LABOUR MEETING

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11659, 25 October 1923, Page 10

LABOUR MEETING

AT THE CONCERT CHAMBER TAXATION AND OTHER MATTERS DISCUSSED. ADDRESS BY MR HOLLAND. V Air H. E. Holland, Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party, addn >.*ed a well-attended Labour meeting at G:o Town Hall Concert Chamber k'.t-l night. Air .A. L. Aloutcith, ALP., prodded; and with him on the platform were Messrs P. Fraser and R. McKccn, M.P.’s, and Mr T. IJriirdlc (president of the New Zealand Labour Party). He had addressed a considerable number of meetings rbnee last session, said Air Holland ; and wherever he had been lie had found a great ami growing sentiment in favour of the Labour Party. (Applause.) The people seemed, indeed, to realise that the Labour Party was the only one that could meet the reactionary Reform Party on the floor of the House, where the Labour members had shown that they were capable of very effective opposition. Condemning the reductions in land and income tax carried by AJr Alassey, Air Holland stated that the Labour Party had stood against any such reductions until the wages of the public servants had been restored to their pre-war purchasing power. HOW LAND IS HELD. He said thac, out of the 000,COO adults in the Dominion, only 150/JCO could be classed as landowners, even if they included every owner of a $-acre section and a worker’s cottage. Put 65,000 of these people owned Jess than an acre apiece. Only about 55.000 landholders paid land tax, while 'only 4602 paid income tax. The last figure included all the big city propertyowners. So that the small farmers, whose taxation the Prime Alinister claimed that he was going to reduce, must have lived in the cities as well as in the country. Of 4602 income taxpaying land-owners, 2-567 had incomes of less than £650 a year; and if there were any small farmers in tho 4602, they must be found amongst the 2567, whose average tax worked out at £6 18s a year. That was the utmost that Air Alassey relieved them of. But-, as a matter of fact, the small farmers were relieved only to the extent of 8s to £3 a year; whereas the owners of the huge estates in town and country were relieved to the tune of four figures or more ; and the big financial institutions benefited immenselv.

“WRITING DOWN PROPERTY AND TAXES.”

According to an answer that the Hon. W. D. Stewart had given to a question asked by Air Lee (Labour member for Auckland East) last seasion, the Tax Department held that if the rate of taxation was raised, a taxpayer would be justified in writing down the value of his property so as to evade taxation; and the annual report of the Bank of New Zealand showed that it had written down the value of its lands and'buildings iu order to write down its taxation. That was a very serious matter for the people of Now Zealand to look into. It might be that the banks .were all doing the same sort of thing. SINGAPORE NAVAL BASE.

Air Holland strongly criticised the British Government’s proposal to spend 1 nine or ten millions on a naval base at Singapore for the battleships which a number of British, American, and German admirals had described as now obsolete and worthless, owing to the new methods of warfare that were coming into vogue. On this account, the New Zealand Labour Party had voted in the House against £IOO,OOO- being set aside as New Zealand’s contribution to that naval baise. They wanted the money ior pensions for the blind, -and increased pensions for the and the widows and orphans. But tne Alassey Government could not find the money for such purposes. Air Wilford had gone away to look after the naval base. (Laughter.) He, of course, supported Air Massey in regard to the matter. It was re markable how often Air Wilford found himself in harmony with Air Alassey \s ideas. (Laughter.) “A SHANDYGAFF PROPOSAL.”

He twitted AH Alassey with being as strongly opposed as Signor Alussolini, the Fascist Premier of Italy, to submitting his party to a real vote of the majority of the people. Tho only difference Ijctween them was that Signor Mussolini had adopted unconstitutional menus, while Air Massey employed constitutional means to thwart the will of the people. He criticised the Prime Alinister’s ‘‘shandygaff proposal,” of proportional representation, which ho (Mr Alassey) .had denounced, together with proportional voting, which he had also denounced. It meant that Air Alaseey would get his fair eharo of representation in the cities; but, in the country districts, where Air Alassey was very much over-represented, the Labour Party would net get its duo pro portion of representation. That was tho sort of electoral reform that tho Liberal leader and his party isnpported; but tho Labour Party would offer it tlio most determined opposition. They wanted majority rule, proportional representation for the whole of New Zealand. tho initiative and referendum, and the abolition of the Upper House; so as to secure a true democracy. (Applause.) A number of questions were asked and answered: and. on the motion of Mr AlcKeen. seconded by Air Brindle, a resolution of thanks to and renewed confidence in Mr Holland was earned unanimously.