The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1907. NOTES AND COMMENTS

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 2774, 24 July 1907, Page 4

The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1907. NOTES AND COMMENTS

It is always interesting and instructive to note the opinions of intelligent visitors to this colony. Their views on political and other matters, in a general sense, are not biased, and therefore worthy of acceptation. Of such a character are the remarks of Professor Jordan, who, hailing from the band of B>tars and Stiipes, recently visited New Zealand. In his published impressions he rightly ascribes ou- prosperity to the fact that we have the best markets in the world for our dairy products, our mutton and wool.

He deplores the destruction of our valuable forests and touches a weakness when, after praising our clean sport, ho says i sport New Zealand has more men who are merely ‘sporty’ than she should have if she kept up her reputation as a leader. Her reputation will suffer if professional lootball becomes a permanent industry.”

On the subject of politics lie expresses views similar to those frequently promulgated in these columns. He says: ‘‘l think that there is too much ‘politics’ in New Zealand. Men who can afford to give their whole time for £3OO per year cannot have much business of their own, for this sum represents the earning of professional failure. And hcVe 1 make, with your kind permission, a serious criticsm. The groat affairs of New Zealand demand, or will soon demand, the highest skill of statesmen. Statesmen are trained in universities just as engineers are or should be.

They are trained by practical studies in political science, in economics. and in tiie history of legislation in the self-governing countries of modern times. A trained student of statecraft is just as much superior to an ordinary legislator as a trained engineer is superior to an ordinary machinist. Yet not one of the universities of Australasia gives an instruction worth the name in any of the studies on which statecraft depends.”

In giving his views ot the effects of toe new Customs tariff, as applied to imported hoots and shoes, ail Auckland hootseller said that the very high class of goods would not he affected. hut the medium and lower class g: oils would have varying rises from HI to 25 per cent. Evening shoes, tennis shoes, and gymnasium shoes, could not he made in the colony. and they would have to rise in price hv 20 to 25 per cent., and this would be almost prohibitive. * The curious point about the new tariff ill relation to the !>oot trade was that the big protection was put on goods that were not made in New Zealand. The heavy type of boot, such as is greatly used in the country, was not affected, because the finest work of that kind was done in New Zealand, aiul even if it were duty iree the trade would not he affected, liecause New Zealand made the iiest article.

The good type ot hoot and shoe generally used tor city wear was increased in cost by five per cent.. The worst feature ot all was in the case of house slippers, and the ordinary lines of felt slippers now sold at Is tid per pair. On these lines (id and 15 per cent would have to he (laid, which would raise the price very greatly. Men’s evening shoes now paid Is 3d duty, hut under the new tariff they would pay 2s (id per pair: ladies’ shoes now sold at Ills fid would he increased to 12s fid, and slippers sold at price by fid per pair. It is evident that much more tinkering with the Customs tariff will take place before it becomes workable.

The new graduated land tax is being severely criticised by the independent journals ol the colony, and this is not surprising, in view .of the fact that, it, is twenty-live per cent, heavier between unimproved values ranging from £SOOO to £IO,OOO, and beyond £IO,OOO almost double in tact, its confiscatory character is perfectly astounding.

As our well-conducted contemporary, tin Wnirnrapu Daily Times, points .out : “In principle a graduated tax is a robbery, and one wrong will breed others in the natural course of event's."

“The graduated tax," our content, porary adds, “is a vicious stupid levy, which answers no useful purpose. If a large estate lie required for subdivision info small farms, it should ho taken directly in an open, straightforward fashion, mid not directly by political sappers and miners. ( loser settlement is very desirable in tins

I electorate, but it snould not be seI cured by underhand and indirect j methods. The new graduated tax j will probably come into law during l the present session; but it is not a I measure than can be justified by, say, tlie Ten Commandments, or any other accepted moral code.” This consider, at ion does not weigh with the socialists in the big centres of population, and it is to this class that the Ward Government is evidently pandering.