BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1915, Page 5

BRITAIN.

THE BUDGET. DONTDTOAXCE OP DEBATE. .'.'4_ London, Sept. 23. , Soring the Budget debate Mr. Barnes, •n behalf of the Labor Party, approved of Mr. McKenna'B proposals in view of He assumed .the tax on imported goods was merely a financial expedient, devoid of political aignificance. The party was prepared •It. '"PP O ** *ke/ Government in any Budget helping to prosecute the war to a raecjsjful issue. He regretted the lower exemption limit to the income tax. Hie increased revenue therefrom would not be proportionate to the hard*Wp.inflifted on the earners of £2OO jwiy. The jwrty welcomed the taxation, on war profits. The Government should have assumed control of some of these industries long ago. It was sow compounding a felony by sharing tt» mg. The Labor Party reeommtnded as an alternative the approprigtajtt.M pet ««nt. of the war profits.' )u,, Baton protested against the addifjtfptl taxation of sixteen millions levied npon tie very poor people. The abolition of.the halfpenny postage was perhaps the greatest blot on the Budget. . .Mr. Asquith, in reply to Mr. Bellairs, ■aid it was not proposed to reduce the number of members of % Cabinet.

sundry taxes discussed. HALFPENNY POSTAGE TO BE . HftvTEWED. I r deceived Sept. 24, J0.25 p.m. ■ London, Sept. 24. Mr. McKenna said there was an over»n«lnußgty strong case for the sugar t*t, and the best test of this was the gMfctly-incrMaed eongftmption of sweets The tea tax wa» joatified by the principle of obtaining money from as many contributors as possible. . Tobacco maters announce that in wture a, penny packet of cigarettes will «ontain»four- instead of five cigarettes. Tooa&o for the troops will not be taxed, jmd two shillings worth for the troops will cost sixpence. « ia expected that the Government will abandon or modify the abolition of we halfpenny postage. .A meeting of Radicals decided to urge the Government to tax land values.

OUR CAPACITY TO STAY. Received Sept. 24, 9.45 p.m. . Lotodon, Sept. 24. Kt. Hon. Sir A. H. Mond said it was folly .to tell the Commons that they were compelled to scrap the existing fiscal system in order to develop exports, when a large part of the export trade was lost through unnecessary and foolish, restrictions and delay in supplying licenses. The motor-car duty would mean a loss of sixteen millions of capital, and thirty thousand men being thrown out of employment. Mr. McKenna said that taxation on imports had not compromised the fiscal principle; it was introduced avowedly to raise the revenue and limit unnecessary luxuries. They were compelled to abandon the theory owing to the special war circumstances. He never knew a country like Britain for willingness to pay, and he did not think there had even been such a country in history where the nation literally had come forward and asked to "be taxed. Our willingness to bear the burdens indicates „4»' capacity to stay, and the nation Usting longest must win. "McKENNA'S JOKE." OPINION OF FREE-TRADERS. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) London, Sept. 23. The Times' Parliamentary correspondent says that the only taxes exciting controversy on questions of principle are the new import duties. Many members would have preferred 15 to 20 per cent, ad valorem on all imported goods, except, perhaps, grain and meat. Some consistent free-traders are ready to accept the new duties as an economic necessity of the war. A few frivolous members called the duties ,: McKenna's joke," and asked why so large a net was spread for so few fish to be caught. A group of determined free-traders are bent on destroying the import duties if they can, and hope for a revival of the Free Trade Union. The only other big item in the Budget to which there is serious objection is the poßt office' new rates. There is much opposition to the abolition of halfpenny postcards. The Times' correspondent at Paris says the Budget has done more than, anything to impress the French witbA the resolution and resources of Britain, and a newspaper heading, "It's worth the battle won," has correctly translated the. popujar W'W,

THE LIQUOR UESTION. ' j "TREATING," Received Sept. 24, 8.5 p.m. London, Sept, 23. The Daily Telegraph states that the omission in the Budget' of an additional tax on beer and spirits is due to the fact that the Government intends to deal comprehensively with the entire drink question later in the session. There is much dicussion on the .terms of the order forbidding "treating" in London. It is still unpublished, but if it is similar to that in other munition areas a man will not be allowed to pay for. his wife's refreshment unless it is part of a meal. A contravention involves a maximum of six months' hard labor and a fine of £SOO.

LIQUOR RESTRICTIONS. London, Sept. 23. The Liquor Traffic Control Board has decided to schedule Greater London as a munition area, thus prohibiting treating and enforcing the further dilution of spirits. OPINION OF THE TIMES. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) London, Sept. 23. The Times considers it an honest and straightforward Budget, but it omits retrenchments in the public services. It is lamentable that the Government did not give a real lead to the public on the matter of economy. The modest instalment of tariff reform selects certain manufactured articles because they happen temporarily to be some of the chief offenders in the excessive importations for the current year. ADDRESS TO SOLDIERS. BY SIR G. H. REID. London, Sept. 23. Sir G. H. Reid, presenting Distinguished Conduct Medals to men in the Harefield Hospital, said: "You will show yourselves greatest if these honors leave you the same modest and unpretending manly fellows you were before. You must be proud of the interest the King and Queen have shown jn your work. The other day I wrote to the King to tell him regarding. Harefield. Within four hours of receiving the letter their Majesties visited the hospital. Queen Alexandra has expressed to me her admiration of the Australians, and when I recently visited Sir John French's headquarters, the Prince of Wales called on me personally to express his appreciation of the efforts of the Australians. I don't believe in the fellow who won't fight for his country, whether it is right or wrong. There never was such an honest defensive war as this we arc now engaged in." N