CENSURE MOTION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 93, 10 December 1931, Page 5

CENSURE MOTION

(British Official Wireless)

opposition move CONSERVATIVE. PLAN IN . .HOUSE -O.F .COMMONS ' " CHECKED LAND VALUATION ' SUSPENDED

.. RUGBY; Tuesday. The Prime Minister- has accepted an enlargement of the terms: of the Opr position's motion of censure, and has allowed to-morrow. and Thnrsday .for its discussion in the House of Commons. , . ...... The-direct motion for .protection .oi the iron, steel, cotton and other indpstries, -vvhich has. ]been mpved- by the Conseryative tariff. reformers canppt jiow he moved. The position of thesp, industries . may. be raised on the .censure mptiqn, but in . view of its terms the pps.sibility of a debate on this question being carried to a discpssion. which might tie the hands of the Government is regarded as unlikely. . . 1 Under the Standing. Ordeys, no subject inyolving legislati.Qn pan be rais-r ed on a ipotion. for adjournment, and the- ITimes" . says the Government is obviouslj'- unwilling to give timeLor the discussion , of a mptipn handed in by a sectio.n of their followers, which would pledge tbe . Housp, if it wer.e caiTipd, to the principle pf immediate protejction for th.pse . ipdustrips. Anoth.er .question regarding which there has , been mueh .cpntroversy is the finance,. and land taxes machinery for which provision was made in the Labour Budget. A me.morandum published, at the time stated .the total cost .of the first yaluation . under the scheme would.be between £500,000 and £1,000,000,. The. taxes do not become operative until 1933,. bnt financial provision has .been made for . beginning the valuation. The . proposed taxes were vigorously assailed. when. hefore the last Parliament, and narrow divisions were recorded. A demand . for the withdrawal of the, scheme has been made, but this course is said to be strongly opposed by Viscount . .Snowden . (the previous CJhanetellor of the' Exchequ^r) and certain other Ministers. • ^he . newspapers state the Cabinet considered the question primarily frorri the point of view of economy, Later, a statement of the Government's. decision with regard to land valuation for the purpose. qf the land tax ,prpposals was majle by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, in the House of Commons. He said that as the need for pcpnomy has become paramount, the Government,. after careful consideration, jfelt that they would not he justified in incurring further expenditure upon an object which wpuld not produce a return for a considerable time. The proposed tax would not -have become operative till 1933. , M.r.t Chamberlain, added that the Government proposed, without prejudice a^ to the merits of the plan, to. suspend the work of valuation and dispense with the temporary staff engaged in connection with it.