RANDOM NOTES.

Western Star, 7 February 1922, Page 2

RANDOM NOTES.

In a communication to the editor : of the Southland News, the wellknown Invercargill solicitor, Mr' W. Y. H. Hall,, wrote, as follows:—The , following advertisement which appears in our railway carriages is not too highly complimentary to the newspaper press of New Zealand: "Passengers are requested to hand to the guard for distribution in the asylums disused newspapers, etc.'" Or does it mean that all the sane people are locked) up and the cranks at liberty? the latter view might * account for many things which the public' is expected by the Government and others to swallow nowadays and ; ask for ft ■ • mere. . . \ . \ '* * * | ' '■' Mr Hall's sally recalls one of the' really interesting subjects served up recently for the breakfast -table by, * the Sydney newspapers. This was' the 'adventures of a- State at a mental asylum in New South Wales. There he found some of the „ inmates/so agreeable, after his parliamentary' experiences, that he cheered the patients by reminding them that, "most of the sane people are here,; >■ and the others are at Parliament House." Many people, declared, the Sydney /press, had suspected this for some time. It was only in keeping that an aggrieved inmate, who desired to be released immediately, should have emphatically exclaimed, "Hear, hear," to the minister's profound judgment.* It was an English poet who set out to show that "there is pleasure sure in'being mad; which none but madmen /know." Mr Lloyd I George tells the story ithat on. one occasion, when passing an asylum, a patient, leaning over the wall, asked ,' hi'm his littiiiG. When he said "Lloyd George," the dnmate, with a laugh, replied: "Come insidie; there are three Lloyd Georges here." . ; ! - ..'**•*'■'

i A remarkable decision, of the Com- ■ missioner of Taxes- that soldiers' peni fcions are unearned! income for tax • purposes was brought to the' notice i of the Premier by Colonejc Mitchell, ; who suggested; that there could be > nothing better earned than a military \ (pension. Mr Massey undertook to ■. look into the matter, The thing does * not want riruch looking into. If U, soldier's pension is, according to law, unearned income, then the "Law's an ass." No pension was ever .harder earned. There >is a lot of piffle talked about unearned income. Take the case of two men each earning £5 a week. One spends the whole .of his incoim©; the other £3, and saves £2, making £IOO a year* lit/ time he will amass"" £IOOO, and this i sum invested at 5 per cent, 'will giy/e ■ him an income of £SO a year. This is called unearned income," ' a;id in taxed as such- Commonsenso calls it a tax on thrift, and that it \k taxed shows that law is r not, always based on conunonsense. Income from an investment made by an ancestor ( would jproperly be Called unearned income, ' But for revenue purposes; these fine distinctions cannot bo takeninto consideration. Hence, a soldier's pension, just because it pension for services antecedently rendered, is deemed unearned and taxed—a case of give with one hand! and take with the 'other. i i * *■';; * i When after revenue, many things are called luxuries, and taxed accordingly. But what is, a luxury? This question re-a.p,pear.s every time a govern meiit looks for some new way of raising tho, wind. And when is any government not engaged in that quest? 'Then some man wearing a number ten boot andl a number six: hat rises and shout" "Tax luxuries.'* He does, not look as ;if he wxsre revelling iu too much luxury himself, and on© would rather expect t 6 find a man of his cut demanding to have . the fat things of life made easier to get, not harder. " Yes, that is what we want," re-echo the enthusiastic public, " A luxury tax.'' Every member for everywhere professes a fanatical faith in luxury taxation; j but denounces the luxury of taxation. When 'it comes down to a definition of what is a luxury, snags appear. T 1& only practical definition is that a luxury for taxation purposes means something that only the other fellow uses. "1 don't *moke. Therefore tax tobacco/' "I ion't go to the races. Therefore tax "aces." "I don't play the piano. Therefore tax pianos." A. millionaire--nee df-clared: that starch was a uxury, and struck it out of the list •if farm requisites. Being a millionaire, he could afford to go about ■vithout a collar. Hence, from Ms loint of view, tlie right thiug to "nx' was starch. What is a luxury , vill, sooner or later, have to bp ' bracketed with the conundrum, What • ■s truth? ~ ■ ■ r-DOXAI