POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9116, 15 May 1891, Page 2

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

(Fbom Odb Own Cobiiespondent.) Wellington, May 14, A LAND AND INCOME TAX. It is authoritatively stated that the Government scheme for a change in the incidence of direct taxation will include (1) a tax on the unimproved value of land with exemption up to £500, and (2) an income tax of 6d in the pound on all incomes exceeding £300 per annum. MORE RETRENCHMENT. The head office staff of tho Government Insurance department is being cat down, and Messrs Knowles, Ludbrook, Gurr, Browne, Malcolm, Dunne, and Fordham (all of whom are clerks in tho department) are to be retired on compensation, which will amount to Eomewhere about £700, while the saving in salaries will be a little over £1200 a year. It is stated that these dismissals comprise the entire changes contemplated in this office. VILLAGE SETTLEMENT. With the view of encouraging settlement on the land, five blocks of 500 to 1000 acres of land, near, the Catlin's river road, are being laid off for special settlements in the hope that the men engaged on tho road works will thus De induced to settle permanently. A similar course will be adopted in other parts of the colony near road works. DUMMYISM. As a great fuss has lately been made about alleged instances of dummyism in the Wellington land district, it may be interesting to mention that at the meeting of the Land Board today, the Chief Commissioner stated that, although there were nearly 1030 settlers on the West Coast, the ranger reported that he had been unable to detect more than two or three cases of supposed dummyism, and that all the Coast settlements were in a thoroughly healthy condition, making most satisfactory progress.