CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11680, 15 June 1901, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

FIRE ESCAPES IX HOTELS. TO 'lilt: EDITOR.

Sir, —l think that the recent catastrophe shows that it is. high time that :,ome;iiia;: was done is; the matter of fire csipcs in our hotels, as the means of escape at present employed are quite inadequate. 1 a.sk uuy man in his senaes how the average hotel patron is to gut down tho rope- generally provided for the purpose, It is a, mere sham ; indeed, the most sensible plan would be to lie the end round your neck and jump, i might be asked' to surest a remedy. Well, here is one: Run a light iron balcony rigat round the bedroom Hits, with trap-door., at convenient distances ; under each have a light iron ladder reaching to near the ground and fixed to the wall, keeping it about. 4in on : the inmates coehi step from the wind-.* on to the lxi.lr.oiiy and down the ladder, It might tie said ifutt is providing Facilities tor thieves. Well, it might be, but thieves won't go where they can't got anything, » there should he a small wardrobe in each room. Lock your belongings in these ami put tiie key under your pillow-. Uo.-id«s, there. should lie * strong belt in eveiy bedroom with bellpullers ill different parts r.f the house. am, etc., T.:os. Bvi.w.u:x. MR. FOWLDS AX!) SINGLE TAX. TO THE EDITOR. Kir.—When i first addicted von on this subject, 1 deaired to Irani from Mr. Fowlds whether In; thought il past to sell land to people and (hen for the heller to deprive the buy-.-r of it- monetary value.

lie first declared it was a right thing to do- gradually. "J hen later lie declared that he had never proposed- nor had any other singer-taxer— to do so without' compensation. 11.: now it.!}-.; that what he meant was that as landowners hive received all the benefits arising from the public services, that they thereby have received all the compensation due t.i them for what they would be deprived of.

The last sale of public lands was three weeks ago last Monday, and it is quite impossible that the buyers can have leeched any benefits whatever in the way Mr. Powlds says. And yet lie would deprive them of all the moneti.ry v.dee., of their land. his is neither justice nor common sense, and ] mid it difficult to think that Mr., Fowlds has given the subject that careful tly.mght which lie urges upon others, and which is at least due from him as a leader .if opinion.

Mr. Fowlds quotes the fact of millions of money having been expended by the Govern men for public services. May I ask whether he seriously thinks that landowners alone have had tho advantage, of those services? Do wo not ail, traders as well as lantkivnors, enjoy those benefits? • But it is vain ti discuss 0 absurd a proposition. Mr. Fowld,- first slated that he would take away the monetary value of people's '.and: then he said he won't! not, (.'get her, but merely in a single tax sort of way; now ho says they have been compensated. Your reader:', mu.-t judge bar themselves whe-.her that sort, of doctrine has either consistency or justice. They will, 1 am sure, not leave out of sight the fact dad if you deprive a person, against his will, of any property which ho possesses without compensating him, you are guilty of felony. To do it gradually makes only cue difference—il renders the ac( more despicable.

In taking leave of Mr. Fowlds and of this" discussion, will you give mo space for one j or two remarks more? It i- an interesting I question to consider whether or not civilisation would have been advanced by the public ownership of all laud. it is quite true that the highest civilisation known to us in various countries has arisen under the opposite principle, but were it possible, to make the experiment it would Ixi watched with great interest. Was if. over possible to have tried it, in New Zealand? 1 very much doubt it. The pioneers who make, colonies are not usually of a doctrinaire typo; they are for doing thing.-: as occasion arises, and tig their I necessities dictate. The instinctive love of | land is always a potent factor in colonyi nuking; it is one of those great force? of I human nature that move men to fill up thy j waste, places of the earth. If 'hose who cono : later think something else, should have been I done, the way is plainly open to them. Buy j out the present owners at a fair price. Less I than that must be unjust. If Mr. Fowlds i and those who agree with him will advocate, I that they will find the subject discussed I freely enough. I believe it to be so difficult ' as to amount to a practical impossibility. I lint because a thing is difficult is no reason ' why its attainment or advocacy should be by way of shameless wrong.—J am, etc., .1. H. UtTO.NT. THE LATH GOVERNOR HOBSON'S TOMBSTONE. 'in TIl'K BDITOK. Sir,—While waiting opposite the ceme- ! tery the other d:iy to obtain another glimpse ; of their Royal Highnesses. ! could not help ! recalling to my memory many of the events ; of the last 59 years—tho ups and downs, ' the hopes and .fears, joys and tears—and on ' turning into the cemetery to look on the i grave of New Zealand's first Governor (Cap • tain W. Hobson), where 1 had stood when ' a child by his open grave in .September, ' 1842, I was pained to see that the date and I inscription Mere almost uudiseomibie. Per- | mit me to surest that on this auspicious I occasion of the. Royal visit our present I Mayor (Dr. .1. Logan Campbell), who is one of the few still remaining who in yep-; ember, I 1842, followed the remains of the able ami I amiable Governor Hobson to their last rest-ing-place, should, on behalf of the city, j renovate the inscription, etc. The majoritj j of tho people of this colony, who probably ! have never heard, of Governor Hobson. and j the few who have almost forgotten him, ; do not adequately appreciate, nor are thej ! aware of, how much we and our oomitrj j are indebted to him for some of his timely i acts and shrewd administration in the founding of this our colony.—! am. etc., ; Manurewa, .June 13. Robert White. SINGLE TAX. TO TUB BDITOK. Sir,—From what I can make out from the ! arguments of the single tax devotees, they : seem to base all their arguments on two ! factors merely, land and labour. But as the ! wriggling of a. bag of eels is as nothing j compared with their slippery sinuosities, I I am probably entirely wrong ill regard to the ; ground they take lip. We almost want a . new dictionary written to make any sense out ; of most of their letters - . ; Land of itself is of no value whatever, with- ; out labour. land and labour are of no value i without capital. Land, labour, end capital are ! of no value without enterprise. Laud., labour. ! capital, and enterprise are of no value withj out demand; and land, labour, capital, enteri prise and demand are of no value without i government. The-'! six factors make up our I system of modern civilisation. You cannot I touch one of them without touching thorn i all. If any one of them is unjustly taxed or | hampered, all of the others immediately are i taxed or hampered out of sympathy with th« ! body corporate, in direct proportion to their ! individual importance. If you enslave one, ! yon enslave the lot. If you destroy one, you j destroy the lot. I'lnch one is ruled in its own ) class by the inexorable law of supply and j demand.. Kaeh one must be allowed to ie- ! eeivo its own dues, or the whole body will j perish. I.an'! must be rewarded with proper i treatment, or it becomes useless. Labour, : cap: ami demand get their reward in j prices current. Government go!- its reward ! in enough cash to meet its requirements, and j enterprise has an uncertain reward, mainly made up of goodwill and improved values. , It is enterprise which the single tsxers are [ attempting to destroy. If you destroy enter- : prise, yon destroy your all. Any country | that does this will soon cry out' with the ! prophet Isaiah. "How long, 0 Lord!" and j the answer will be the same, "Until the ; eiiies are without inhabitant and tin; houses j without man, and the land utterly desolate." j --I am, etc., Iconoclast.