BRITISH BUDGET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9599, 20 September 1909, Page 5

BRITISH BUDGET.

MRASQUITE IN DEFENCE. REPLY TO LORD ROSEBERY'S SPEECH. I CHALLENGE TO THE LORDS. United Press Association-By Ele Telegraph Copyight. Received September 19, 5,5 pm. . LONDON, September IS. The Hon. H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister, received a tumultuous welcome at Bingleh, Hall, where he addressed an audience of 10,000. if He likened the sensations of the reader of Lord Rosebery's recent speech to those of the over sanguine explorer who reaches the North Pole, only to find nothing there except that the points of the compass have for the moment lost their meaning. He emphasised that the peresnt gathering meant to declare, first, that the interests of the State should be mut by an equitable distribution of the nations' wealth, and secondly that tho freely chosen representatives of the people should have the finsl voice in settling both a measure and the incidence of burden. He remarked that the working classes as a body | had not complained o± their share of the additional contribution to the acknowledged necessities of the State. The bulk of the well-to-do citizens were just as ready as their less fortunate fellow subjects to play their part and do their fair share of the patriotic duty of meeting the State's needs. Whatever might happen in the hurly-burly or would disturb the personal affection existing between Lord Rosebery and himself. Lord Rosebery bewailed the hard fate and extolled the services of the owner of agricultural land. The Budget's land taxes did not touch agricultural land. Its proposals increasing the deductions under Schedule A left the owner of agricultural land better off than now. What the proposal waa was merely to tax land values created by the social development of the country. Lord Rosebery himself, while Prime Minister, advocated the taxation of ground values. He agreed with Lord Rosebery that the Government was making a new de parture in regard to land. The departure was that for the first time principle?, the justice of which was admitted by every Imperial man who had studied the subject, had baen recognised and acted upon by the responsible Government. Regarding the alleged depletion and so-called j exploitation of national capital, he ' contended that money taken in the shape of death duties did not disappear. It goes in sanitation, national defence, preservation of order, and those great schemes of social reform whereon the Liberals are bent. What waa Lord Rosebery's alternative beyond singularly infertile generalties? "Lord Rosebery," said Mr Asquith, "had nolhiag to tell us The tariff reformers were grateful for Lord Rosbery's aid, but they disguised their disappointment at his lame, impotent conclusions. They frit that it was all very well to abuse the Budget and its authors, but neither nations nor individuals can live on a diet of blood and murder. You cannot fill deficit by, denunciation." Proceeding to argue that tariff reform proved no practical alternative to the Budget as a revenue producing scheme, Mr Asquith remarked that it any such alternative policy ex •' isted it ought to come out in th e open. Mr Balfour, on his last visit to Birmingham, administered to long Buffering tariff reformers a dose of soothing syrup. The important part of Mr A3quith's speech was reserved for the last five minutes. It was a direct challenge to the Lords. Speaking solemnly and slowly, he declared it the Lords destroyed the Budget, whether by mutilation or rejection, that indeed would be the most formidable revolution since the Long Parliament. , He added that it had been settled long ago that the Commons had an absolute and unquestionable decisive voice in matters of finance. The Houes of Lords was impotent, and the Commons supreme, if that issue were raised. He impressively remarked that the way the revolution i lies it would involve issues far wider j and deeper than the Lords' right to meddle with finance, but if raised the Liberal Party were anxious and eager to accept the challenge. Elaborate precautions were taken to prevent Suffragettes invading the meeting. Barricades were erected, forming a secret passage from the station to Mr Asquith's hotel. Numerous Suffragettes caused disturbances, and several arrests were made. The champions of the Suffragettes interrupted the meeting at times, and several were ejected. Long Parliament is the name by which the fifth Parliament summoned by Charles I. is known. It succeeded the Short Parliament. dissolved after three weeks, and met on November 3rd, 1640. It negan its work by reversing all the tyrannical and illegal acts of the past eleven years, with the abolition of the Star Chamber and High Commission, and the impeachment of Stafford; while it secured itself by an act that it 1 could not be dissolved without its own consent. Just before Charles I.'a trial it was "purged" by Colonel Pride of 96 members displeasing to the Army, and tha remnant—the i "Rump"—continued to sit until its

members were turned out by tha Lord General Cromwell on April 20th, 1653. The "Rump' 1 was recall ed by the officers in the failure of Richard Cromwell to maintain his authority, and of the 160 members who had continued to sit after the King's death about 90* returned to their seats. Proving once more displeasing to the Army, they were again turned out by General Lambert. They were restored amid the dissensions of the officers, as the only body in the Country having any kind of legal authority, and on the motion of Ashley Cooper, the members ejected by "Pride's Purge" returned to their seats. After issuing the writs for a new election it dissolved itself on March 16th, 1660. Thus ended the Long Parliament, which, twice expelled and twice restored, had lasted for twenty years. LORDS AND THE FINANCIAL BILL. GENERAL ELECTION PROBABLE IN NOVEMBER. United Press Association—By Electric I'elegrapb Copyright. LONDON, September 17. "The Times" states that it is practically certain that if the Lords reject the Finance Bill the Government wil« accelerate the revision of the Electoral register to November' instead of January, and the general election will be held about the end< of November.