MONDAY, JULY 17, 1916. THE WAR BURDEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2825, 17 July 1916, Page 4

MONDAY, JULY 17, 1916. THE WAR BURDEN

The passage of the Finance Bill "through'this House of llepresentatives has served to concentrate public attention on the financial side , of the war burden the Dominion ! has been called on to carry. 'The memhor for Butt, in the course of ] his speech on 'the third reading of the Bill, is reported to have ' remarked that "all the Bills we have passed seemed to bo in favour of the wealthy man," a remark which 111 view o£ the provisions of the measure n 11 tier discussion was so manifestly absurd and unjust that it can only be classed with the extremo and extravagant utterances of the Labour-Socialist members who harp in season and out on the ridiculous assumption that, cxcept for their own select little coterie, tfio working man is without friends in Parliament. No one who has given any attention whatever to the proposals embodied in the Finance Bill could fail to perceive that the Government has determined that the financial burden of the war shall not fall on the man of small means. There is not a single clause in this measure—and it is designed to raise some millions of extra revenue from taxation—that adds to the taxation, to use a popular term, of the "wageearner." The wholo of the extra war taxation is to be taken from the pockets of the man of means and from war profits. It is true perhaps that some of the small farriers who may have their burdens increased may hardly come under the definition of men of means, but, broadly speaking, the new war taxes will not roach anyone with an income of less than ;S3OO a year; and the man of wealth and the man who has made, exccss~profits during the war- period arc specially singled out for heavy impositions. Wc are not discussing the fairness or otherwise of the details of the war taxes, but are merely directing attention to the absurdity of such suggestions as are constantly falling from the lips of the Labour-Socialist element, and which on the present occasion have, in tho manner stated, found endorsement from Mr. Wn,FOitD. AVo have pointed out on previous occasions that' tho finaucial burden of the war, so far as it relates to the cost of carrying 011 our share in the struggle, has not been distributed equitably over tho whole population, but has been heaped in increasing volume on the shoulders of a comparatively small section. It may be popular to state othorwise; tho cars of tho multitude may bo tickled by the utterances of tho irresponsiblcs who are constantly girding at the Financo Minister and

the Government on this subject; votes may be gained in this way 'from tho unthinking; but the facts of the position which aro available to all who choose to examine therm utterly discredit the attempt to show that the well-to-do have been permitted to escapo at tho expense of the poorer classes. The new ,taxes may not have been imposed so as to ensure that exact and equitable distribution of tho burden which the scientific mind might aspire to, but they havo allowed the "wage-earn-er" to go scathless. While the Finance Bill is still open to criticism in certain particulars, it is, as now amended, a vastly improved measure to that which the Finanoo Minister first introduced. Sir Joseph Ward is to be congratu-' lated on the changes made, which, while not depriving him <?t" any of the increased revenuo which lie considers nccessary, yet minimise the possibilities of undue hardship.and pronounced injustice. His position, no doubt, is a difficult one. Probably he recogniscs that tho Bill even in its present form is in some cases harsh and inequitable;' but ho cannot afford to modify its provisions in directions which might imperil the revehuc returns on which ho must rely to meet his engagements, i To all appearances he is likely to obtain in the aggregate more than he estimates from his different sources of revenue; that at least is tho conclusion to be drawn from tho figures and results already available. But Sir Joseph Ward to be blamed if under existing circumstances lie prefers to allow himself a more liberal margin for unforeseen contingencies than may seem necessary. He, after all, has the responsibility for making ends meet, and margins which in ordinary times might seem exccssivo may be excuscc! in times like the present. The figures which ho supplied to the House of Representatives on Friday evening, showing tho financial results for the first quarter of tho current financial year's operations must bo regarded as very satisfactory. The increase in the revenue of £3'13,000y as compared with flie corresponding quarter of the previous year, was only to be expen'.j'J, ■as some of the war taxes were not operating early in 1915; but theivs's also the pleasing feature of a decrease in the annual appropriations on tho expenditure side. So far the country as a wholo has hardly felt tho financial burden of the war. With the addition of the new taxw provided for in the Finance Bill, many people will have' it sharply brought home to them what- the rosb of the_ struggle really nieaus, and they will have a clearer understanding of the financial sacrifices tho people of'the Motherland have been called on to make. Even with the a<Jded burdens about to be imposed we shall be infinitely better off in this respect than the taxpayers of England, and it is well that we should bear this in mind whsn adjusting ourselves to our increased obligations.