FARMERS’ HARDSHIPS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 749, 23 August 1929, Page 10

FARMERS’ HARDSHIPS

CRITICISM OF LAND TAXATION DEPRESSION OF VALUES (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter} PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Friday. Strong criticism of the Government’s attitude in imposing land taxation was uttered in the House of Representatives tonight by Mr. D. Jones (MidCanterbury), who stressed the hardship on farmers, saying that in North Canterbury alone 395' farmers would be affected. Mr. Jones expressed amazement that the Prime Minister was not going to pay any heed to the representations of the farmers on the question of taxation. The farmers* conference had protested strongly about the question. He contended that different sets of figures were being produced almost every day regarding the number of farmers affected by the taxation proposals. The Budget figures assumed that the farmer had the whole of his land paid for. He would emphasise that there was a large number of big estates in New Zealand which could not be cut up economically. What the Reform Party provided for in its no-confidence motion was that there should be first a proper classification of land. It appeared that it would become a crime to have large holdings, and that there would be no security in land, concluded Mr. Jones. Anything which would reduce land values was adversely affecting farmers, large and small.