FINANCE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 590, 19 August 1909, Page 5

FINANCE BILL.

- ——». 1 , ■ better progress under the new ORDERS. (By Telufcraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Rec. August IS, 10.10 p.m.)Landau, August 18. ( Mr. Asqiiith, Prime Minister, is well satisfied with the progress that is being made [ with the Finance Bill, in Committee of; the' House of Commons. TUb acceleration is due i to tho new "winnowing" powers conferred on ; the Chairman of Committees by tho recent i resolution which enables him to shear away pages' of amendments. Mr. Asquith will assume charge of the,Bill, , when the licensing clauses are reached.' , ,NO EXEMPTION FOR'BRICK-CLAY. . (Rec. August 18, 10.20 p.m.) ' l.ondon, August 18. During tho consideration of the' Finance Bill, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,. Mr. Lloyd-George, informed Sir. H. G. Montgomery (Liberal member for Bridgwater, Somerset) that brick-clay was a mineral, and that •it was not proposed to - exempt it from the operation of the Bill. A BRIDGWATER TRAGEDY. • Air. B. G Montgomery owns the "British Clayworker" (which claims to bo tho monthly organ of the brick and tilo trades); the greatest if not the only industry! of his electoral ■ division (Bridgwater, Somerset) is tho making of bricks and tilos; and he is. the first Liberal [ to ropresent this constituency sinoe 1863. Fur- ' thermore, his majority iii lOOGwas only 17 in an electorate of about 10,000. So Mr. Montgomery's question is no doubt a very vital ono " for hi'm, and also for the Liberal cause in i Bridgwater, which is now sustained by just |- IT votes. When a Liberal Government.brings in taxes on land and minerals, and refuses to exempt brick-clay, the refusal—whether just i or otherwise—is liable-to be disastrous to a' j Liberal member who has received unexpected hospitality from a community that lives on " brick-clay. The position of the Liberal proprietor of the "British Clayworker" calls for sympathy, and tho issue mtur-bo a return to the hitherto almost unbroken Conservative succession at Bridgwater.