IMPERIAL POLITICS

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 18

IMPERIAL POLITICS

m THE FINANCE BILL. LONDON, August 31. Strong disapproval is expressed among temperance bodies regarding Mr LloydGeorge's amendment to the licensing pro.visions of his Finance Bill allowing grocer? to sell quart bottles of whisky ' It is 'asserted that this sale will greatly encourage secret drinking among women. v September 1. The amendment has been withdrawn. Its introduction was due to "some misunderstanding. Mr Lloyd-George proposes that the present minimum of a quart bottle in England and Wales shall remain, and as regards Scotland and Ireland, instead of the present absence of restrictions, the minimum, shall be one-fourth of a quart. September '2. Mr Lloyd-George's proposed restrictions in connection with grocers' licenses in Scotland and Ireland are exciting great opposition, and many communications are 'Teaching private members. During the committee stage of the Budget debate Mr Redmond moved to exclude Ireland from the operation of the new licenses. Mr Asquith, in a conciliatory reply, said that, while the acceptance of such a sweeping amendment was out of the question, he was prepared to go some . way towards meeting Mr Redmond's., views. The Government would reduce ! th« minimum amount of the license duty payable in respect of public-houses in areas with a given population in Ireland as 'compared with* pußlic-houses in areas of the same population in England or Scotland. He would further propose that the system of valuation in Ireland be undisturbed, and he promised to consider j tlie question of making some concession to the small brewers. Mr CJancy thanked Mr Asquith, but intimated that the Nationalists would reserve their judgment until the concessions took the form of amendments. Mr Balfour, in a spirited criticism, said he' was unable to understand why the email publican and brewer in Ireland should be treated differently from his brethren in England and Scotland. He ■ suggested, amid Unionist cheers, 'hat there had been a political bargain. He -added : " After all, you may carry these bargains too far, and may sacrifice too much." He supposed that this was an old bargain ; but it was scandalous that the Government should have kept it. He contended tha/., the committee had been' monstrously vsed. September 3. In the House of Commons the debates, Trhich are exceedingly animated, are -largely between the occupants of the front benches. For" the new scale of liquor duties the Government's majority in one instance fell to 78. September 4. In the House of Commons several Lon- • don Liberal- members vainly urged that better treatment should be accorded the liquor trade, emphasising the fact that under the old duties scale the County of London paid £190,000, which, under the new scale of duties, would be £800,000. During the Budget debate in the early hours of the morning the Government escaped defeat in several divisions only by the support of those Nationalists who are in favour of total abstention, whose attitude had been more than critical. The Government's majority in one division was 49. Before one division took place the chief Liberal Whip crossed the floor of the House and conferred with Mr Redmond. To this incident Mr Balfour referred yesterday afternoon, taunting the Nationalist party with selling themselves too cheaply. Many Liberals are away on their holidays, and to thes*. urgent messages have been despatched with a view to securing a better attendance next week. The Opposition stated in the course of a debate that Mr Lloyd-George hoped that the new scheme would extinguish a number of licenses, and the fact that no licenpehqlders are to bo compensated is the • penalty for the non-acceptance of the '" Licensing Bill of 1908. Sir Edward Carson, with the approval of the whole Unionist party, is to move an amendment to provide for compensation being paid license-holders upon dkcon

Itinuan.ce of their business by reason of the increase of duties.