ENGLISH DEMOCRACY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 804, 29 April 1910, Page 5

ENGLISH DEMOCRACY.

LIBERALS AND LORDS. MB. FISHER'S LABOUR MESSAGE. By-Telegraph—Press Aeeoolatlon-Oopyrißht (Rec. April 28, ; 11.5 p.m.) London, April 28. Referring to the self-Btyled "Imperial Pioneers" who are preaching Imperial Preference in the United Kingdom, the "Daily 'Chronicle" (Liberal) quote « declaration by Mr. A.'Fishier. (Labour Prime Minister-elcot of Australia) that nobody'in Britain is authorised to speak on behalf-'of' tho Australian Labour party. The "Chronicle's"- Melbourne correspondent . cables :— "Mr. Fisher's message to the democracy of Britain is: "Go on. Take couraga from our success, and the evidences of. the determination of the Australian people to prevent tho growth of degrading 'poverty,' the tyranny of private monopolies, and the evils of . dangerous accumulations of wealth.'" THE VETO'BILL. <| (Kec. April 28, 11.30 p.m!) , London, April '28. ■'' The Government's Bill dealing with the House of Lords' veto will be circulated I on Friday, ,or Saturday. .

' BUDGET LEAVES COMMONS. REAPPEARANCE IN THE LORDS. London, April l 27. In' the House of Commons, the Finance (Budget) Bill was read a third time, the voting being: , For 324 .Against ....' :......... 231 , Government majority ..;... 93 In the, House of Lords the Bill was read a first time, RURAL LAND BANKS. ' A UNIONIST PEER'S BILL. London, April 27. : Tho House of Lords passed the second reading of : the Thrift and Credit Banks Bill,, introduced by the Earl of Shaftesbury (a Unionist' Peer, and a commissioner of the i Irish Congested Districts Board). The Bill was referred to a, select- committee. . ,'

The measure provides for the establishment of \ a central, .institution to finance rural village banks, .Banks of this type, .exist: in Germany, where there are 15,000 of them, in India (2000),. and in the; congested districts of. Ireland, where 300. such banks are assisting the small farmer. ' The Bill aims at assisting the owners of small Holdings against the money-! lenders.,' .;'.- 'fiscal object-lessons in \ *•'■'■ GERMANY. ','.... TAEIFF BEFOEM'AND FEEE-TEADE ~'_'■' WORKERS.. ' '"-'■ ' .-. London, April 27." ', Mr. . J. Ramsay Macdonald, Labour. M.P. :for .Leicester, purposes leading a party-of eight-trades unionists on a tour through Germany to study the questions of wages and unemployment, for the purpose of controverting the report 'of the recent Tariff Reform deputation of working men, to that country. "'- , : LIBEL ACTION SETTLED. London, April 28. „ -The libel action brought by Mr. John ■poster-'Praseri'(one of' the < unsuccessful Unionist candidates for Leicester) against Mr.. Ramsay' Macdonald (one of the two successful, candidates) has .been,, abandoned. The action was based on a reported statement by Mr. Macdonald that the Unionist i candidates had bribed the electors .with drink; Mr. Macdonald withdrew the statement. .

i. ■ ANGLO-IRISH FINANCE. !; THE COMMISSIONERS' REPORT. . In the Budget debate, recently oabled, Mr. William O'Brien; Leader of the Independent Nationalises, oited the report of the Uoyal Commission on the financial relations of Great Britain and Ireland, in order : to .'prove that Ireland had been seriously-overtaxed. . ' This Commission . was'' appointed in v 1894 and reported in 1896. Eleven out of the thirteen Commissioners came to the following conclusions—: (1) That Great Britain ' and ■: Ireland must, for the purpose of this. inquiry; 'be considered as separate entities. ■'. , • (2) That the Aot of Union imposed upon Ireland a burden which, as events showed,,she was unable tobear, ,■ (3) Thai the increase of taxation laid upon Ireland between 1853 and : 1860 was not justified by the then existing circumstances. ; .•-.'■■. (4) That the identity of rates of taxation' does not necessarily involve equality of burden. .!■■_■ . (5) Thai whilst the actual, tax revenue ..of, Ireland,''is'about one-eleventh of that of Great Britain,, the relative taxable oapacity of Ireland-is very muoh smaller, and is not estimated by any of us as ex'ceeding, one-twentieth. . The. two, remaining Commissioners, Sir D. Barbour and Sir T. Sutherland, dissented from these-findings, especially differing on ; the view, that .Ireland. should be treated as a separate entity. Sir D. Barbour acknowledged that' on the basis of taxable capacity in 1893-4 Ireland paid .£2,750,000 more than she would have paid proportionately; but points out that, on the other hand, there was spent, on Irish 'purposes about more than should have been spent, if the expenditure on Irish purposes'had been proportionate to taxable capacity. •