“PROBLEMS OF TO-DAY.”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2398, 13 January 1909, Page 2

“PROBLEMS OF TO-DAY.”

MR. CARNEGIE’S PILLS FOR SOCIETY. THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH ■Mr And row''Carnegie- lias just published .a book called “Problems of To-day—Wealth, Labor, and Socialism.” According to one reference book, Mr Carnegie “made a, fortune in Pittsburg, land returned to his native land with a fortune of £40,000,000, and an income of £2,000,000.’*’ This information is essential to the reader of Mr. Carnegie’s book. MR CARNEGIE’S OUTSPOKENNESS. It may at once be said that Mr Carnegie is far in advance in sympathetic outlook of many of the moneyed classes in this or any other country. He sees, 'and, _ better still, admits certain things which others must see, but do not admit. Thus : “The unequal distribution, of wealth, lies at the root of the present Socialistic activity. This is no surprise to the writer. It was bound to force itself to the front, been use,. exhibiting extremes unknown before, it has become one of the crying evils of our 1185 EXTREMES OF WEALTH.

“In the world’s progress, scientific discoverers and mechanical inventors appeared and adapted the forces and materials of nature to the uses of man, followed by the commercial and industrial age in which wc live, in which wealth has been produced as if by magic, and fallen largely to the captains of industry, greatly to their own surprise. Multi-millionaires, a new genus, have appeared, laden with fortunes of such magnitude as the past- knew nothing of. The extremes in the distribution of have never been so high. This has naturally attracted the attention of . the wage-earners and others not deluged by the golden showers, and the ‘(Socialist’s Budget’ appears us one of the remedies nreposed. TO TAX MILLIONAIRES.

“In the ‘Gospel of Wealth’ -fTBS9) the writer advocated graduated taxation upon estates at death of owners, saying: “ ‘The growing disposition to tax more heavily large estates loft- at death is a cheering indication of"the growth of a salutary change in public opinion. The State of Pennsylvania now takes —subject to sonic exceptions —oue-tentli of the property left by its citizens. The Budget presented in the British Parliament the othei* day proposes to increase the dentil-duties; and, most significant of all, the new tax is to be graduated.

“ ‘OF all forms of ‘ taxation this scorns the wisest. Mon who continue hoarding great sums all their lives, the proper use of which for public ends would work good to tlie community, in the form of the State, cannot thus be deprived of its proper share. By taxing estates heavily at (death the' State marks its condemnation of the selfish millionaire’s unworthy life.’ ”

Mr "Carnegie even agrees with A 1 r Snowden’s (the (Socialist M.P.) Budget, which proposes that one half of a deceased millionaire’s hoard should go to the State when the estate exceeds a million sterling.”

“Air Snowden’s protest against indirect taxation of commodities is also sound, because this favors the rich. Ono individual does not consume much more of : these than another, while the ability of the rich, to pay duties is infinitely greater than tint of themasses.” AVHY LAND VALUES GROAY. Air Carnegie takes the case of two brothers, who each took farms, one in the centre of ALi.nhattnn Island, and the'other:bevond the Harlem. “The growth of New Aiork City northwards soon'“■makes the children of the younger millionaires, while those of the elder remain simple farmers in comfortable circumstances, but, fortunate in this beyond their cousins, still of the class who have to perform some service to their fe-.lows and thus earn a livelihood. “Now, who or what made t-hr difference in wealth? Not labor,-not skill-. No, nor superior ability, sagacity. nor enterprise, nor greater publie” service. The, community _ created the millionaire’s wealth. AY bile he slept it grew as fast as when he was awake. It would have, arisen exactly as it did Did he been on the Harlem and his brother on the Manhattan farm. “The younger farmer, now a great property-holder, dies, and his children in duo time pass away, each leaving millions, since the farm bus become part of a great city, • and immense buildings upon it produce annual rents of hundreds of thousands of dollars. AYHY THE STATE SHOULD STEP IN. ‘ ‘AY’lien these children die, who have neither toiled nor spun, what canon of justice would he violated were the nation to step in and say that, since the aggregation of their fellow-men called ‘the community’ created the descendants’ wealth, it is entitled to a large portion of it as they pass away? “The community his refrained from exacting any part during their lives. Tlio heirs have been allowed to enjoy it all, because although in their case, the wealth was a purely communal growth, yet in other cases wen Ith often comes largely from individual effort and ability, and. hence it is better for the community to allow such ability to remniii in charge of fortune-making, because most likely to succeed, and in so doing develop pur country’s resources. v

“-It would he unwise to interfere with the working bees ;; better allow them to continue gathering honey during their .fives. When (hoy die, the nation should hive a large portion of the ’honey .remaining, in the' hive.-; it. is immaterial “at what date colleeton is made, so that, it comes to the National Treasury'at last.” A BOOK TO READ. There is very much in Mr Cnrnegio’s stimulating book which should receive attention. He i? so masterly a man, and has a mind of such width of view, that wo wish every employer could be induced to read the book. There is a growing feeling agiinst out-relief by wav of libraries, which is associated with Mr Carnegie’s name. It is as offensive to some as out-relief from the Guardians. The community, if it desires a library, should (bo table to pay lor it, and all social advance must tend to make that possible. The problem involved is an acute one, ■ and there wi.-l bo much gain.from an understanding of Mr Carnegie’s point of view.