BRITISH POLITICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 27

BRITISH POLITICS.

LOTTERY FOR HOSPITALS. RUGBY, May 19. In the House of Commons Sir William Davison moved to introduce a Bill authorising the raising of money by lotteries for the support of British ■hospitals. The House refused leave to bring in the Bill by 181 votes to 58. THE FINANCE BILL. LONDON, May 19. Mr Neville Chamberlain, in moving the Rejection of the Finance Bill in th"■House of Commons on the ground that ** it does not provide resources to balance 'the Budget and inflicts hardship on a Section of income tax payers, and that it also imposes a new tax, destroying confidence in all land transactions,” Said that the Government was still silent on its proposals to deal with the unemployment insurance fund debt, which was now £83,000,000, and was rising at the rate of £1,000,000 weekly. The proposed land tax would have the same effect of reducing house building as Mr Lloyd George’s Act of 1909. Ministerialists were working themselves into a frenzy against the House of Lords and were afraid to tell the country ■frankly that they were proposing a tax <on all landowners and charitable trusts. LAND TAX DISCUSSED. LONDON, May 20. Sir John Simon expressed the opinion that there was a vital difference between the Liberals’ land tax proposals of 1909 and Mr Snowden’s present scheme. The former sought to exact by tax the increment in value when land changed hands. He failed to see the justification for a flat tax on all land whatever its use. Mr Graham, replying to Mr Chamberlain’s amendment, said that the Bill was designed to appeal to all sorts of taxpayers. The debt in the Unemployment Fund had risen from £4,500,000 to £37,000,000 between 1924 and 1929, but Mr Churchill had not related it in his Budgets. As the result of experience of the Liberal experiment Mr Snowden had sought the simplest land tax scheme possible. Mr Chamberlain’s amendment ■was defeated by 270 votes to 230. OIL FROM COAL. RUGBY, May 20. In his maiden speech in the House of Lords Lord Rutherford, the famous scientist, recounted the experiments which were being conducted here for the production, by various processes, of oil from coal. He emphasised the desirability of Britain possessing an independent oil supply, and this could alone be procured through coal. Natural oil was at present being sold at such a low price that its - production from coal could not be effected at the equivalent cost, but in future prices might rise and the situation change. Experiments, had, however, shown that it was scientifically possible to provide the bulk of the British oil supply from available coal. He strongly urged the value of continuing research on the subject.

BY-ELECTIONS. LONDON, May 20. The Ogmore by-election, due to the death of Mr Vernon Hartshorn, resulted: — Edward Williams (Labour) .. 19,356 J. Campbell (Communist) .. .. 5,219 The voting at the general election was:—Vernon Hartshorn (Lab.), 22,900; D. L. Powell (L.), 11,804; H. Abbott (C.), 4164; J. R. Campbell (Com.), 1525. RUGBY, May 22. The results were declared to-day in two by-elections. Mr David Hardie, by a majority of 883, retained the seat for Labour in the ; Rutherglen Division of Lanark in a straight fight with a Conservative. In the Stroud Division, Gloucester, the result was:— Robert Perkins (Conservative), 17,641. Sir John Maynard (Labour), 10,688. A. W. Stanton (Liberal), 7269. - At the general election, the majority of Mr William Wright (Labour) over the Conservative candidate was 5,287. At the last election, the Conservative majority was 5972. BRITAIN’S ECONOMIC POSITION. LONDON, May 20. The National Council of Industry and Commerce, formed last year, of which Sir William Morris is president, has issued a declaration warning the nation of the grave danger of economic and industrial collapse, and demanding immediate action by Parliament “to avert the impending disaster.” The declaration adds: “ The council warns the British people in the most solemn manner that unless immediate and effective action is taken to reduce expenditure and protect British industry an agricultural, economic and industrial collapse is inevitable.” It calls on individual members of the House of Commons to put country before party.

MR PHILIP SNOWDEN. RUGBY, May 20. The health of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Philip Snowden) was sufficiently improved to enable him to attend to-day’s Cabinet council. It is expected that after Whitsuntide he will be

well, enough to return to the House of Commons for the later stages of the discussions on the Finance Bill. MISSING SILVER PLATE. RUGBY, May 21. When Commander Bellairs, in the House of Commons, asked whether the Soviet Government’s assistance had been sought in recovering the silver plate taken from the British Embassy at Moscow when it was attacked some years ago, Dr Dalton (Under-secretary for Foreign Affairs) said that he was happy to be able to state that the Soviet Government had recently delivered to the British Embassy such portions of the plate as it had been able to trace. HIGH COMMISSIONER IN AUSTRALIA. RUGBY, May 21. As was recently announced in the House of Commons his Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom has decided to appoint a High Commissioner in the Commonwealth of Australia with functions comparable with those of the High Commissioner in Canada and the Union of South Africa. Pending the selection of a High Commissioner Mr E. T. Crutchley, at present the United Kingdom migration representative in Australia, has been appointed representative in Australia of his Majesty’s Government, and is taking up his new duties at Canberra forthwith.

AGRICULTURAL BILL. RUGBY, May 21. The third reading of the Agricultural Land Utilisation Bill was passed by the House of Lords. Lord Hailsham said that he believed that the electorate had given its vote for the present Government because it was willing to give the Government’s proposals a trial. Speaking with the assent of the leaders of the Conservative Party he advised the House to give the Bill its third reading. Lord Banbury’s motion for its rejection was thereupon defeated by 62 votes to 6. SUEZ CANAL DUES. RUGBY, May 22. The House of Commons adjourned today for the Whitsuntide recess. The session will be resumed on June 2. Questions raised on the motion for adjourn ment included Suez canal dues. Replying to a suggestion that the Gov ernment should, through the English directors, press for a revision of the high transit charges, against which the For eign Secretary had received protests from six maritime Powers in Europe, Mr W. R. Smith (Under-secretary for Trade) stated that the Government had no direct voice in the company's administration and had no authority to demand what might be desirable in the interests of shipowners and commerce generally. Within the limits of its powers and opportunities the Government had done everything possible to help in the direction suggested. PARIS, May 22. The annual report of the Suez Canal Company, in a lengthy reference to dues, declares that if there was reason to hope that a reduction of dues would lead to any considerable increase in traffic the directors would not hesitate to give partial satisfaction to the shipowners’ desires.