IN CONCLUSION. 277 



No single one of these reforms can be ignored, 

 or should be postponed. All are necessary. It 

 would be useless to impose an agricultural tariff 

 if the result were not to displace a proportion of 

 foreign products by local products. It would 

 be useless to educate farmers and farm labourers 

 whilst leaving agriculture an unprofitable in- 

 dustry. It would be useless to hope for any 

 great agricultural advance without providing 

 capital to repair a derelict equipment. 



In regard to what I have said on land taxa- 

 tion there is certain to be much criticism. The 

 statement that the land is already too highly 

 taxed will startle many. Nevertheless, it is 

 true by comparison with the taxation of any 

 other country of note ; and still more significantly 

 true if the rate of land taxation here is con- 

 sidered in the light of the absence of return 

 benefits from the community to the landowner, 

 and in the light of the microscopic profits of 

 farming. I have suggested that taxation at the 

 readjusted degree should be rated on unim- 

 proved or site values. That will probably startle 

 another school of political students of land 

 problems, for it may be stated as a fact that 



