JSSISI: 1849 to 1851, Vol. II Transactions of the Dublin Statistical Societyhttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/87202024-03-19T07:54:35Z2024-03-19T07:54:35ZOn the general principles of taxation, as illustrating the advantages of a perfect income taxHancock, W. Neilsonhttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/84012016-09-09T15:40:30Z1851-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the general principles of taxation, as illustrating the advantages of a perfect income tax
Hancock, W. Neilson
Gentlemen?The duties of a government, as enumerated by
Adam Smith, are four in number:? 1st?To guard against foreign aggression.
2nd?To secure against internal fraud or violence.
3rd?To maintain public institutions which private individuals
cannot support with profit.
4th?To make all the subjects of the state contribute their fair
share towards the necessary expenses of government, by the payment
of taxes.
Now, in this paper, I propose to direct your attention to the
last duty, or in other words, to explain the general principles of
taxation. There are few branches of political economy more interesting
in themselves, or of more importance at the present time,
than the subject of taxation, and yet there is scarcely any on
which greater errors are prevalent.
I shall, in the first instance, direct your attention to some of
those errors, involving general principles, which, in fact, arise from
a wrong way of looking at the subject, and which are, consequently,
sources of an infinite number of minor errors in the
cases where these mistaken principles come to be applied.
Read November 18th 1850
1851-01-01T00:00:00ZReport of the address at the opening of the fifth session of the Dublin Statistical SocietyKane, Robert, Sirhttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/79582016-09-09T15:52:09Z1851-01-01T00:00:00ZReport of the address at the opening of the fifth session of the Dublin Statistical Society
Kane, Robert, Sir
Honoured by the request of the council of this society that
I should, as acting vice-president, open the business of this its
fifth session with such observations as might serve to supplement
the annual report which has been laid before our members, and
should afford same explanation to our visitors as to the objects of
the society, and the progress we have as yet made, I hasten to
comply with the duties of a position in which my personal and
legitimate appreciation of the honour conferred upon me does not
blind me to its difficulties, or prevent me sincerely wishing that the
cause of the society, and of the important departments of science
which are its care, had been intrusted by the council to some more
able advocate.
Read November 19th 1851
1851-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the effect of the usury laws on the trade of lending money to the poor in IrelandHancock, W. Neilsonhttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/77992016-09-09T15:52:05Z1851-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the effect of the usury laws on the trade of lending money to the poor in Ireland
Hancock, W. Neilson
In the course of some investigations into the condition of the
poorer classes in Ireland, my attention has been directed to the state
of the trade of lending money amongst them. I find that whilst
the large farmers resort to regular banks to make deposits and
obtain loans, there are no banks established by private enterprise
for the smaller farmers and the labourers. They are forced to
carry their deposits to charitable savings banks, and obtain their
loans from charitable loan funds at 9.5 per cent, or else resort to
local usurers at from 25 to 100 per cent. An inquiry then
naturally suggests itself as to the cause of this difference. Why
has private enterprise not done for the poor what it has done for
the rich? The common theory which ascribes the rate of interest
charged to the poor to a want of capital is manifestly fallacious,
for such a cause would raise the rate of interest to the rich as well
as to the poor. The cause of the phenomena to be explained
must be something peculiar to loans of small sums, and especially
to loans to small farmers. Such a cause is discovered by an
examination of the state of the usury laws.
Read February 18th 1850. This paper was also read at the Statistical Section of the British Association,
Birmingham, September, 1849.
1851-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the utility of making the ordnance survey the basis of a general register of deeds and judgments in IrelandHancock, W. Neilsonhttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/77852016-09-09T15:52:03Z1851-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the utility of making the ordnance survey the basis of a general register of deeds and judgments in Ireland
Hancock, W. Neilson
In treating of the subject of this paper, I propose
to direct your attention to the consideration of the following questions
:?
1st, On what principle of classification should a general register
of acts and deeds relating to land be constructed?
2nd. Are our existing registers of deeds and judgments constructed
on the best principle of classification?
3rd. If not, by what changes can the best system of classification
be introduced into our registers of deeds and judgments ?
Read November 19th 1849
1851-01-01T00:00:00Z