers, who follow their calling with judgment and a steady application. "How Grapes Grow Under Glass in New Zealand" is a credit to the illustrator, the publisher, the owner of the vines, and the soil and climate of the country

The Lone Hand for June. Bulletin Newspaper Company, ■ Sydney.—The fiction in the June number of the Lone Hand is of the usually unedifying, uninspiring description; extravagantly tense or bizzare, or of the kind that suggests the smell of stale ale or the reek of tenth-rate cigars. "The Bookaneer" has notices of some popular but relatively inconsequent American and Australian writers, and the literary quality of the notices themselves is disclosed by the writer's use of "donated," instead of gave or presented; which, as a verbal vulgarism, is full cousin to such atrocities as "eventuate," "the Revs. Reverends) Smith, Brown and Jones," and "the Hons. (Honorables) Mackenzie, Myers and Mac Donald." Adjectives in English are not pluralised, and to use "Revs." (Reverends) as designatory of several clergymen, or "Hons." (Honorables) as a term qualifying the status of public men, is as ungrammatical, vulgar and senseless as it would be to speak of a group of ladies as the beauts, (beautifuls) Smith, Jones, and Brown. To revert to the Lone Hand, the current number's quality, as a literary publication, is redeemed by "These Competitions: What they are, and what they Promise," by Mr C. N. Baeyertz, the scholarly editor of the New Zealand Triad.

Chapman-Alexander Missions: A Souvenir. —Fitchett Brothers, publishers, Swanston street, Melbourne. —This official souvenir has been published by T. Shaw Fitchett in connection with Dr. Chapman and Mr C. M. Alexander's visit to Australasia. Beginning with a condensed account of the mission conducted in Australia in 1909, the story is told of the party's tour through the East, across Canada and America to England, back to the States and once again to Wales, through Ireland, and out to Australia in March of the present year. The reading matter is widely varied —and includes articles, sketches interviews and verbatim reports of many of Dr Chapman's sermons ; while the illustrations comprise twenty-two large plates on art paper, and about a hundred other portraits and views.

The Windsor Magazine for June. —"We have received from Messrs Ward, Lock, and Co., Ltd. (through Mr T. H. Boase, Hawera) the June number of the Windsor Magazine. The short stories stand on a fair level of human interest and literary merit, and the best of the special articles must appeal to a large circle of readers, especially as they are pictorially illustrated with till the effectiveness which usually characterises the Windsor's work in this connection. The tirst of these articles deals with the art of Mr B. W. Leader, R.A. (one of whose pictures was twice stolen from the Wellington Art Gallery); the second with "The Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-on-Avou"; and the third, with "The Reign of James II.," all illustrated in a most interesting manner.

An Outline of the Single-Tax Theory, by G. Law son. —Printed at the Star office, Hawera.—This pamphlet is serious in its purpose, and is worthy of a cordial welcome on account of the clearness of its logic and its author's literary ability. In developing his thesis Mr Lawson arrives at these conclusions: "(a) that the State is owner of all land, (b) That the freehold tenure is the best yet suggested, (c) That the State has the right to demand as much or as little as it pleases from its tenants by way of land tax. (d) That so long as'the tenant is permitted to sell, lease, or mortgage his land as at present, it is less dangerous for the State to tax too high than too low."

We attach two or three passages as specimens of the writer's literary skill and power as a reasoner. For instance, he says:

"Many people are under the impression that our advances to settlers are advances for the purpose of improvements to land only. This is quite a fallacy. A small portion of it actually does go for improvements, and this is of considerable benefit, but the great bulk of it goes to buy land. And the effect is this:—An original owner of land has a piece of land which cost him say twenty pounds per acre. He sells it for fifty pounds per acre. The purchaser has little or no money. In many cases he pays down about one pound per acre. He applies to the Government for a loan and points out that land is selling in the district at the price he has paid. Say that the Government values it at forty pounds per acre, on this he gets an advance of twenty-four pounds per acre. The vendor puts the whole of this in his pocket, and'"takes a second mortgage for the balance. The position then is this:—The Government has paid twenty-four pounds for the land. The vendor has got all the land cost him and four pounds over in his pocket, and a second mortgage for twenty-five pounds, on which he gets anything trom 6 per cent, to 8 per cent, interest. Ihe purchaser has paid one pound per acre, and given a promise for the balfnce. But the transaction does not stop there. The purchaser exists for say a year, and sells out for fifty-four pounds per acre. That means that he sells out for four pounds something that cost nim one pound and a promise. They again apply to the Government for a further advance, pointing out that land has gone up in value. Say the Government increases the value by three pounds. On this they get a further advance of one pound sixteen shillings. lhe last vendor puts this in his pocket. So that he has got one pound sixteen in cash for something that cost him one pound and a promise, and he takes a third mortgage for two pounds four shillings, on which he gets interest. The final effect is that the ultimate farmer is doing the work and paying a higher rent than the original farmer paid. And while we lend money in this manner this sort of thing must go on so long as there is an unfortunate individual m the community, possibly with a wife and family depending tipon j' i° must get an immediate home and does not care what he rjromises, for he has nothing to lose and the chance ot-a sain if he can sell out. The effect of this policy is to add enormously to the nominal value of land in New Zealand, and, when the limit is reached, if it is not already reached, the position will be that the farmer, instead of paving £100 for his land and paying 10 per cent., will pay £200 and pay 5 per cent. His interest -will be the same, but. if he ever has to pay off the principle, he will have to pay twice as much. .. . By enabling men without capital to become farmers, you add enormously to the competition for thenosition of farmer nnd thereby lower the standard of liv|nlg, that

is the wage of the farmer; and the difference goes on to the price that i& paid for the land. And this price, eventually goes to those who are living on rents and interest. ... Unfortunately this policy of advances to settlers is very popular and will continue to remain popular until the limit in land values is again reached. For it gives to the man with land an opportunity of selling out at a large profit and it gives to the man without land an opportunity of dealing in land. No Government or candidate for Parliament dare attempt to stop this policy. But, as I have said before, unless where the money is actually spent on improvements, it does not add one IX\ to •the wealth of -the country Whether is it better to pay a hundred poxinds for a thing and pmO.o per cent interest or pay two hundred pounds for that thing and pay 5 per cent. Interest p Ihe interest is the same, but the principle is double."

Whether the reader agrees or doe<= not agree with the writer, he must as a man of. sense, be gratified to know that someone capable of handling important subjects in this thoughtful manner, is a resident of the district.