BRITISH POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 191, 16 September 1909, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

THE TRADE BOARD BILL. By Cubic—Press Association.--Copyright London, September 14. The Trade Board Bill has passed through its committee stages in the House of Lord*. Clause 40, enacting increased de'ith duties, was strenuously opposed in fi-' House of Commons. It was eventually closured and carried by 102 to 05. Mr. Balfour, leader of the Opposition, emphasised the danger of taxing capital to meet annual expenditure. The Government maintained that the proposals were fair and just, and not unreasonble in comparison with th"c icsources of the country. SECRET PROCESSES. London, September 14... The Government lias promised to consider Lord Salisbury's and Lord Milner's suggestions to safeguard "n----ployers' secret processes; also representation On the board of home workers. A case was tried win-rein a considerable proportion of home workers were engaged.

THE BUDGET. London. September 14. Mr. Alexander I're, Liberal inembci foi Linlithgowshire, speaking at Wirrington. said a reallv remarkable feature about the Budget was that the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the lirst time announced that he wanted large sums to supply uot merely a passing need but, a permanent, evergrowing need. The Government was asking for vast sums to enable it to remove some deep-seated evils which had grown around the complex industrial system.

Unionists consider this justifies many complaints against the Budget. THE HOUSE AND PLANNING BILL. Received 15, 11.20 p.m. London, September 15. The Housing and Town-planning Bill was read a second time in the House of Lords. THE FINANCE BILL. Clause 42 of the Finance Bill, increasing the legacy succession duties, was carried by 102 to 02. On clause 43, enacting death duties on gifts and dispositions inter vivos, unless made five years before the donor's death. Mr. Balfour remarked that if a donor within five years gave property to an institution fo r the preservation of eats, the gift would be untaxed but if he gave .CSOOO to start a son in business, the Exchequer would demand toll. THE CHANCELLOR YIELDS. Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of ths Exchequer, amid cheers, and yielding to criticisms of some of the Liberals, rgrced to reduce the period to three years and exempt all marriage settlements from the operations of the clause. Mr. Balfour, commenting on Mr. Lloyd-George's refusal to treat bushands and wives as one person for purposes of death duties, although treated as one for income tax purposes, remarked that having fined the hushand aad wife for living together the Government fined them again because they did rot live together.