"JACK CADE" BUDGET

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 583, 11 August 1909, Page 7

"JACK CADE" BUDGET

CASUAL LABOUR. THE CURE IS CONFIDENCE. TARIFF REFORM AND THE FREEHOLD. (By Tclcgraph.-l'rcas ABBoclatlon.-Goojrlclit.l London, August 9. Lord. Lansdowne (Unionist Loader ill tho Houso of Lords), in tho course of his rpoeoh at Bowood Park, after criticising the Budget as creating insecurity and instability of trade, declarod that the outcome of cvido/icu obtained by tho Poor Law Commission and all other inquiries was that what tho working peoplo suffer from is tho absence of steady employment, compelling them to resort to ca-sual labour. Tho remedy was tho promotion of steady employment, confidence, and the investment of capital in well-assured enterprises of all kinds. That was why the working classes were in favour of tariff reform, as he believed they all were. Referring to the land question, Lord Lansdowne said he was oonvinced that workers realised that if nationalisation occurred, they would find themselves face to face, not with a landlord, not with anything like real ownership, but with the ownership of land by a Government department, commissioners, inspectors, and other people. He desired that the transfer of land should iie cheap and easy,, that it should bo as widely distributed as possible, and that buyers of a bit of land should, hold it, not as tenants from the nation, but as their own property. That was the ideal of the Unionist party. LAND OWNERSHIP A CRIME. "SPECTATOR" ON MR. LLOYD-GEORGE. London, August 9. The "Spectator,"- commenting on tie Chancellor of tho Exchequer's speech it Liraehouse—in which he referred to land ownership as stewardship, and declared that unless the land owners discharged the duties attaching to ownership, the time would soon come to consider -the'conditions under whica land was held —describes Mr. Lloyd-George as "a sscond-class Jack Cade." "If his premises are accepted," says the journal, "the oxerciso of proprietary'rights regarding land is nothing short' of robbary, and landowners, whether great or small, aro all parasites and blackmailers." FICHT RENEWED ON UNDEVELOPED LAND DUTY. NEW CLOSURE POWERS. . GOVERNMENT VALUATION OF LAND. .. ■' (Reo. August 10, 10.10 p.m.) , London,' August 10. -The House of Commons has resumed consideration' in committee of the Finance Bill. The closure was frequently applied ill' connection with amendments v iiiovcd to the duty oil undeveloped land (id. in the £ on fchs site value). , ■In the course of a spirited discussion ; the.. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. LloydGeorge, disclosed the Government's intention that the. State ■ should undertake tho valuation of land. ' ' Tho Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Balfour; contrasted tho smallness of tho estimated yield of some-of the land taxes with the cost of valuation, which lie estimated at ten millions. , ,' ' ■ UNIONIST AMENDMENT. REJECTED BY THE COMMONS. (Rec. August 11, 0.20 a.m.) London, August 10.

In sub-clause 1 of clause 10 of tho Finance Bill; levying a duty of Jd. in the £ on "the site value of undeveloped land," Jit. Joyn-son-Hicks' (Unionist member for North-west Manchester) moved an' amendment to omit thfe word "undeveloped" before tho word "land," with a view to inserting after "load"'the words "which is unreasonably withheld from development." , 1 The Government refused to accept tho amendment, which was negatived, tho voting being': . . ' =~• For the amendment 83 Against the amendment 175 ■. - Government majority ......... 92 Mr. Joynson-Hicks argued that hitherto Ministerialists had defended the duty on undeveloped land on the plea that landowners were deliberately holding back'land from development. ' Mr. Lloyd-George replied: If the owner did his best to sell, and' obtained offers, the highest bid would be the best evidence of market value that he could submit to: tho Taxation Commissioners. UNDEVELOPED LAND DUTY. •Owing to tho slow .progress that was being made with the Finance Bill in committeeinvolving a strain on Mr. Lloyd-George and on members, and holding out no prospect of finality by Christmas—the Government secured an adjournment for a fortnight, and is now tacking the task afresh. But before the adjournment the Government took in the House the additional closure powers that are now being •:used .in 'committee. The deputy-chairman of committee has now power to accept a motion for the closure, anu the chairman has enlarged powers in the way of dealing with amendments. | Sir. Balfour, in protesting against these measures, declared that tho House was being put under martial law. . ' The duty of id. in the £ on the site value of undeveloped land is being bitterly fought. Land is deemed to bo undeveloped if it is not built uponior used.for any business, trade, or industry, other than agriculture (which inoludes market gardens, nursories, and allotments); but the duty shall not be charged when the site value does not exceed .£SO an acre.' .

Even -when agricultural land exceeds .£SO an 'acre in value the. duty is nflt_ charged if its site value is: entirely due to its agricultural value. The site value of. the land means the value of' the fee simple, if sold in the open market by a willing seller, after being divested of buildings, growing timber, and fruit trees. Deductions will be allowed for value directly attributable; to permanent works executed by the owner, Other than those for agriculture. Domestic garde.is, not exceeding an acre in extent are exempted, and, when not exceeding two acres, get a proportional abatement. Spechl provision is made as to the exemption of parks and open spaces of public acoess. CASUAL LABOUR AND EDUCATION. The excessive proportion of casual labour in Britain has been repeatedly commented on by Liberal Ministers, particularly by the President of the Local Government Board, Mr. John Bnrns, whose cure is education. Mr. Burns has pointed out that as regards employment the chief difficulty is that England has a larger number of casual workers than there are in either Germany or Franc*. Unskilled labour ought to bo -"decasualised." Ninety per cent, of those who apply for work to distress committees "are unskilled, casual, or general labourers. Too often they aro uneducated, reMurceless, aimless, and hopeless. Mr. Burns added that the fault ho had to find with the working classes was tho meanness of their wants, the poverty of their aims, tastes, and ideals Education was needed to fire them. He himself was not a kill-joy, but he warned bis audience against professionalised football. People said: "John Burns got .£>00,001) for the unemployed," and .with that sum they expected him to make a new heaven and a new earth. Why did tlioy not do it themselves with thoir threo millions a week ■wasted on drink and 'gambling, .and dsn to tbe levol oI their raspfiumbilltiasf