MR SEDDON ON TAXATION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1869, 10 February 1892, Page 4

MR SEDDON ON TAXATION.

Speaking at the Lawrence banquet to the Minister of Lands on the night of the 18th instant, the Minister of Public "Works, whilst defending the taxation proposals of the Government, said there must be a finality to them, for without it disaster would follow, and the Government had determined that there should be finality, that the tax should not be raised from Id to 6d, as their opponents had prophesied, but that it should remain at Id. Such language as this coming from the strongest member of the Government is reassuring, but it is diametrically opposed to the views expressed on previous occasions by the Premier and the Minister of Education. The former has repeatedly declared that this was "only the thin end of the wedge." The latter, when the Bill was before the House, menacingly asserted that if was " only the finger of warning held up to lai'ge property owners." Why the change of tune now ? Have Ministers become alarmed at the wholesale withdrawal of capital caused by their vague menaces ? Has Mr Seddon's trip with Lord Onslow improved his political education? Or was it because he was addressing a meeting in a country town that the Hon. Eichard John spoke in such moderate language? Did he suit bis opinions to '

I the tastes of his auditors P In all seriousness, however, we may say that despite his loud manner and louder talk, we have always regarded Mr Seddon as Ghe most solid man in the Ministry — the man who was most likely to put s the brake on the wild schemes of theoretical faddists like the Premier or mere place-and-popu-larity hunters like the Minister of Education. Has Mr Seddon now put on the brake? Was his language sincere, or was he only "talking to Buncombe?" Time will tell.— Wellington " Press."