THE COLONIST. Published Daily—Mornings. Nelson, Thursday, August 18, 1892. POLITICAL PARADOXES.

Colonist, Volume XXXV, Issue 7404, 18 August 1892, Page 3

THE COLONIST. Published Daily— Mornings. Nelson, Thursday, August 18, 1892. POLITICAL PARADOXES.

Under this alliterative but somewhat illdefined beading, the Christohuroh ' Press,' Btannohest of the Tory papers, haa a some* i what amusing article, intended to strike terror into the breasts of Mr Ballanoe and ; bis supporters, but which can scarcely be read even by these without a smile. The complaint of our Southern contemporary is > that the Government have ohanged the mode of direot taxation by replaoing the Property tax with an Income and graduated Land tax, and with assertion more bold than true, it i prooeedfl to say that this ohange is most obnoxious to the farmers. If such men as > Sir John Hall, who giidironed the Canterbury lands, and men of his stamp are the only persons viewed by the Ohristohuroh ' Press ' as farmers, and truly these Conservative journals appear to wholly ignore men of moderate means, who are the true baokbone of the oountry - save when their votes are wanted at the time of an eleotion— then may be the allegation is not so wide of the mark. If however the word is used in its ordinary acceptation, as understood in localities where land grabbing has not been carried on, and is intended to apply to the well to do yeoman class as well as the struggling settler who still engaged in subduing the wilderness the statement is simply untrue. Time after time has it been pointed out that the Land tax, which exempts improvements to the extent of £300Q is far preferable to the ordinary farmer than the Property tax whioh only gave an exemption of £500. Bub more than that, the Property tax sent its gatherer to collect dues upon horses, sheep, oattle, implements and even the comforts of the homes whioh are now exempt. The Land tax may impose greater butdens on those who elect to oooupy vast traots of country to the exclusion of genuine eettlera, but it undoubtedly brings relief to the great majority of farmers, and therefore our contemporary is misleading in its assertion. The 'Press' next alleges that the strongest supporters of the ohange have no more personal interest in the change than the man in the moon. Again is he wrong, and doubly wrong- The true farmer class hail the ohange with satisfaction, but the assertion of course means more than this, and aims at those who had not to pay Pro** perty tax, and who will not be called on to pay Land tax. Let us stay, however, to consider whether worthy colonists who are nntouohed by either tax direotly, are not still materially affected by the impoit. Very brief consideration will show that they are. If the smaller farmer is relieved by the later, and we unhesitatingly assert more equitable, form of taxation, he will have increased means for the improvement of his property, and consequently will be enabled to employ more labor. Olp result of this will be that the workman will have an improved prospact, and by his time being more fully oosupied to his own profit, the storekeeper, the artisan, and the merchant will benefit. No doubt it will be contended as against this that the very large estate holder — the only individual whom the ' Press 1 considers to be a farmer— will have something more to pay than heretofore, and that he will therefore be able to employ fewer people than at present. Unfortunately for those who would argue thus, the moderate farmers greatly outnumber the greedy landowners, but amongst these latter how many employ more than the small number of men that will serve their purpose. A northern contemporary recently pointed out the custom of these land monopolists, and gave an illustration concerning one who possesses miles of land, but who employs a shephord, a rouseabout, and a married oouple without encumbrance. We ask is it not to the interest of every man, woman, and child in the Colony, tare those individually affected as the lockers up of the freehold, that our system of taxation and our laws in general should discounteuanoe thosa who block the way to true and permanent progress ? We fail to see that there it) any paradox here, but if there be, it is one of those happy ones which must over' throw the errors of those who are both selfish and blind,