PATRIOTIC FUND RATE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 17029, 2 December 1915, Page 8

PATRIOTIC FUND RATE.

OPPOSED BY SPREYDON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

STATEMENT BY MR tl\ H.

WINSOR.

At last night’s meeting of the £ preydon Borough Council the Mayor (Mr W. H. Winsor) referrod to tha proposal that a patriotic rate should bo struck to raise'money for war funds. He said- he was strongly opposed to such an unjust method of distributing the financial burden- While *ho country had to bear its share of the war s burden it was the clear duty of the country’s legislators to see that this liability was equitably distributed.- He had , been looking for increased enerp on the part of legislators, but with the exception of the members of-the .Cabinet and a ‘ew parliamenvirnns the great majority of the Dominion s representatives were still worrjing their pet schemes of purely local importance. What personal example of sacrifice had the majority of them set:' They had advised the people in the towns to organise, to sacrifice their time, labour and money to help the Government and the Empire, and at the same time to exercise the most rigid economy. The parliamentarians said, “ Your Government needs your money. It will take it all, but you must do all the work and find all the money. We will look on and assist you—with words.” That was about all the assistance the people got from their chosen lapreeentatives at this time. The Government, said the speaker, had the power to raise all the money and men required. Why was it not bold enough to use that power, and thus leave laymen to go on with their own efforts at producing wealth, which the Government oould tax, instead of devoting its time and energies tc- organising work which should be done by the non-producers who formed the executive of the people' and the huge staffs of well qualified Civil Servants, fully equinped for the work. In short all the Patriotic,. Red Cross, Belgian, Serbian, Liverpool and pension funds oould be raised by a tax cowering and affecting every nionqy-receiver in the Dominion. This could be done without additional cost to tho people by a plain graduated income tax. “ A special borough rate,” said Air Winsor, “ I shall most bitterly oppose, as it would free the very men who can best afford to contribute. An income tax I will most strongly support and will most cheerfully pay my proportion.” Other memb?rs expressed their agreement with the Mayor’s views and a motion was passed stating that the council was of the opinion that the proposal to strike a special patriotic rate was unfair and inequitable..