BRITISH POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9568, 14 August 1909, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

THE FINANCE BILL. SIXTY AMENDMENTS CLOSURFD United Press Association—oy Telegraph Copyrighi. Received August 13, 8.25 a.m. LONDON, August 12. Consideration of the tiovernment's Finance Bill in committee resulted in another all night sitting of the House of Commons. London squares were exempted from the tax on undeveloped land, and the size of gardens which were tobe granted exemption waa increased to five acres. Despite opposition from the Radicals, Mr Lloyd-George moved the closure on sixty amendments in a single batch, including three of his own concessions. The motion was carried by 156 votes to 29. THE GOVERNMENT'S REAL OBJECT. A STRONG INDICTMENT. ~ Received August 13, 840. a.m. LONDON, August 12. Continuing his criticism of the Government's Budget proposals, Mr Austen Chamberlain said the tax on ungotten minerals, which had now abandoned, was the gem of Mr Lloyd-George's collection, and he defended it, on the ground that it was necesasry to development. According to the present plan, an owner not working his minerals was safe, but when he began to work then the tax collector paid him a visit. The Government was going all the coal and iron ore in the country—the raw materials of our great industries—and also to tax granite quarried here, while we should probably send to for granite, on which no tax would be paid. Other speakers emphasised the disproportionate of the collection of taxes to the amount of the probable yield. ' Mr H..' Cox, Liberal member for Preston, favoured the Budget as a whole, but hoped that when the Ministerialists spoke in the provinces, in support of these land taxes they would explain that other objects were intended than raising money to meet a deficit of sixteen mil lions. Mr Balfour, Leader of t the Opposition, declared that it was quite plain thpy were not dealing with Finance in this part of . the Bill, but with the provision of machinery f:;r social schemes of the more extreme sections of the Government's supporters.

Mr Asquith replied that these taxes would prove more productive hereafter, and would assist future Governments in meeting the 'increased expenditure for which the country must u'e pr^par^d.