BRITISH POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 201, 29 September 1909, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

PROPOSAL OK THE LAND VALUE TAX lis. By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright Received SqjU'iiiU'r 28, 10.40 p.m. London, September 28. The lleuse of Commons agreed to Mr. Lloyd George's resolution charging the consolidated fund annually with a sum equal lo half of the proceeds of the laud valuea and mineral rights duties, which sum must be divided between England, Scotland and Ireland, in suc'i manner and paid into such separate accounts for tile benefit of such local authorities as Parliament may determine.

Mr. Lloyd-George explained that it was undesirable to deal with the apportionment in detail. The new clause apportions a sum equally between the Imperial and local financial authorities, but hangs up the portion payable to localities, leaving the matter to be dealt with in 1910.

Mr. Balfour criticised the Governincut's change of front, and remarked that his own view of land taxes was that, if levied at all, they should be devoted solely to the interest of the localities. Apparently the money, which he described as due to tlu 1 activity of particular localities, would be distributed in the three kingdoms.

Mr. Lloyd-George replied that it was not a town alone that gave added valu" to adjacent hind; but every other town and district witli which it did business contributed to the result, lie intended to consult the municipalities in regard to the method of distribution. He favored earmarking the money for specific purposes.

ALLEGED BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.

London, September 27. The Committee of Privilege, made a futile inquiry into the alleged breach by the Duke of Norfolk in writing to Mr. l'rofumo, a Unionist candidate tor High Penk, in the interest of Catholic schools. It recommended that no action he taken in the matter.

(Or the motion of Mr. Dillon and Mr. John Redmond the House of Commons resolved that the Duke of Norfolk was/ guilty of a breach of privilege in writing «s lie had done.) The Times says that far more important tlian the privileges of a changing House of Commons are the privileges of a nation at large. These are of such supreme importance that even an error in the direction of safeguarding is venial in comparison with an error in the direction of failing to protect them. Tile issue is thus widely different from that proclaimed liy the Government.