MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1920, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright ] TAXATION OF WAR FORTUNES A THOUSAND MILLIONS EXPECTED.

LONDON, Feb. 25. The Select Committee on Taxation of War Fortunes has opened its investigation under the chairmanship of William Pearce. The principal witness was Sir John Anderson, chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue ,who estimated the cost of the scheme would be one tenth to onefifth of one per cent. of. the amount collected. He anticipated that the tax to he paid, to a considerable extent, would he in kind, such as war loan securities. He suggested provision be made for payments by instalments, and the liability being assessed at the outset, and payments spread over ten years. He thought the valuation would affect 340,

000 persons, hut many individuals have I several valuations, on ships, furniture, jewels, estates etc. Mr Anderson suggested the consideration of some form of “floating barge which is a sufficient safe guard to the interests of the Crown, without interferring with legitimate business operations.” He considered the tax should not fall exclusively on war profits, but also deal with an increase in wealth, with-

out regard to how it was brought about. The department could not discriminate between wealth gained by questionable means, wealth acquired simply from war, and wealth acquired by exceptional, personal effort and self denial. Asked what sum he expected to obtain Mr Anderson repled £1,000,000,000.

THE NATIVE RIOT. CAPETOWN, February 25. Eight police and twenty-nine natives were taken to the hospital. One native was killed as a result of the riot at a village of the Deep Mine, Johannesburg.

donation TO A. university. LONDON, February 26. Iu connection with the University of London’s recent decision to confer dcorees in commerce, the trustees of the S'O 'Ernest Cassell Educational Trust have donated a hundred and fifty thousand pounds in order to endow several teaching posts and prolessorships, also three thousand annually for at least five years for additional instruction in the principal Continental languages and Arabic; one thousand annuallv°for at least five years for commercial students travelling scholarships and a thousand during the current year for additional modern language instruction.

A’PTEMPTED a ssassination ROME, February 25. An attempt has been made to assassinate Prince Alexander of Serbia and M. Protich (Prime Minister). Both were wounded.

DAVIS CUP CHALLENGE. NEW YORK, February 25. The formal acceptance of the AmeriAm challenge for the Davis Tennis Cup has been received by the United States Lawn Tennis 'Association.

RECORD PRICE FOR STALLION. LONDON, February 25. Senor Unzuc, an Argentine breeder has bought the stallion Tracery for the Argentine stud at the record price of £53,000 sterling. The previous- best price was Palantines at £49,000.

ITALIAN WORKERS PROCLAIM. A SOVIET. ROME, Feb. 25. Workers at Pieve de Soligo seized til?, municipal buildings, and proclaimed a Soviet. Fghting then occurred within the building with carbineers, in which many were wounded.

BIG SUBSIDY TO BRITISH BAKERS. LONDON, Feb.. 25. Owing to the increased price of grain it is estimated that the bread subsidy in Britain for keeping 'the four-pound loaf at standard price of liinepence halfpenny during the next financial year will be eighty millons sterling compared with the current year’s fifty-six and a half-million. The Cabinet is discussing the situation. An entire removal of the subsidy would doubt the price of the loaf. Warnings have been given that it may bo impossible to maintain the subsidy on its present basis, and the price of tho loaf may become a shilling or fourteen pence.

LONDON FOOD DISTRIBUTION. LONDON, Feb. 25. An interim report of the Food Controller’s Committee condemns Covent. Garden and Billingsgate markets. Saying they' could hardly have sufficed for niediavel London, such being their utter lack of management and organsation.