LAND TAX

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 219, 15 September 1928, Page 22 (Supplement)

LAND TAX

THE FARMERS’ BURDEN STARTLING figures. Some rather startling figures in regard to land tax were quoted by Mr H. D. Acland, president of the New Zealand Sheep Owners’ and Farmers’ Federation, in moving the adoption of the eighteenth annual report on Wednesday. “As showing the gross injustice of the land tax on many farmers,” he said: “1 quote the following figures which, 1 feel sure, will be sufficient to demonstrate not only the high cost of production, but also the iniquitous effect of the land tax as applied to the farming community in many eases. The figures ere in relation to the income earned by a sheep run of approximately 4000 acres of hill country, and comparatively easily worked, and not far from the big centre, and only a short distance from the railway. The unimproved value of the property as assessed by the Government valuers for taxation purposes is approximately £60,000, and the capital value for the same purpose is set at £69.000. If the cash represented in the capital value of this property were invested in debenturs earning 5 per cent., the return to the owner would be £3450 per annum, and the income tax payable even on the highest basis would be approximated 5s in the £, or a total of £862 10s. For taxation purposes, continued Mr Acland, the unimproved value was set down at £58.890, and the capital value at £69,010, with the following results:—

“The total net income for eight years w r as £4497, and the avertge net. income per annum was £562,” he said. * ‘The average land tax per annum came to £lO7l. and the average local rates amounted to £316. It will be seen from the above figures that taking the income tax on the highest basis, viz., approximately 5s in the £. this farmer has paid at least eight times more than he would have been asked to pay had he been subject to the highest gradual <‘d income tax.” “You will have noticed,” concluded Mr Acland, “that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr H. E. Holland, suggested in Parliament recently that the farmer should be made to pay not only land tax, but income tax as well. If Mr Holand went on the land he would, J feel sure, in the course of a year or two have reason to alter his views materially, ami he would certainly, in my opinion, be more sympathetic to the farmer. ’ ’

TANNING ON THE FARM

TREATMENT OF SKINS A SIMPLE METHOD. Farmers frequently have skins which they desire to tan and use. The following directions for the treatment ,of the skins were recently given at an agricultural bureau meeting in South Australia— Take the stos to be tanned, preferably fresh from the carcass, or if dry soak them in water until they become soft. Remove the hair by making a lime wash consisting of two shovelfuls of lime and eight gallons of water. Stir the wash and put in the skins; leaving them standing for two or three days, and the hair will come off by scraping with a piece of board. Take a kerosene tinful of fresh fowl droppings, and add two tinsful of water. Place the skins in the solution and allow them to stand for 12 hours to “kill the lime.” Next remove the skins from the lime bath and wash them. The

removal of fat, meat, etc., should be done with a blunt-edged tool; an old scythe blade makes an ideal tool if ground over on a grinding stone. Place the skins on a smooth oval surface and work the tool in a diagonal direction, and when thoroughly clean place the skins in the tan. Making The Tan. Take a new kerosene tin, half fill it with ground or finely chopped wattle bark, fill the tin with water, and stand on a slow lire until it comes to the boil. Allow it to cool off. and then strain through a piece of hessian into a '■lean barrel. Add clean, cold water until the liquid becomes the colour of very weak tea; then put in the skins, taking care to sec that, they sink below the surface. After a day or two add more tan, and after the first week the strength of the tan can be increased until it has the appearance of fairly strong tea. One lot of bark can be boiled two or three times. Leave the skins in the tan until the tan has penetrated right through. To ascertain this, <-ut the edges of the skins with a knife. Always use earthenware or wooden vessels —good, clean hogsheads being the best and most convenient. Do not allow the skins to touch iron, because this will burn and spoil the leather. Furs can be tanned as above, except that the lime and fowl manure are omitted. Place the cleaned skins straight into the tan liquor, and turn the skins while in the tan once a day. After tanning, wash the skins thoroughly in one or two waters or a running stream. For leather, lay them out on a flat surface, flesh side up, and smear fairly thickly with equal parts of neatsfoot oil and mutton fat melted together. Allow them to remain until the skins are soft enough so that they will not crumple, then hang the skins over a straight stick in the shade. They can be left until .fairly dry, when they should be placed on an oval surface, and the hair side rubbed w’ith a piece of deal board. After hanging up for a day or two the skin is ready to use as leather. Furs should be taken ■ ut of the tan, placed flesh side down, ami smoothed out. A cement floor will prove most useful for this purpose. The skins can be left until sufficiently stiff that they do not crinkle, and then turned over and left until quite dry. To soften and put a nice face on the skins, nib the flesh side with a scythe or emery stone.

The annual review of the Aberdeen Ajigus Cattle Society of Great Brittain, a copy of which is just to hand, indicates that the breed has had a good year. Not only has the popularity of the black cattle increased in the Old Country, but all the Dominions have expressed every confidence in the Aberdeen Angus from the point of view of local conditions. The markets in England and Scotland have suffered during the year with others, but there has been a steadiness and stability about the sales that augurs well for the future. Similar conditions obtain m the various societies of this breed that have been formed in almost every part of the Empire, and also in America, North and South. The jubilee of the society will be celebrated in February of next year.

Expenditure Year ExpendiReceipts. ture. £ £ including:— Local Land rates tax. £ £ 1920-21 .. 12,127 8549 300 1128 1921-22 . . 6.912 5746 .; / 8 1277 1922-23 .. 6.301 8866 378 1207 1923-24 .. 8,280 8591 331 1078 1924-25 .. 11,280 6810 296 909 1925-26 .. 6,335 8289 309 1008 1926-27 .. 4,560 6509 305 1059 1927-28 .. 7.801 5739 232 903 Totals £63,590 £59,099 £2529 £8569