A PROGRESSIVE LAND TAX.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 166, 22 May 1879, Page 2

A PROGRESSIVE LAND TAX.

Many profound thinkers—tho foremost among them being John Stuart Millcontend that the State should not allow a single acre of land to become private property. They point out that under existing systems of dealing with land a time must f sooner or later arrive when all the land in the world will become alienated; and that when that era has been reached, the many millions of men and women who do not possess any land will be on the face of the earth only by sufferance. These contentions are, no doubt, indisputably true. If every inch of the earth's surface had become private property the owners thereof would have a legal right to expel all others as trespassers. Such action is, of course, not likely to be taken. But it is contrary to the very essenso of liberty to permit such a result to bo possible. The remedy is for the State not to sell its land but to lease it. Were this course adopted, once it got into full operation the necessity for Customs and Excise duties, and indeed for all State taxation whatsoever would cease. The income derived by the State from the rental of its estate would be quite sufficient to carry on efficiently all the functions of Government. This latter view would be an irresistible argument in favor of the leasehold system were it now possible to introduce that system. But in all the civilized countries of the world a very large area of the public estate has been alienated, and the first step to be taken would have to be to compel the owners of land to sell it again to

the State at certain fixed prices'. This difficulty would bo practically insuperable. Hence the theory of malting all land leasehold is utopinn, and consequently it must be abandoned by practical statesmen. The next best thing to having no private land would be to set up every possible

barrier to prevent any individual from acquiring it largo estate. The most efficient means that wo are aware of would be a

progressive land tax, based not on acreage but upon value. Let the man who has £IOOO worth of land pay one per cent., the man who has £2OOO worth pay two per cent., and so on. We do not mean to say that £IOOO worth should be the minimum or that one per cent, would be tho most just rate. We merely cite these ficures by way of illustration. Besides being an excellent barrier against the accumulation of vast estates, this progressive

lax would have many other recommendations—foremostamongthemboingabsolute fairness. Taxation of some kind is an indubitable necessity in all civilized com-

munities. The functions of Government cannot be carried on without money. All taxation should be based on equality of

sacrifice. Whatever property a man possesses beyond what is necessary to enable him to live comfortably is fairly liable to taxation. The man who has £2OOO worth of land is surely as-well/Me. to pay £4O to the State as the man possessing only one £IOOO worth is able to pay £lO. This principle of basing all taxation on equality of sacrifice is so manifestly just, that only the huge power of wealth could have prevented its universal adoption ere now.—Chronicle.

Probably in no city of Europe is there so much financial and social distress as there is now in Berlin. The milliards which Germany exacted from France after , the war and its becoming the Imperial capital would, it was thought, greatly benefit tlio city; but just the reverse lias happened. Things seem, in the last eight years, steadily to have grown much worse. Apart from the number of unemployed persons there—estimated at 40,000—hundreds and luuidcds of men have been ruined by speculation, and there is more or less suffering among all classes. Well educated citizens who, before the war had incomes of 80,000 to 00,000 marks, who fared sumptuously, and were among tlio envied of society, are now impoverished and compelled to earn a pittance by acting as legal copyists. Prices of living liavo rapidly increased, and Berlin is now one of the most expensive and least satisfactory oi the Old World Capitals. This is partly owing to the great increase of population, and the difficulty of getting homes at anything like reasonable rates. There are now, it is reported, more than 1,000,000 souls in the city, an augmentation since 1871 of 200,000, and since 1801 of 550,000. On account of the enormous rents, vast numbers have been driven to abide under ground, fully onetenth of the entire population, or 200,000, being crowded together in cellars in a way that is most hurtful to them physically and morally. The condition of things, judging from private letters, is very painful, and deteriorating rather than improving, and the political troubles add materially to the prevalent distress, Frenchmen who want their revenge should study the present actual status of Berlin. The weekly meeting of the Baptist conference was held on January 25, and tlio Rev, Dr. D. C. Potter, of the sixth-street Baptist Church, read a paper on the Roman Church in Europe. Dr. Potter spoke principally of what the Roman Catholic Church is doing and of the impression that Church is creating throughout Europe. It lias been said for many years that theßomanChurch is losing its power over the masses of Europe, but Dr. Potter denied that this was so. Romanism was not dead, and he candidly believed that it had jusitygfin to live. Its power, vigor, and life are manifested in many things. They are seen in the ordinary care of its vast cathedrals and in the hastening of long delayed works, During the last ten years two million dollars had been spent on the Cathedral of Cologno under the special patronage cJi the Emperor of Germany. Throughout Europe lie expected to see nothing but decay, but he was greatly disappointed, The power and vitality of the: Romish Church were further shewn, Dr. Potter said, in tlio , great congregations which gather in its places of worship, in the devotion of the worshippers, in the exhibition by the Church of a true Catholic spirit, and in i the wonderful adaption of the Church to ' the necessities of the,times and to modern methods of work. In conclusion Dr Potter said: " I believe that the work of the , future is to be the reformation of tliS\ Roman Catholic Church, for' that is all it i needs. Their grand' doctrines are substantially the same as those of the Baptist I Church. Protestantism in its aggressive work does not anywhere shew such proofs , of foresight, earnestness, and devotion a3 does the Catholic Church, "—New York Horald,