CHARITABLE INSTITUTION'S BILL

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 148, 2 July 1881, Page 2

CHARITABLE INSTITUTION'S BILL

'TJiißnro th^debate on the: ! Hospital« and Charitable Institution b "Bill 'm the House last -week, Mr. Swanson" made some very sensible r,emarlcs. and we here propose givme: a brief outline of his speech^ onthi« important question, knowinsfthat \ihe public are much -interested m the same. Mr GTiWis had nia^e a statement to the effect, that, % a' man with a wife and four children, who is willing to work for four Bnilling» k day, and cannot get work, is not indigent, because they" cannot generally; find the means of pulling through, provided they reside m the country. To this statement, Mr .- Swan son j obiected, and he hoped there was not another man m tbe, House who would agree I with such an expression of opinion. He held th»t it ;Was the, duty of the Grovern ment to. provide for, and, TrminHin nn employed, where it was proved that employment could not ba got. The same rule would apply to the helplessj maimed, and destitute, but he said many cases of . poverty were caused through men's own carelessness and sometimes through misfortune If men's wives and daughters wer« extravagant, or if men spent their, money m liquor, who would m the end bene- • fit by such oarletsneas ? "Not th© public, but the Government, As ! though men upend their money m drink, ortheir wives waste itinflnery, G-overnmcnt would then derive the benefit, because it gets its 10,15, o* 20 per cent duty on the goods. He would be glad to see thi» dootrin Q laid down, that all money received by the General Government f '>r duty on liquor, should be set apart for the maintenance of lunatic asylums, gaols, and the poor. The result of this would be, that the Treasurer's fingers would be hitching to eret hold of this money, and it would be to. \m ifttewit to xwlwo payerty mi

distress, and encourage industry m the country. The question of taxing the landholders had been mooted ijTo w if a manin England $iad £10,000, or :^2o,ooQ^adinVested !itJ,in debentures, at;|pur v 9r $ye pl|r cent,'and if part of tnat tfas Sakenfaway from him, would^that vbe Staking" pafct of :/ the ■ unearned increment ? No. "But if a person out .here bought a property at, tay.£l an acre, and without any labor $n his part, it grew to be worth £10' an acre, there would be the unearned increment. The General Government simply take the money out of our pockets, to pay it back again m iome other way. Let the Govrnment . get J. the money from where itimay — from your unearned incrememtji your grog duty, tea sugar or beer, duty — whatever it may be, it is got from the people, and its no use saying the people do not pay for it. ■ • .■■■"■"'•