BRITISH BUDGET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9593, 13 September 1909, Page 5

BRITISH BUDGET.

DENOUNCED BY LORD ROSEBERY. "TYRANNICAL AND PREDATORY." United Press Association - By Electrio Telegrapn Copyright. LONDON, September 10.

The Earl of Rosebery addressed an enormous meeting of business men at Glasgow in relation to the Government's financial proposals. The gathering was a non party one, and no resolutions were passed. In the course of speech which lasted a hundred minutes Lord Rosebery remarked that though he did not belong to the Unionist Party, he could not help paying a tribute to the courage and intelligence of the gallant little minority in the House of Commons.

Proceeding, Lord Rosebery characterised the Budget as harassing, inquisitorial, bureaucratic, tyrannical, and predatory.

No form of property was safe, nor was it iritended to be safe, under the new system of taxation.

Lord Rosebery argued for the re-~ jection of the Budget, declaring that Mr Gladstone would make short work of any deputation of his colleagues presenting it. Received September 12, 5.5 p.m. LONDON, September 11.

Lord Rosebery. in the course of his addreas said that he had long been an independent politician. He believed it was his duty to show why in the best interests of the nation the Finance Bill should not be come law. Mr Lloyd-George had proclaimed it a budget of war against poverty, but it was a war which depleted capital increased unemployment, and produced universal insecurity. The new taxes were not for national defence but in order to raise a vast sum for the use of a central Government without Parliament ■ ary control. The Budget had undergone no adequate preparation. It contained material for six Budgets. The Budget put Britain into the melting pot. It was a revolution without any mandate from the people. At a time when it was difficult to make bcth ends met the Budget took as much and harassed as much as possible. It placed four new taxes on land besides expanding the income tax and death duties. It was a distinct step towards land nationalisation, which Mr LloydGeorge said must come. Land was selected because its taxation could not be evaded. Unearned increment could be applied to every other kind of property. The land laws might be improved, and more people of'the yeomen class settled on the land, but landlords should be justly treated. They were usually human beings in difficulties. In:18U6 a return showed that the capita] value of land had fallen £1,000,000,000 in thirty yeas. Yet this waa this indus try the Government sought to tax out of existence Landowners seemed to be damned and doubly damned for holding property in land. Many millions of working men's money invested by prudential temperance and friendly societies might so on be touched. He considered that the enormous increase in the death du ■ ties was a danger to capital. Scores of millions of pounds were lying idle in the banks or going abroad to develop other countries, owing to apprehension of *.he Government's financial policy, feelings would the late Mr Gladstone have had for such a Budget. Liberalism and liberty used to go together, but the Budget established tyranny and inquisition never previously known. He denounced the Government's bureaucratic socialism. The Unionists attach great significence to Lord Rosebery'a declaration that it was his belief that the Government were taunting and daring the Lords to throw out the Budget. It is expected that the Bill will be sent to the Lords about October 15th. Both parties expect a general election to follow in a few weeks.