MR BRUGH'S DENIAL. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9904, 24 November 1893, Page 4

MR BRUGH'S DENIAL. TO THE EDITOR.

Sih,—Evidently Mr Brugh will not bs pleased about the Catholic promise episode; so let it pass. But he cannot shuffle out of his statements of last night at Tapanui, and the report of his speech in your valuable journal of yesterday. Mr Brugh said: "Stout reduced the property tax when he took office from Id to £d." Was that so ? Well, the statutes of the colony show the contrary. In 1883 the property tas was fd in the pound. Stout, according to his own statutes of 1885, levied id in the pound; in 1886, 13-16ths of a penny; and was defeated in 1887 because he wanted to increase the tax to l£d in the pound. So much for that niisstatement, Mr B. Now, he also said that Atkinson donbled the property tax when he took office in 1887. Let us:see how that will stand the test of truth. In 1886 Stout raised by, property tax £326,000. If Atkinson doubled it he should have had £652,000, but he had nothing of the sort. The ■ Financial Statements show that the highest Atkinson ever took from property taxation was nearly £300,000 less than that sum. Mr Brugh also says that Atkinson raised by extra direct and indirect taxation nearly half a million. Atkinson's highest year was only £93,000 above Stout's 1886 year's revenue from these sources. I shall pass by such remarks, as it is a wise thing to remit taxation when you are facing a deficit. If Mr Brugh is not past taking advice, my counsel to him is " Stick to the truth; for great is truth, and it must prevail."—l am &c, November 22. Win Faib.