DERATING OF FARM LANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20597, 23 June 1930, Page 12

DERATING OF FARM LANDS.

Sir, —I notice some representatives pfjj tho motorists are accusing the farmers ol attempting to evade just responsil bilities. Well, I should like these gentl? 1 men to consider my own case. I canno'l afford a car and on the few occasions thalj I ride on the roads I usually ride on the* grass on the roadside to save my horse'a feet, so you see I wear out very little road metal. Yet I pay £7O a year ill rates on a 800-acre sheep run and myi rates are going up and np each year. Ini ridontally, a tax of lid a' gallon on benzino would do a lot to solve two very important problems in New Zealand at the present time. Firstly, it would lessen the huge loss on railways, as there would be no fear of motors competing fully against the railways if they had to maintain the roads they use, as the railways have to. Secondly, by relieving land of its heavy burden of rates it would do more than any amount of talking to encourage land settlement and thereby relieve unemployment. From a national standpoint I think every unbiased person would admit that^g-increased tax is advisable, but whether the farmers are sufficiently organised to meet the strong opposition of the motoring interests resmains to be seen. However, we have the assurance of no less a personage than tho Hon. W. D. Stewart that wo are on veiy sound ground. Back-block.ek. V