BRITISH NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1920, Page 6

BRITISH NEWS.

THE REVENUE. By Telegraph.—Press Aasn.—Copyright. London, Jan. 2. British revenue for the past nine months totals £696,251,000, to which customs contributed £111,477.000, excise £04,656,000, income tax £137.144,000, and excess-profits' tax £202,828,000.

BRIGHT PROSPECTS OF PROSPERITY. London, Jan. 2. Sir ffamar Greenwood, under-secretary of the Home Office, interviewed, said that Britain and the Empire never entered the New Year with brighter prospects of prosperity. Reports from Cornells and diplomatic officers in every part of the world showed that production in Britain was far behind what other countries required from her. No country had a better commercial outlook' and if they could avoid strikes they should become more prosperous than 'ever. The year 1920 should be the first of a series of great years.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn, London, Jan. 1. The Daily Mail, forecasting a trade boom in 1020. states that over 250 millions sterling of new capital has been raised for British industrial purposes since the armistice.—United Service.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE SCHEME. London, Dec. 31. The Unemployment Insurance Bill extends insurance against unemployment on a contributory basis to substantially the whole employed population between the ages of lfl and 70. The total number of workers, manual and non-manu-al, affected is estimated at II.J millions, I as compared with 31-3 millions covered !by the existing scheme.

Opportunity is given for industries to contract out of the general scheme by setting up special schemes such as maybe approved by the Minister of Labor and which may give equal or superior advantages.

The scheme comes into operation on October 1. Agriculture and domestic service are not included in the scheme and other exceptions include persons, other than manual laborers, earning more than £250 a year, employees of public authorities* the police, railway servants or employees, and other statutory undertakings where such persons have rights under a statutory superannuation fund making insurance against unemployment unnecessary. The weekly contributions vary from three pence a week for girls and six pence a week for men, employee and employer contributing half each, with the State adding & sum equal to one-third of these contributions. The rates of benefit vary from 6a per week for girls to 15s~for man.—Reuter.