"REVOLUTION."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 542, 24 June 1909, Page 7

"REVOLUTION."

ROSEBERY ON THE LIBERAL BUDGET. NO POPULAR MANDATE. PARTI* RULES AND DESPOTISM. (By Telegraph.—PreßS Associalion.-Ooijyrielit,) London, June 22. The Earl of Rosebory, in a letter to tho papers, says that' Mr. Lloyd-Goorge'B Budget involves a social and political revolution of tho first magnitude. Whatever its merits, it will elfect vast changes without the faintest desire or attempt to ascertain tho people's views. •'• . . Tho country has changed its character; continues Lord'llosebery, if it fails to see that absolute rule of' a party in power differs little from, the despotism of individuals. It was a sinistor symptom if a firm and jealous vigilance in regard to the people's liberties was replaced by apathy. CLOSURE CAUSES ANCRY SCENE. HOUSE ADJOURNED. GOVERNMENT MAJORITY 105. ; (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Rec. June 23, 10.40 p.m.) ' London, June' 23. : An amendment moved- to the' Finance Bill by Mr. E. G. Pretyman (Unionist 1 member for Chelmsford), definitely . exempting agri-' cnltural land from tho 20 per cent, tax onthe unearned increment, was rejeoted. The voting was: ( Against tho amendment ... 301 For the amendment ... ... 196 Government majority ... 105 j The result of tho division waa received with lood Opposition oheering. The Nationalists supported the aanondmonti ' •. V An angry-«ceno occurred, Whan the. Chairman'of Ways and Means »(Mr. Alfrod Emrnott) accepted a motion by tho Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Lloyd-George) applying the closure to the first three lines-of Clause 1 of tho'.Bill, thereby shutting, out thirty-eight- amendments, including one vetoing the tax on ungofcten; minerals. 'The Unionists shontedn "Put tho 'whole Bill," and declined to go into the lobbies. The: scene continued until the adjournment. ' ' ' ■ ■ [On the second reading of th<S Finance Bill, the Government's majority was 157 (366—209) as compared with 103 on Sir. Pretyman's amend-, mont. Pcssibly the difference may ho taken as some indet of tho strength of. tho- anti-land tax"Cave'' in the Liberal ranks. Tho. opponents of th;- tax on the ' unearned \ increment I statp th.it agricultural land .lias shown, in thirty years, not an incroment but a decrement 'of .£500,000,000.] •

LORD ONSLOW'S COMPLAINT. ' Lord Onslow, formerly Governor of -New. Zea-; land, in a letter to "The Times" 1 writes: "In .eases where the owner-is. held to, derive an in.como of' over .CSOOO a year from land of tho nature of tlmt which I' happen to own, :wo are penalised by not less than six fresh taxes.; ;VVo:,havo to .pay: (1) 2d. more income tax, with (2) Bd. addition as super, tax; we have to make (3) increased provision for the increased estate duties which will fall oil'our' sncccssors. Where it may bo estimated that in future land will 'become' available' for building,' as is the' case with my property.in<Surroy, wo have, to! pay jd. more 'in tlio .2 of its vaJuo over what it is worth as agricultural land, viz., ju. on acre rent. .\Vhen it does'bccoine availably wo. shall. have to; pay (4) a -fifth of, its increased■value to . the State. • My mineral' property, con-, fined to briok, earth, and road and building" material, will havo to bear;(s) .'a further tax oh , royalties and'ungotten 'minerals;; with yet another tax (0) on'the-revorsions' of all leases which fall in.. -Biit my liability .to at least one of these taxes (tha super-tax) will probably, '.bo found, only to' be leviable wing- to the .inequitable manner in which 1 am assessed." ; ' THE TAX ON UNGOTTEN MINERALS. : A new tax-of id. in the pound value will bo •levied upon ungotten . minerals.". writes "H.W.W.," in the "Daily' Hail." The amount on which the tax is to be ;lpvied, will; bo.'calculated "upon; the: price .'which tho mining rights might bo "expected to realise if sold in opeii ( market at the dato-,of valuation."". ■ ■ This .tax is-iv remarkable one, for ungotten minerals may: exist under almost any land. In ;Kent, t'or example, .thero'is coal, though no one has yet beon able to work it> with success. The 'tax.-is..not to bo levied'on ,th 6. actual' salo Or yield of mining rights,; but. upon what those ■ rights "might. be expected" to fetch. It can, therefore', only bo' levied by guesswork, and- no man will know what'he.will,havo to pay. •; Kto hundred years ago our Sovereigns-,when.' in want of money exacted from ' their loyal subjects what they oalled "tonevdlences,',' or,, in point of faot, any stuns which thoy thought 'those-, subjects; could pay. ; . Mr. .-Lloyd-George has copied this'primitive finance, and the unfortunate owner of, land may at any moment bo "invited" to pay for imaginary nngottcn minerals what the Treasury thinks fit to exact. •. If the tax-gatherer says there are minerals' .there, the landowner has no means of disproving the statement, 1 other .than sinking a' trial shaft jr. ; having : borings : made,' tho cost ; of which would bo very great In short,' this new tax places all owners of land at-a fresh disadvantage, 1 because, it can bo.ilevied so capriciously. If the; ungotten . minerals wero of ■real value, it .is practically certain that, they would bo worked. - ' > ,