BUDGET AND GUN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 584, 12 August 1909, Page 5

BUDGET AND GUN.

WILL LORDS' BLUNDERBUSS BE FIRED? FEAR OF THE RECOIL. UPPER CHAMBER A ONE-PARTY BODY. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Rec. August 11, 11.55 p.m.) London, August 11. Sir Edward Grey, speaking at Leeds, made some notable reforencos to the Budget and to tho House of Lords. I Taxos for Those That Can Bear Them, The- merit of taxation, he said, was to place it on the shoulders of those who could best afford it. That was the test of this Budget, which was beginning to be more popular. The outburst againßt it was in inverse proportion to the knowledge cf its proposals and their effect. The Minister .oontinued: "The claim of Lord Lansdowno that the House of Lords must see that tho people were properly consulted, and must protect the people's right to have a say on the subject, represents a very nice funotion if it were only performed impartially; but under the Constitution the House of Lords is a weapon —a great gun if you like-ywhich can be pointed only against Liberal measures, and whioh is in the hands of the Conservative party "Will they 'fire the gun or not? They are debating in their own minds what will happen if 'they fire tho gun—will they destroy the Budget or will the recoil be moro injurious to themselves? A Freo-trade Appeal. " Whatever the Lords do when the appeal is made to the country, it will be an appeal "on this Free-trade. Budget, and. against the alternative of tariff reform." . Sir Edward Grey added that the Budget was fair arid reasonable. It was a great advance in the true principles of legislation, and he had no doubt what the verdict of great centres like Leeds' would be. LEADERS'-INTENDED SPEECHES. ' (Rec. August 12, 0.30 a.m.) London, August 11. The Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, and the

Leader of tho Opposition, Mr. Balfour, will deliver addresses to successive mass meetings on. the Budget during the latter half, of September.