The San Francisco call., 1897-05-16
SINGLE TAX IN
KANGAROO LAND
Explained by Mr.. Hindle,
Ex- Member of Par
lament.
Only Forty Cents on the Hun
dred Dollars Is the Levy
90 on Land.
All the Public Utilities Owned By
the Government and Yield a
Big Revenue.

John Hlndle, a prominent merchant of
Sydney, New South Wales, and an ex-
mem ber of Parliament. Mr.. Hindle left
Sydney on his first voyage to the United
States March 10 last and arrived here
twenty-five days later. After spending a
lew days in this metropolis he went south
10 visit friends in Los Angeles, and also
10 take look at the southern country.
Returning to this City few days ago he
spent the rest of his time with friends
here, and sailed for home on the Mono
wal, which left this port last Thursday
night.
Mr.. Hindle was a member of the New
South Wales Parliament from 1891 to 1894
having been elected as a representative of
labor and business interests in Sydney,
and especially as a champion of tax re-
tofm. He is clean-cut and uncom pro-
missing sing gle-taxer-one who is domi-
mated by the idea that industry she uld
never be taxed or in any way burdened by
g legal restrictions, and that all public rev.
e .enUe should be drawn from land values
alone. Shortly before sailing for home
Mr.. Hindle was asked by a CALL reporter
to his impressions of this country and
the conditions in his own. On the first
proposition he said:
Il like California exceedingly, Or at
least what 1 have seen of it. You cer-
tainly have here natural garden-spot,
capable of unlimited development. and
San Francisco is in many respects a mag
nihcent city. But l find here, to my sur
prise, industrial conditions that are de-
plorable. With all your vast natural re-.
+: sources there are thousands and tens of
.t,1 e 10 -
and unable to get it; in fact. many are
subsisting on charity, with no prospect OF
any change for the better.
g. Yet | should not feel surprised at this,
since L know that your land and all
natural resources expressed IN the word
land are mon opoliZed by a few greedy
corporations and individuals so that labor
cannot apply itself to the passive factor in
wealth production without the consent of
the earth lords and then only on such
terms as the lords of the soil may dictate.
l found the same conditions in and
around Los Angeles as those that exist
nereahouts. In fact your whole State,
grand and resourceful as it is, naturally
rests under the dark shadow of land
monopoly, and that, in my opinion, is
what ails your people.
How about Austratia?"
'Well Australia has suffered and is yet
suffering from this same evil of landlord
have taken a step toward reform on these
lines, and the good effects of it are already
felt. Until about year ago we had i'm
posed no government tax on land, but
depended entirely on other sources for
the necessary public revenue.
Our sources of revenue are twofold-
direct taxation and public service. 1t
should be borne in mind that the govern
ments OF the Australian colonies own and
control ali railways, tramways, postal
. and telegraph lines, water and sewerage
systems, and such other public works as
harbOrs. roads and bridges. The Austria
: -Iian governments are the greatest en-
-ployers of labor on earth. They do
not employ labor, however, as a mat
ter of charity to those who need to
work, but because vast amount of labor
is required in the construction and main
tenance of such public utilities l have
named. Taxation on foreign innortations
yields. in round numbers, $50, 900, 600 per
annum. No country IN the world is so
lightly taxed as Australia. Our revenue
IN New South Wales from public services
j. is very large-Gbout sos 000000 per an
mum. This, OF course, cannot be called
taxation IN the usual sense of the :erm, as
it is payment by the people to the Gov
ernment for services rendered.
THE people of Australia believe in Gov
ernment control OF all natural monop-
ol.es. Private control OF them would not
De LOleIdleu III our country.
Public opinion is also rapidlv crys-
tailiZing upon the idea that Governments
should not sell the remaining public
lands, but that they should be disposed
of by the leasehold system, or in other
words, brought practically under the
singie-taX system.
I'VE 10 not tax personal property or i'm
proVements; bur We have mild form OF
land tax, only l penny to the pound,
which is equal to cents on S. in United
States money. This land value tax went
into effect year ago, and much benefit
has already developed as a result. Even
with so light tax on land values the own
ers OF idle lands find it improbable to hold
them out of use, and are therefore either
abandoning them to be improved by otn-
ers, or cutting them up into small hold
ings and selling them at reduced prices 10
those who will put them to their best
uses No doubt New South Wales will
increase this land tax until we have
reached point where no land privately
owned, either in city or country, will be
held idle.
Our tariff taxes are very light and
likely to grow smaller by degrees and
beautifully less. Aside from liquors, opium
and tobacco only seven or eight kinds of
imported products are subject to duties.
To Australians visiting the United States
the policy of taxing personal property, as
you 10 here seems so strangely inconsis-
tent and unjust that we can hardly believe
it is done.
IF a public official in our country
should undertake to go around into peo-
ple's houses and places of business and
ask them what was the value OF their
goods or furniture, how much money they
had in bank, how much jewelry, how
many musical instruments or other per-
sonal property they owned, or what were
the gross receipts on their business, such
an impertinent intermeddler in private
affairs would be looked upon as lunatlc
freshly escaped from some asylum.
I'VE do not believe that the Govern
ment has any right to poke its nose into
peoples private business, nor has it
right to take from them under the name
Of taxation any portion OF their personal
. earnings. This sentiment IS growing
stronger all the stime as the subject of taN-
alton and revenue continues TO be agI-
tated."
Are the industrial conditions in New
South Wales perceptibiy better now than
thev were year or two years ago2"
Yes, they are decidedly better and
[- constantly improving. Legitimate busi-
ness of all kinds is more active. money
Calculates more freely, collections are
easier, wages are higher and there are
few If any involuntary idle workers.
Those who do not find satisfacI ory en-
ployment in the cities can have recourse
to The land since the grip Of The landlord
las been slightly loosened. This tax on