ENCOURAGEMENT TO FRUITGROWERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1981, 11 February 1892, Page 5

ENCOURAGEMENT TO FRUITGROWERS.

If it is intended to assist and encourage the fruit-growing industry of the colony, which few thinking men will doubt would be a great advantage, there are certainly some points connected with the question which need looking into, and one of the most prominent is the present system of placing heavy taxes upon those who seem disposed to enter into the business. This has been done in eomo counties to a most unwarrantable extent, and arises from the power of county councils to levy local rates. From undoubtedly reliable sources the writer is informed that at Wanganui young and wholly uu-income-producing fruit trees are valued for rating purposes at 2s each, and in a few years (before they have had time to pay more than expenses) the tax is levied upon a basis of 5s per tree. This of course amounts to a prohibitory tax upon any attempt at orchard planting, and it is most unfair when we consider that another farmer may lay out his money upon market garden vegetables, breeding cattle or sheep, or any other jwoperty directly profitable to himself, and of much less value to the colony generally or to posterity, and have no extra valuation made beyoud that of his land. The same ridiculous and very unjust practice is resorted to with those who presume to plant out useful forest trees. The whole management of country matters is very objectionable as it now stands. The levying of rates or the expenditure of the proceeds does not lie with the real property owners, who have to submit to the paying of the rates, and that fact alone i 6 quite bad enough, but when the members of a county council take upon themselves to impose unjust and prohibitory taxes upon the very two industries — orchard planting and forest-tree planting — that deserve above all things to be encouraged, and which industries the Minister of Agriculture has acknowledged the importance of, and specially promised to encourage and protect, it would seem to be about time the matter was inquired into.

WOUXD-BE OUCHABDIST,