"WAR AGAINST PROPERTY."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 188, 13 September 1909, Page 2

"WAR AGAINST PROPERTY."

THE BRITISH BUDGET. LOUD ROSEBEKY ATTACKS THE GOVERNMENT. TAUNTING AND* DARING THE LORDS. GENERAL ELECTION PROBABLE. By Gable.—Press Association.—Cupyigrt Received September 12, 5.5 jmii. London, September U. Lord Rosebery, adoressiug a meeting at Glasgow against the Budget, said he had long been an independent politician. lie believed his duty was to snow why it was not in the best interests of the nation tliat the Finance BUI should be-

come law. Mr Lloyd-George had proclaimed it" a Budget of war against poverty," but it wag a war whoa depleted capital, increased unemployment and produced universal insecurity.

Lord Rosebery said he was unaware of the actual amount of the deficit. The new taxes were not for national defence, but to raise vast sums for the use of the central government without Parliamentary control. The Budget had had no adequate preparation. It contained material enough for six Budgets, and the complementary Development Bill contained the-most novel and formidable proposals presented to Parliament .or many years. The Budget had put Britain into the melting-pot. Ht was a revolution without any mandate from the people, at a time when It was difficult to make both ends meet. The Budget took as much and harassed as much as possible, and placed new taxee on the land, besides expanding the in-come-tax and death duties. It was a distinct tftep towards land nationalisation, which Mr. Lloyd-George (Chancellor of the Exchequer) said must come. The land was selected because its taxation could not be evaded. Unearned increment could be applied to every other k,ind of property. No exertion was needed by the holders of Consoli and railway stocks. He waned tin* country to consider the contagions effect of the principles raised by the Budget Personally he found the laniUa haragt- , ing and unrenvunerative form of property. The land laws might be improved and' more people of the yeomen data settled on the land, but landlords should be justly treated. They were usually human beings in difl.culties. In 1896 a return showed that the capital value of the land had fallen a thousand millions in thirty years, yet this was the in- - dustry the Government nought to, tax ■ out of existence. Landowners seemed 11 to be damned and doubly damned tot

holding property in land. Many million* , of the working men's money were in- & vested by the Prudential, temperatee,!-:. and friendly societies, and this might \ soon he touclicd. He considered th« i enormous increase in tne death duties s }, danger to capital. They ought to be w-'H versed for war purposes, 'i'lie Govern- jJ incut's' enormous taxation of capital was :' stningling in peace the goose which laid f the golden eggs in war-time. The Go»> \ eminent boasted it nad paid off forty j< millions. They did not borrow, but J proceeded to spend sixteen millions aa«jj nually. The transference by enlarged'! death duties of the masses' capital from 4 the individual to the State was injurl- j, ous, because it would react on conimerea ■)' and employment. It destroyed the .' tion's reserve power. Scores of raiUloMs,' of pounds were lying idle in the bank*., or going abroad to develop other eoun- • tries, owing to the apprehension of the Government's financiai policy. What feelings would the law Mr. Gladstone have hud for such a budget* Liberalism,

