BRITISH BUDGET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9642, 6 November 1909, Page 5

BRITISH BUDGET.

THIRD READING CARRIED. ANIMATED DEBATE IN THE COMMONS. POWERFUL AND DIGNIFIED SPEECHES. United Press As-oci*tion-r>y metric Telegraph Copyright. Received November 5, 10.15 p.m. LONDON, November 5. In the House of Commons the Budget was read a third time by 379 votes to 149. Sixty five Nationalists and four Liberals abstained from voting. Messrs J. Bertram (Liberal M.P. for Herts worth), S. H. Whitbread (Linei'al M.P. for Huntingdon), and Mr Tim Healy (Nationalist M.P. for Louth North) voted against the Bill. The debate was an animated one. The speeches delivered by Lord Robert R, Cecil, Hon. D. Lloyd George, Hon. A. J. Balfour, and the Hon. H. H. Asquith, were powerful and dignified, and dealt with the main principles and prospective effects of the financial and fiscal policies of the Government and the < Unionists respectively. The newspapers agree that now this phase of the House of Commons' labour having closed the most absorbing chapter in the history of the Bill is still before us

NATIONALISTS AND THE LORDS. THE IRISH LAND BILL. REJECTION OF LORDS' AMENDMENT DEMANDED. Received November 5, 9.45 p.m. LONDON, November 5. At Mr J. E. Redmonds' instance the Nationalist members of the House of Commons resolved to call upon the Government to the Lords amendment to the Irish Land Bill. The resolution of the Nationalists adds: "Ik view of the serious situation which will immediately arise if the Bill is wrecked by the action of the Lords we appeal tn all branches of the Irish National League forthwith to take steps to strengthen the organisation in order to be prepared to promptly deal with The meeting resolved that though not unanimously to abstain from participating in divisions on the Budget nine members supported Mr Tim Healy's motion to vote against the Government as a protest against the oppressive taxation and wasteful! misgovernmen l : of Ireland. DATE OF ELECTION. IF LORDS REJECT THE BUDGET. Received November 5, 8.20 a*m.. LONDON, November 4. Mr J. A- Pease, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury states that if the Lords'reject the Finance Bill there will be a general election early in January.

When Mr JLloyd George issued his; ( famous Budget he was face to face i with the difficultyof providing new revenue to the extent of 16 millions., i To meet the country's obligations he proposed first of all to draw still more deeply upon those who have a superfluity of this world's goods. When a nation is in difficulties it is natural, says an English journal, that it should call first to its aid its citizens of substance, and, in this age, one of the penalties of wealth is the liability to sacrifice in a higher degree proportionate to the ability for the nation's demands. There will, therefore, be no surprise that the Chancellor of the Exchequer in seeking naw revenue should go first to be best filled' cash boxes. The principle of super tax is applied in, a very drastic fashion; it is quite in accordance with anticipations thit > there should be an outcry as to the impolicy of destroying the confidence of capital an* driving it out of the country. Those with relatively | modest incomes will not suffer more than they do now, but that proportion of income which exceeds £3,000 a year will pay Is 2d in the £, and unearned incom?s of more than £5,000 will pay a supertax of 6d in the £. The death duties are to be increased by such precentages that they will yield over two and a half millions to the revenue, and the legacy and succession duties are to jfurnish, by their exensioir, a further very large sum. i'hus seven millions are to be extracted this year—and more hi years to come—for the nation's needs from the pockets of those who are deemed to have a surplus sufficient to stand the strain. Having regard to the imperative necessity of the case it is difficult to see what else, under our present fiscal system, Mr Lloyd George could have done. It will also be cnntendeJ that the taxation of motor cars is a further tax on the rich, but few will condemn it on this account. We have long urged the desirability of some elfectual restraint on motor traffic, and it is right that the car which is so gen erally used as a. luxury should con tribute to the depleted revenues. Land and landed interests could not hope to escape, and the State is to recover the value of unearned increment up to 20 per cent; and the special taxation ot mining royalties, a reform long discussed, is initiated. There will be very little objection to these innovations except in the interested quarters. In addition the spirit duty has been increased,,and the license duties so rearranged as to bring in £2,600,000. This is the price the trade must pay for the der feat of the Licensing Bill last year. The masses of the people escape save in so far as they are affected by the fresh imposts on spirits and tohaceo, and no one would have it otherwise. There is a pleasant little son also to the smaller middle-clasa man in the abatement of income tax in respect of hia children. That is a [ genial touch which will popularise I Mr Lloyd-George in suburbia, '