SINGLE-TAX V PROTETION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3163, 1 October 1892, Page 2

SINGLE-TAX V PROTETION.

10 TUB EDITOH. .Sir, —I think the majority of your readers will have, perused with ploism-.; tlio moderate «nd thoughtful .utiele fi n : the pen of Mr Thomas H. Wliit-j, which appeared under the above lia.-idinpr, in your issue (if the 24th. Bat while, curdi-.lly acquiescing in some of the soniiiii.'nts expressed therein, it. appears t> me thnt ninny of the theories and views sidv'ic iled by Mr White are, if not nnsomid, q'lito, inipplicable to our cireuinslanees. In referring to democracy, Mr White >ays : "Cer.aioly democracy may miss its tn.irk for iMod, where the people :ir« not ediicate-l and taught to think." 1 respectfully contend, thiit democracy, if we are t> jmbe by tlio actions of its ullies. th-i Labour Unions, and of its IVliam-'iitary ivpivseiihitives has nearly always niissen its murk. Til'; i prison probaMy In that they, f-11.■ bad-is, have judged their by tl eir power to -bs'.rr.ct commeico and trade, a':d have further failed to reilwe, that in the majority of ti:■<! ■ di-put- , --, noniin.illy bot.vucn theni«i)h-i\< :ui'l tl'" : r eini lovers, they n'B'fi in reality fighting, not loc:il eap'iMl bur f.,rei2ii labour, the vnlun of 1-iliOiir, iis 1 t;\l<o it, brins: pr it-tic illy niled, not by 'leni'icra'iu i»it tiy thu value of its pr i-.luc'.s in the world's niaikets, and thesii an , ci'couistances, over which this f'lnny or indeed t'ie whole i.f the c- loriips may b a said 11 haw very little control. When deiii"!-]- u:y l.a< leiirnt to look further nhn-nl than iu iner.jly letrislntinK for temporary cl-i*s ;iiiv;i»t la , ' , ", aii'l slnivvs le.'s disposition ti hamui-r and rcstiict their uatioiinl indostiis, it tiny lecorne. as Mr While remarks "a hea'thy tree lie»rinpf £ood fruit." In his leference to a Land-tax v. Cnstotii- duties, Mr White se-n,.s to have over-looked the po-ition >.f the colony. Fir-t, in lvspiirt to the enormous sum am.u illy required, afti r μ-iyinsr the cost of Governuv-nt, to meet interest "ii borrowed monev, and secondly, in respect to our in innfactiirinjj imiii-tnes. In our present' p-isition, which I am willinn to admit, is largely due t i reckless :ulittitii^tr.ition in the past, a lan I tix sufficient to cover all re'piireu ents wn-ild !>■' simply c nifiscation (of land values) and c n eipienlly, crossly I'nju.-t. Whiie at the same time a certain amount of protection in the form of Customs duties, seems in the face of a universal tendency in that dnvcti >n, to bo aim- st a necessity. This s'liins to have impressed the. preat Salisbury, whose nth ranres upon the subject are still c;t | isini» n profoiniil i>l Kngland. These substantially were : " That in the face of hostile tariffs all o>er the world, devis d mainly for the puniosn of shutting out I'ritisli lnnnnfncturtv, and of a marked decadence in British agricul-

tural and iii'liistrinl activity, iiwincr to Kiikliiml's (loffincßlc-'s piisitiuii, it was In-cinnin? a rjupstinn whetlier Sdinn liudilicntiun of a purely free trale policy should net h.i ndnjited. lam furpr-Ncd that Mr White did not make s<.iiu> reference to feder.itiim as almost the only means nf olit:i.inine an ititei-c"l"nial, and perhat.s iiitiiuately an intfiinntiimal system "f free trade. It is in this direction :iNo that tho rpie.-tinn of snpprnniMiixtion may b: discussed. Mr Wlutfi iidvi.catos that uiidci , an alnmst frns tariff the whole of any import duties should £0 towards :\"superannuation fund for the asied and indigent In the question of superannu ition it will, I suppose, bo Rciiorally a )mitt>'d that tha indnsti-i r.is and thrifty ar-; not, and ni'vor will be, in need of such a fund, ft is tin? extr.ieav.-int and lazy \vh". in advanced years, are usually found stianded upon tlio

shores of pauperism, and it would b? difficult to devise any system of tiix.-i'inii which will better entitle them, when .-o sitmited, I to claim the public iwist-tnco tluin tliut of the Customs duties. I'udrr it nl', no matter how reckless or improvident, may I fiiirly be siid to contribute aim >.-t from the cra/110 to the eravp, and it muht In- a'M.'d that it is about the oi;ly f,,nii < f taxation under which certain - 1 : L -sc-■ ~f homrurtv can be c minelled to c< <nt; iM.'e an vthini: at all. Still I qttit-i :i>,'ive wir'i Mr Wliit-3 that under the Cast mis t!i • I.md occapant with a Uu'je fainih' enn s . (}' tic iv n'-l. The difficulty >« to «•<> .-ir «->v . .« »< the wood without it. Mr wi.j- m-ii U a fine one, but shall w« «it .. ••• i\ . r must it be an Mrs IWant put.-- it. " |; c f..ic we can reach u higher stifeof -ocih ty we must have a uobler race of !,.iui ,n bails':" —I am, &c., .R C.