SELLING THE RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8881, 18 May 1892, Page 3

SELLING THE RAILWAYS.

_ TO TUB EDITOR. Sir, —The discussion as to the advisability of selling our railways has been renewed in your correspondence columns. A strong, and to my mind, conclusive argument in favour of private ownership of the railways has been overlooked by most writers on the subject. When the single tax comes into operation, as most tnoughtful men can easily discern is inevitable in the near future, it is possible that the new tax may be insufficient to meet all the needs of the Government, and some of the advocates of Henry George's theory consider that this is possible. What better source of fresh taxation (if required) could bo had than a progressive tax on the railway companies to supplement any deficiency in the revenue. By selling the railways there can be no doubt that a great impetus would be given to trade and settlement in this colony, and we would soon leave our sister colonies far in the rear. With the land tax, supplemented by a tax on the railway companies, the bulk of the population would more certainly be relieved from taxation in any shape, and as an immediate result population would flow to these shores in unprecedented numbers.— am, &c., Single Tax.