To the Editor of the "Nonru-Curwa Datny News."
Sin,—I wae very much interested in the letter signed by Jay Denby in your issue of January 14, 0a Reots in Shanghai. I adwiire the courage of Mr. Jay Denby. A prowineat business man in Shanghai told me that they dare not attack the landlord in his "appropriations" lest he raise the rents, No.7 is the most important item in hie list. The tenants must get the upper hand; bat it is not a question of merely getting relief in case of ove: charging. It is an ecouosaie propos tion and a re-assessment is pot the cure but a complete alteration of th incidence of taxation. The tax should be on the lots not on the) house rents, A tax on the value of the lots if heary would compel the owners to build or yield up the ints to bauders, With an increase of buildings, rents of these buildings would necessarily come down, Now the taxes make it protituble to hold land idle. A. tax on dogs limits the number of dogs, tax on houses limits the number of houses and rsises house roots, while tax on vacant lots lesser.~ vacant lots by compelling the productive use of th lots.
Tt will be hard to get all the tenants one side as there is 60 much tosdyism diter of the urH-Cmisa Da Whew the rent exceeds the earning fomerof sen 20 per cent of the tenants, vay assume that an agi edoved rentals is only a kind-
Sin,—Dr.
Macklin's pers to Inudlonds, which inordinate letter inno of 22nd instant, to feet Pointe which are worthy. and forther consider present his view of the inflated rents, and the landlords will we to thank the revented their Jifficnlties to be ting to bring rer: level.
5 at bext character-Rest and be He points ort that toe landlords e grat two advantage of the excess: of daniand for aceammodn Ne, Macklin next touches upon the the Boxer troy questi a of vice in the shadow of the from ontlsing parts but this, Tam of opinion, left at ne. Landlords are far io this & a zedeal with than vice, as Add ty thie the Leal reade boom resalting from the Rn:-o Lisiory.
the two main eanes for] Mackli."¢ remedy—that of inded in the aum: vacext lots—L should be glad to j inion as ty whether it would coming Ratepayers' meeting to vote that taxes, thes, in upon house rents, dollars. the house is vacant at, this is, that in view 1 it woald cause the Inndlord to che pre only light ai 0 the slare when none are extoing, hace ov eonsiler seriously sot letting at a reduced ye than wait, and stand of the tenants, whicl he is now exploit-Jont fr tae inflated wots he has ing to a dangerous degree. obtained in the past, Ex
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.