CHURCHILL’S COURAGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 375, 8 June 1928, Page 1

CHURCHILL’S COURAGE

RATE-RELIEF PLAN FOR INDUSTRIES CHANCELLOR ANSWERS CRITICS (Australian Press Association.) Reed. 2.15 p.m. LONDON, Thurs. In the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, told a questioner that under the rate relief scheme for agricultural lands and buildings would benefit to the extent of ,£5.000.000 yearly. Mr. D. Lloyd George, referring to the Rating Valuation Apportionment Bill, said that the Government's scheme was thoroughly bad because, while there was need for urgent relief the measure tarried. The Minister of Health ought to have consulted local authorities. If Mr. Churchill were to take over the whole of the outdoor-relief rating the burden would be reduced throughout the country. This would be better than discrimination between various classes of ratepayers. Sir Robert Horne, supporting the Bill, pointed out that the basic industries were suffering greater rate burdens than competitors in any other country. Mr. J. Wheatley (Labour) said that the Government was proposing to relieve industry with £30,000.000. which itself was derived from industry. The scheme was obviously fraudulent. Mr. Churchill insisted on the impossibility of discriminating between prosperous and unprosperous industries. To spread relief over shops and houses would result in the relief to productive industry being utterly unappreciable. When embarking on a course of relief and liberation from rate burden it was necessary to advance with courage.

The Bill was read - a second time by 308 votes to 140.