The Opelousas courier., 1895-03-02
MI. pRtTTS r.RNar.+.

|e'arJ board OF Trade,
MI. rRATT's RESOLUTIONS.
Moved by Mr.. Pratt, seconded h,. NJ.
franc's McDougal, that the nrasen+
.ss'eih OF taxation discourayes indus.
try and capital, the principal elements
NAT go to build up our %countrs. that
all improvements upon land and aot;,o
capital should be EXEMPT from IA va.
tlon: that land values alone snonld no
tae OASIS OF ali taxation for municinal
purposes: that the Ontario legislature
W petltloned by this board of trade to
empower each or any municipality by
oy-law to exempt the whole or any
percentage Of improvements on land or
the whole OF any percentage of active
capital from taxation.
PRINCIPLES.
The greatest good to the greatest
number For value given value
should be received
Mr.. Pratt said: The above resolution
Is with a view of carrying out the
principles embodied in the savings I
have just quoted. have no doubt. in
bringing about the single tax system,
some would be losers, but the masses
and the country would be benefited
the very few might suffer but the
many would be the gamers thereby.
No change in our laws can be made
that does nol do injury somewhere.
In my opinion the present system of
taxation he's brought upon mar the ex-
IRENE poverty that exists throughout
the civilized world. Under it the rich
are becoming fewer in number. but the
poor are daily increasing, and we
should ask ourselves, whittier are we
drifting and what shall the end be? Ii
our public men do not bring about a
change, the antagonism between cap
ital and labor will eliminate in an up
heaval of society such as the world has
never seen. Let us stop and think ere
it is too late.
Ian VALUES.
For value given value should be re-
ceived." This community has given d
value to this land: has it received any
thing in return? The value of the
land was nothing a century ago: it is
to-day worth. say So, 600, 900 to $40. o0o,-
600 of money. Who gives it that value?
The community in which we live! You
helped to give it and SO did I. Do we
get anything in return for what we
have given it? For value given do we
value get? The laborer is worthy of
his hire, the community should get
what it earns or an equivalent. 1t has
earned in Ottawa eight or ten millions
of money. The city treasurer should
get the eight or ten millions or the in
terest upon II. This is all we ask. Tax
the land and we (thc community will
be only getting what we have justly
earned. If a man puts up good house
in Ottawa or elsewhere he is fined for
it. If a poor man adds a shed or a We
randa to his house he is fined for it as
if it were a crime; just as much as if he
stole a coat from a merchants door
and had to appear in the police court
and get his sentence. The only differ
sncc is this, he is fined annually and
for all time for the building of his
house while he is only punished once
for stealing the coat
Under the present system OF taxation
the men who build up u city are fined
while those who buy a plot of ground and
let others build around them reap the
reward and become rich at the expense
of industry and thrift, giving nothing
back to the community for what the
community gives them, contrary to the
principle: .For value received value
give"
ENCOURAGING THE DRoSEs.