TAX THE LEASEHOLDER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3669, 2 November 1912, Page 3

TAX THE LEASEHOLDER.

AN OPPOSITION SUGGESTION. During the’ course of a short speech in the House the other afternoon Air G. W. Russell, the member for Avon, said he was in favor of taxing the leaseholder. The Hon. W. F. Massey, in the course of a brief reply to the lion, member’s remark, said the lease-in-perpetuity holders understood quite well that when they converted their leaseholds they would become liable to land tax,, but if they became liable to land tax they would not have to pay rent. He believed that 999 out of every thousand would prefer to pay land tax rather than rent. Mr Russell: Ho will not escape interest. Air Massey: That will depend absolutely on the amount of his capital. But what he was more interested in was another statement of the non. member’s. Ho said that he was strongly of opinion that the holder of a leasehold should pay taxation just as the holder of a freehold does. Mr Russell: Why not? ' Air Massey: lam very glad to hear that the lion, member admits that, and coming from the hon. member, I take it that it is part of the policy of the lion, gentlemen who sit on the Opposition benches - that in the case of leasehold land in their opinion it is not enough that leaseholders should pay rent, but that they should pay land tax as well. An hon. member: Who said that? Mr Massey : Leader number one of the Opposition party—(laughter)—and 1 can only presume that he. is speaking for the party. (Opposition cries of “No! No!” and “You’re wrong!”) A . Government member They’re turned him down. (Laughter.) Mr Witty: He had no right to say that at all. MEAT INSPECTION. BONE-TAINT LESS FREQUENT. '

Referring in his annual report, dated May, to the matter of hone-taint in beef, Mr Alex Crabb, M.R.0.V.5., of the Government London staff, says that although he had to report in the

autumn on considerable condemnations, hone-taint was now appearing with Pinch less frequency than in previous years. This, says Mr Crabb, was specially noticeable in connection with one of the North Island freezing works, where it was no unusual thing to find 10 to 20 per cent, of hindquarters affected. During the last twelve months such improvements had taken place that only an isolated quarter was found to have hone-taint. Continuing, Mr Crabh says that it is to be hoped that every endeavor will be made to maintain the existing satisfactory conditions, as the knowledge that a certain brand of beef is likely to prove tainted detracts from its value and quick sale. During the period under consideration only a moderate quantity of boneless beef had" been sent to London from New Zealand. The consignments which had come directly under, his notice had been between four and five thousand packages (boxes or hags), and of these 92 had been rejected and 214 passed, only after leaving been thawed out < for further examination than could be made in the frozen state. The condemnations, also the holding-over for further examination, had been due to the fact that the packing had not complied with the foreign meat regulations.

Mr Crabh says he is pleased to say that'-most of the regular senders of this class of meat seem to be trying to meet the requirements at the Lon to meet the requirements at the London end; their meat is of fair quality, neatly boned and cut in identifiable pieces, well bagged and frozen separately, and in other ways conforming to the regulations and acceptable to the authorities. Against this, however, there have been shipments which have been the exact opposite of the above, and it is to be regretted that all packers do not try to meet the requirements. Some of the meat arrived either frozen in almost solid blocks or so distorted that recognition was impossible—hence either condemnation or thawing-out for identification and examination. Again, in some instances, whore the actual packing had been acceptable, the beef itself had been of the lowest grade—either a bull or cow with hardly a trace of fat visible—r-and one could only conclude that the meat had come from animals in a state of extreme poverty. While it was not to he expected that beef approaching “prims’’ in quality would be boned and boxed, Mr Crabb strongly recommends that more weed-ing-out he done, and that certain packers raise considerably the standard of quality for this class of export.

There is a strong demand in New Zealand for big-framed, well-wooDed ewes, says the “Pastoralists’ "Review”, and it looks very much as though breeders on grazing areas in the Dominion will soon have to turn I their attention to Australia, for .supplies of the right kind of ewe. Years ago, prior to the subdivision of big estates in New Zealand, the large stations were always sources of supply from which farmers and fat lamb raisers could draw, hut the subdivision of so many of the large sheep runs has reduced this class of owe supply very considerably, and farmers are now finding them hard to obtain. It must not be imagined that the production of early maturing lambs for export relieves farmers oFtlie necessity for paying much attention to the covering of the ewe. Despite 'the, fact' that New Zealand annually freezes export sheep and lambs to- the tune of over 5,000,000, the ewe stock in the Dominion has steadily increased. The 1911 returns show that there arc 12,098,754 owes in the country as compared with 9,222,448 in 1904. But this increase does not necessarily mean that there are more ewes in the country suitable for farmers’ purposes, and, as stated above, there are indications of a demand setting in for Merino ewe stock from Australia. It must be borne iij mind that many farmers who cater for the export trade do no breeding in the ordinary sense of the word. They buy the ewes they need, market the progeny as lambs, and subsequently fatten off the ewes and sell them. For this purpose the New Zealand farmer requires a ewe with a good quality of fleece as well as the characteristics needed for lamb raising.