CORRESPONDENCE BRITISH TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1929, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE

BRITISH TRADE.

(To the Editor). Sir,—Just as Christians in all ages have confused Christianity with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth with what is not Christianity, so have you confused the causes with what is not the cause of dislocation in British trade. It is no argument to assert there is a struggle between Capital and Labour. What is Capital? Capital is that part of wealth utilised to facilitate the production of more wealth. “Capital is not a primary factor in production. It comes into being when the wealth- that labour has obtained from the land is used to produce more wealth, when roots and grain -that have been collected are used for planting and sowing, when animals that have been captured are used for breeding and milking, and when natural objects are made into weapons and implements/’ ('Edward Jenks, A History of Politics; page 22, 43., 1900). What is Labour? Labour is the injunction passed upon man when he is born; it emplies that no man shall eat bread in the sweat of another man’s brow. Sir William Petty defined Labour as the father of all wealth, and land the mother. To illustrate, there is no struggle between capital and labour, but labour and capital versus land monopoly. I submit the following evident-, which was used by the Liberal Party in their days when they were led by Campbell Bannerman to victory, viz., that the owners of Bardyke’s Colliery, Coatbridge, Scotland, expended £375,000 with the best mining brains in Scotland and the miners, etc., were of the best type found in the mining world, developed a typical area of the Clyde coalfield to produce 1000 tons in 8 hours, but they could not make it pay, because the landlord wanted too high a royalty for doing nothing. To-day, in Britain, land monopoly is the enemy. The landlord reaps where he never sows. The Lord Advocate said, speaking on the Scottish De-rating Bill in the House of Commons bn February 20, 1929. “I do not want to argue at length whether a benefit like this ultimately comes to the landlord or not. My humble view is that it certainly docs.” Sir, this testimony of a member of the Baldwin Government, who is one of the ablest lawyers in Britain, in effect admits that the relief of rates on agricultural land robs the community of £12,000,000 a year, and enriches the landlords by a capital value of i 240 000. It is in this way, by inflating the monopoly price, that tlu farm land of Britain has gone out steadily from use, and the unemployed numbers increased. The Baldwin Government’s policy was to support landlordism, not industry. That was the major cause of its defeat. Robbery (miscalled safeguarding) is in the last analysis a tariff system which failed under the banner of the late Joseph Chamberlain, and was not supported by forty members of Baldwin’s party in the first division of the House of Commons, owing to it acting like a boomerang. When Adam Smith was laboriously compiling facts and supposed facts (as many are doing to-day) for the cause of poverty, a son of the soil, the ploughman bard", Robert Burns, solved the problem when he wrote:

“See yonder poor, o’erlaboured mite, So abject, mean, and vile, 1 9 Who begs a brother of the earth, To give him leave to toil, And see his lordly fellow worm The poor petition spurn, Unmindful though a weeping wife And helpless off-spring mourn.” Far away from universities, attending to his Mother Earth, Robert Burns connected unemployment, poverty, war and strikes with the root cause —land monopoly. The question arises, are we to sit with our arms folded and say nothing can be done? Most certainly not. There is a true and natural way—it is to take the taxes of trade and industry, by collecting what the late Lord Oxford called commercial value —the rents of soil.

The late Lord Strathclyde, said, in supporting land values and taxation: “The land is the free gift of the Creator to mankind and does not owe its existence to men. It is limited in quantity. It is necessary for our existence; it is necessary for production; it is necessary to us when we wish to trade. Land does not owe its value to anything which its owner chooses to put upon it. Lan<l owes its value entirely to the presence, activity and expenditure of the community. Land cannot be carried away, and cannot be concealed. These are • valuable and unique Dualities in the eye of a taxgather. Does any man know of any other commodity which possesses all the characteristics? Yet some people say that land is the same as any other commodity. It is a hopelessl - fallacious assertion. In conclusion, should Ramsay McDonald and company desire to abouish unemployment let "them car' - y free trade to the logical issue—freedom of production and exchange by abolishing all taxes, save the collection of ground rents. — I am, etc., A SUIT OF THE SOIL. Tangarakau. July 20.

OPUNAKE HARBOUR. Sir, —There appears to be a considerable difference of opinion existing as to the advisability or otherwise of spending another £20,000 on the Opunake harbour, but I do think that even, the most bitter opponents of the scheme would agree to the expenditure if they could be convinced that such expenditure would (1) make the port a workable one in all weathers for coastal shipping; and (2) enable sufficient revenue to be made to alleviate the present oppressive rate. On important question is whether if the mole is extended to 900 feet, thus making the port an all-weather one, the wharf accommodation as it is at present stands anything which will' or may alleviate their burden. The country ratepayer pays about three farthings in the pound and the town ratepayer 2 : }d in the pound, so that it is readily seen who is hit hardest by the rate. However, my suggestion is that with a view to showing those opposed to the proposed loan (amongst whom I must confess I am to be found) that the estimates and figures placed befo.e us are genuine, and to be relied on, some outside authority, such as the Public Works Department, or the Marine Department, be called in to investigate the estimates and figures, and to substantiate them, if correct. Simply ask that the facts and' figures as placed before us be verified. —I am, etc., “NOT A TOREADOR.” Opunake, July 23. FITZROY SEASIDE PARK. Sir,—The time has now arrived for our annual appeal for funds for carrying on the work of improving the above named park. In this connection I would like to make it known that Mr. H. Dearnley has been appointed official canvasser for the society and he will issue a, receipt for all donations handed to him. As is well known, good -work has been done at this park during the past year or two, but a lot remains to be done, for which funds are urgently required. Trusting that the public will respond liberally, —I am, etc.,

W. N. STEPHENSON. (Published by arrangement).