TAXATION OF LAND VALUES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 13607, 13 February 1912, Page 6

TAXATION OF LAND VALUES.

At the Poet Office corner on Saturday night, Mr Arthur Withy, of the N.Z. Land Values League, addressed a well-at-tended open-air meeting on the anhjeit ‘Wanted; A Square Deal for Labour.” Mr Withy attributed the prevalent unrest in Labour circles the world over to the tact that the workers felt that they were not jetting a “square deal," that they were not getting their full earnings, hnd that Mm wages they did get would not boy all that they ought to buy. Even in New Zealand was very certain that Labour was not getting its full carnifigs, for as the Hop. Geo. Fowlds had shown ...e “unearned increment," so-called, of latd value in this country had grown during the past 19 or 20 years at the rate of Jff6.000.000 a year, while the annual rental value of the land of Mew, Zealand who leaa than 49,700,000. making a total landlord tribute 416400,000 a year—i.e., 416 per head. Or upwards of 460 per family of five. So loaf aa the idle landlords got such a huge toll without eagniAg. jt, \V was clear that labour could not get ail it earned. It was therefore no wonder rents and prices were high. Labour not only did not get ite full earnings, but, owing to the taxes on houses, on food, and on other necessaries ••ach shilling spent would only buy 8d or 9d worth. Ine Arbittafion Courts and the Conciliation Courts gave the workers higher wages, but they were balanced, and often more than balanced, by kigker rents and higher prices What they wasted was a system {that would give Labour a'"square deal,” that would Secure to Labour every shilling it earned, and under which every shilling would buy a full shilling's worth, Another way' to achieve that was to take the'taxes,'local dad. national, off Labour and Labour products, and tax. land values instead, thus opening : np the land to Labour and forcing up wane to the fall earnings of Labour, The first step should be to add ppotlw Inin the 4 to the land tax, which; ae. Mr ’ FowlAs had shown, would enable. Cherii to cut down Custom* faxes and railway freights as to reduce the cost of living by 18s 9d per head, or 93d 9d per f daily of five. And this would be a gnat relief to the.great bqlk of the land owners of the country, f*- U7.000 out of 150,000 land holders in the 'Dominion had u unimproved value of lees than 4600, so that they woulMpay 41s 8d at the onteide under the *ddit%a»lld on Ike land tax. while 93a 9d under Cuetome tsvre end railway freights. In fact, over 80,000 of the landholders canto under 4300 unimproved value, and would therefore nay SSs only tinder the land Uz, 1 while gaining 93e 9d under Mr Fowlds* other proposals. MV in conclusion, commended these facts' and figures to jthe careful study of the emaQ fanpen pad pther small ia the Dombfen. toany ot ifktnti dbre pjl yfabm to efwg Mjfm. Iks meeT. mg