and liberty used to go together. Tkf Budget established tyranny and an I* quisition never previously known. He denounced the Government'* b*, h rcaucrntic socialism. Bureaucracy WIAJ almost strangling Fraiiie, yet our UOIV.. eminent provided staffs of well-paid! officers for small holdings,'factory l»t; s]iection, pension, housing and Acts. The super-tax would be adminb-*/ . tered by Commissioners from whofljt" , there was no appeal. This sort of ty\"t , raiiny was not Liberalism but socialism. : For five, years before their death mea , , would be ghosts. During that time they _ . could give nothing to their children without it being reckoned part of their ] estate. He declared that Cobden, Bright . and Villiers never dreanft of levying ti» vast sum now asked in direct taxation. If tariff reform was to be the onlv alternative , he would cease to defend the principles of Free Trade. He urged Tfr I ircnchmcnt but not of national defence. Why should Ireland cost £12,000/»0 more yearly than she produced in taxation? He would conduct the State at a private business. He was sorry the , Government had taken sides with tha i socialists. Some of the Ministers wera t conscious socialists. The least worthy - working men were being taught not to exert themselves, and his liberal friends ■ f wero clearly moving on the path lead- - ing to socialism. He could not follow t them one inch. He might think tariff 1 reform or protection an> evil, but social- - ism was a negation of faith in tit; i family, property, monarchy and empirei In a subsequent speech Lord Rosebery. > declared that John Bright would hare ; denounced the encroaching proposals of " this Budget. A NEW SITUATION. r APPEAL TO THE COUNTRY EXPECTED. r Received September 12, 5.5 p.m. • London, September 11. - Lobby opinion coincides that Lord 1 Rosebery has created a new situation ' and has rendered more likely the Lords 1 rejection of the Budget. ' Unionists attach great significance to Ixird Rosebery's declaration of bia belief that the Government was taunting ', and daring the Lords to throw out the Budget. It is expected the Bill will be tent to- ' the Lords about October loth.

Both parties expect a general election to follow in a few weeks. PRESS OPINIONS, The Times says the essence of Lort Eoeebery'a speech is that the Bill involve* a social revolution without precedent. He showed that behind the device*, whose professed end is revenue, lurk farreaching schemes for the subversion and redistribution of private property. The Daily Mail says the speech will settle the fate of the Budget, betauM it will convince the multitude of indepen. dent voters belonging to neither party. The Daily Telegraph says that Lord i Rosebcry pronounced an elegy over the » Liberal Party as it existed until Mr, 1 Lloyd-Gcorgc assumed the ChancellorRhip of the Exchequer and Mr. Winitoa Churchill was admitted to the CshrneU

The Daily News Kays there is M op* ponent so venomous as the renegade, and no critic as stern as the man who has failed.

The Chronicle states that the speech [is that of a great landlord, not of a 'great Liberal. It was entirely colored by prejudices and a prepossession of landlordism. THE FINANCE BILL. ' London, September 10. The Government's amendment to the Finance Bill permits the Stale to accept real property in payment of estate duty, The Opposition criticises this as the first step in the principle towards State ownership of land, which, it says, onglit to have been secured by legislation instead of by a money Bill.

AN OPPOSITION AGREEMENT. Tendon, September 10.

Opposition leaders have rerehed e'n agreement whereby Lord Robert Cecil, member for Mnrylebone, Mr. 0. 8. Bowles, member for Norwood. Hon. K. W. Lambtoii, member for Durham, and Mr. Abel Smith, member for Hertford, are not to be opposed. Unionist Associations in th 3 constituencies, are now to be approacted with a view to obviating Tariff Reform opixihition to sitting members belonging In the h'r<\. Food Unionist pTty.

DEPUTATION FROM SPORTS CLUBS. London, September 10. ( . A deputation of cricket, football, and golf clubs, "headed by the Marylebone Clnli, Rugby Union and Football A«i soeiulion, requested 4he Government to exempt land used for sporting and recreation purposes from the provisions of tli.' Finance Bill. Mr. C. F. (5. Maniterman. on behalf of Mr. Lloyd George, i C'lnincellor »f the Exchequer, promised to exempt bona fide chilis from tne in- * element lax. j The Government proposes exempting :% works of ail lK'ijtientlied to the nation ?V from duties equally with »' legacy and estate duties. " »,„•' DUTY ON SHARES. |; London, September 10. JLi Tito Times states that a deputation '|| from the committee of the Stock Exehaugo conferred with Mr, Lloyd-George, i"H ami that it is understood the present'JSfc duty on share transactions, ranging from>fjH sixpence to two shilling*, will b« dra wit in favor of a scale from *ixp«nmHH 1o a pound, thereby reducing fte JmulH den on imn OWIW^H