THE COMING ELECTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11199, 20 October 1899, Page 6

THE COMING ELECTIONS.

MR, GEORGE FOWLDS AT PONSONBY. Mr. Geo. Fowlds had a crowded audience at the Ponsonby Hall last night. Mr. W. J. Rees presided. Mr. Fowlds emphasised the necessity of purity of administration. Ho held that even defective laws, if purely administered, were safer and better than ideal statutes in the hands of a corrupt administration. Ho favoured the separation of the legislative and executive functions by means of an elective Executive, which would- promote purity of administration, ind to secure purity of representation he would advocate a system of " electoral rights," such as existod! in Now South Wales. Ho produced one of these, bearing the elector's signature, This elector's right had to be produced at each election, and the fact cf its being exercised was endorsed on Iho back by tho returning officer. Personation was thus prevented, and to avoid any influence of personal bias ho would entrust the Post Office Department (which was better qualified for that purpose than any other) with tho duty of preparing the electoral rolls. Coming to tho question of taxation, the candidate said that tho Treasury had been called "tho Heart of the body politic," and it was on that organ that the health of tho State depended. Ho had been more misrepresented and misunderstood on this question than on any other. He held that thore was a definite principle which should govern tho 111cidence of taxation, and that prinicpl'e was that "every individual should pay to the State in proportion to benefit received," either from tho municipality or from the nation. All such benefits were public benefits, and found expression in land values, and for that reason ho advocated the taxation of land values. But even if they adopted tho more popular, but less scientific, principle of taxation in proportion to ability to pay, they would find that the wealth represented by land values aid not contribute its fair sharo to tho revenue of the country. Tho total wealth of the colony was estimated at £201,000,000, of which £63,000,000 was represented by unimproved land value. Tho total taxation last year was about £2,700,000, cf which only £298,000 came from land values, instead of over £800,000, which would nave been the, true proportion due on tho basis of wealth and ability to pay. He would therefore urgo the increase of the land tax by Id in the £, and a reduction of the duties 011 the necessaries of life. This would mean a remission of taxation equivalent to £2 per annum for every family of five persons, and would do something towards redressing the present grossly unjust system. At the same timo, he would not think of urging any greater increase in tho taxation of land values, unless and until there was a distinct mandate from tho people to that offect. The candidate then dealt with the questions of education, tomperanco, federation, charitable aid, etc. He was frequently applauded, and after replying to a number of questions was acoorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. Tho meeting closed with the usual oompliment to the chairman. CITY OF AUCKLAND. Mr. W. Shepherd Allen will arrive here by the mailboat on Tuesday, from a visit which ho has paid to.England. We understand that a requisition is being prepared asking him to stand for one of the seats for Auckland City. It is scarcely necessary for us to remind the city electors that Mr. 3hepherd Allen represented for many years an English constituency in the House of Commons as a member of the Liberal party, lie is', however, opposed to the • present Ministry of New Zealand, and would be one of the Opposition candidates. WAIKATO. Our Churchill correspondent writes:—We had a good representative meeting in the schoolhouse on Monday evening, to hear the Rev. Dr. Hoeking' explain his political viows, which he did pretty well to the satisfaction of all present. He was listened to with attention. From start to finish no one could doubt tho side he was on, and his speech was free from tho platform rant common at such meetings. No one of his opponents could kike offence at any of his remarks, or find fault at his answers to questions, whioh were free from sot phrases, long sentences, and, the horror of tho country folks, big words. Dr. Hosking> was voted a voto of thanks for his speech, and the same was accorded to the chair, which was ably filled by Mr. Graham.