The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-08-09

e'h6iN pOi ioOd WhO uiu uOJ nave
enough to eat and wear, plenty of
work at good pay and the will to do
1t. There are no beggars, there are
no tramps, there are practically no
unemployed, and there are no big
fortunes. There is probably no one
In the islands whose wealth exceeds
million dollars, and those whose
possessions amount to that much are
very Few. When the Liberal Govern
ment came into power fifteen years
ago the colony was in very bad
way. There were big landed estates
and absentee owners, so that most
of the wealth produced in the islands
went overseas. Consequently indus
try had come to a standstill, and most
of the workingmen had no work.
Those who could get enough money
together to pay their passage were
leaving by the shipload, and those
who could not were being cared for
by the Government in shelter sheds
and soup kitchens. Since those days
the created wealth of the colony has
increased by G122, 100000, and there
is no reason to suppose that If the
Government had not interfered with
the commercial laws of gravity
large part of that would not have
gone into the building up of big for
tunes and commercial bodies more
powerful than the Government.
One of the first things the Liberal
Government did was to inaugurate
the policy of the bursting up of the
big landed estates. These have been
bought-compulsori If the owners
were unwilling to sell-dlvided into
small holdings and leased to actual
settlers. In this way the Govern
ment has resumed over 100000
acres. 1he leasehold tenure for 999
years of these lands, and also unim-
proved Crown lands, and fiat rental
of four per cent. on the unimproved
valuation made it possible for any
man, no matter how poor, to estab-
lsh himself on farm. Then the
Government went into the business
of loaning money and advanced to
thl settler at five per cent. interest,
reducible to four and half by
prompt payment, the money needed
to get himself started, and make his
improvements. The Government
Labor Department was run in CO.
operation with this land policy, AMI
it made every effort to help the un-
employed to get on the land. The
Secretary of the Labor Department
told me that he has put not less than
ten thousand men on the land who
otherwise could have done no better
than to drift along on the perilous
edge of day labor, to fall into dire
straits at the first calamity. This
policy has made them Independent,
prosperous farmers, producers of
wealth for themselves and the col
ony.
For some years the long term lease
was the favorite form of land tenure,
but there is now strong and grow
ing sentiment in favor of the free
hold, and 1t is probable that the Gov
ernment will soon grant the right OF
purchase to all leaseholders, but 1t Is
determined that this shall not result
In segregation of land into large
holdings. Keeping the land as wide
ly distributed as possible among the
Deople is one of the means by which
it controls the distribution OF wealth.
There is already a restriction upon
the number of acres that may be ac-
ouired by either lease or purchase
from the Crown. To forestall the
danger of the building up OF large
estates which will come with the eX-
tension of the freehold the Govern
ment proposes to limit the amount OF
land that can be held by one person.
by whatever title, or however ac-
uuired. The law, which the Govern
ment expeote to enact at the next
session of Parliament, will not afect
existing titles, but will make Invalid
the title to any land in excess or
probably 5000 acres, which any one
person may attempt to acquire
Most systems of taxation are de-
vised for the purpose of proVidihg
revenue, but 1t is characteristic Oh
the New Zealand idea OF the rune
tions and purposes of government
that the primary intention OF us
scbeme of direct taxation is 10 pro-
vide another means of combating the
tendency of wealth to flow where
wealth already is. There is no prop
erty tax. and there is no tax on I'M
proyements. The land tax is on t~e
gross salable value of the Land less
the value of all Improvements. In
addition to the ordinary land TAX
there is a graduated land tax, which
heqins when the unimproved value
of the land is $25, 900 Between TINS
and $4,000 the rate is one-elshth
of a cent to the pound sterling, ana
above that value The rate increases
nv equal steps until it reaches SIX
cents to the pound payable when the
value is a million dollars or more.
Fifty per cent. additional tax is lev
led upon absentee owners. Holdings
of small value are exempt from the
ordinary land tax. the exemption
amor.lting to $2500 where the un-
improved value does not exceed
$500, and gradually diminishing up
70 the value of S12,500 This Is in
accordance with the settled policy OF
the Government to make 1t easJ for
the poor and difficult for the rich to
increase their possessions. The re-
suit of the exemptions and deduc-
tions is that only one-fifth OF the New
Zealand land owners pay land tax;