COMMONS DEBATE

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 87, 13 April 1927, Page 7

COMMONS DEBATE

BUDGET DISCUSSED. j Labour Inaugurates Attack on Chancellor. i PHILIP SNOWDEN'S QUIPS. (Hy Cable.—rrcss Association.—Copyright.) ■v ' (Received in a.m.) LONDON, April 12. j J The Bmlcrct debate in tho House of I ! Commons was opened bv Mr. Pliilip ; Snotvden (Lab., Colnc Valley, Chan-j j cellor of Hie Exchequer in tho Labour j. Cabinet). lie said lie could not "withhold j admiration for the audacity "with which the Chancellor had met the ! •position. i 1 Though lie attributed the nation's j .financial position to the coal stoppage, the chief responsibility for the prolongation thereof rested with the Government. ■ Within a brief space of Labour's entry! in!o cilice came the presentation of the. .estimates in which a considerable reduction was ellect ed. I j Despite Mr. ( luiieliill's failure, tin* ' j hopo of economy sprang eternally ill his ; breast, but. no < 'hancellor had ever been' ja »rlisi-t 1 icr failure. I ! The abolition of the three Ministries would involve probably a saving of I Alio.ooo annually. The Ministers would 1 disappear, but the work of the Depart--1 incuts would be carried on. Did anylone believe, lie asked, that the estimates! would not be considerably increased | before the year was out? If they did they erred oil the side of optimism. Mr. Pnowden said ho would be greatly I surprised if there was not a grave industrial dislocation following the direct | invitation of the 'i'rades t'nion bill, i i Apart from that tln* Chancellor was! I certain to again tare the Hou.se with a; j coti-idcra bio ilelici!. ' In the course of three budgets direct taxation had been relieved £.">0.000.000. but indirect taxation had increased | j U.Vi.000,000. thereby showing the regard j ! for those Mr. Churchill described as "my ! hard pressed friends,'' tho supertax j pavers. | Mr. Churchill was a luxury, but if 'tho Conservatives considered the mattci | they wouhl tind that his scintillating; i entertainments in the House* of Conii innns did not compensate for his cost tot j tho ciiiintry. His first liud'.'ct was a rich man's, his j second that of a predicate bankrupt, land his third a combination of both, j together with jugglery and deceit. | '"It is beyond me to do justice to Mr. i Chin chill's genius. He is a eonibina- ' tion of Mark Tapley and Micavvbcr." Enough Blood on His Hands. Replying to Lt.-Col. Applin (Con., ' Knlield), Mr. Churchill said he had not I considered a ten per cent duty on j ! woman's hats. | I Lt.-Col. Applin: There arc at least .-,0.000.000 hats sold \ early and a tax of ten per cent would jjive you I £ 1,20U,000. ! Mr. Churchill: I have enough blood on my hands. (l.oud laughter.) The lit. Hon. 11. 1". McNeill (Financial Secretary to the Treasury) said that the! whole expenditure under control of the' t lov eminent was ,C 1 •">(>.000,000. f l he , remainder was either for obligatory services or arose from causes antecedent to: the present Government. Those who advocated the reduction of Janvthing up to £.">0.000,000 should show. ] where it was possible. The abolition! of three Departments proved that the | 'Government was not prepared to reject! , any reasonable purest ions. II Sir K. M. IlilTo (Con., Tamvvorth) i re-retted that the Overseas Trade De- ! ■ partment was ending, as it had attained 'considerable success. It had definitely, . assisted the development of trade. j Sir Godfrey Collins (Lib., Greenock) ; : called the Chancellor's attention to four' , methods of reducing expenditure. The | cost of colonial preference for the year was £ 1..">00.000. Why should the over- ' burdened taxpayer assist the successful producers of the Dominions? Mr. Churchill might abolish the beet sugar subsidy, which would save another £4,000,000. i "Then lie could abolish the Empire • Marketing board. Why should £1,000,000 . of the taxpayer's money l>e spent to > brim; the products from overseas Domin- ■ ions to cur shores? The Dominions I should compete in our markets on eipial i terms with the peoples of the world.' 1