SECOND EDITION. BRITISH POLITICS.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 303, 26 June 1909, Page 5

SECOND EDITION. BRITISH POLITICS.

MEETING 'OF LIBERALS, Press Assn — By telegraph — Copyright/ LONDON, Yesterday. - A largo and representative gathering <*f Liberals and members of the Land? and Housiflg Reform Committee attended a luncheon at the Holborn restaurant. Mr Ascfstiith statecE that in June, 1908, English and Welsh County Councils ha-d secured 2000 acres in small holdings, which to-day totalled 44,000. He quoted Lord Rosebery's 10-year-old advocacy of taxation of ground values in connection with the London County Council. Gon4>nming, Mr Asquith said? land taxes were not taxes like those upon- tea- and- spirits, but taxes upon the communal value added to the land by the exertion of the State. N The only arguments, yet advanced against the tax ar<¥ Mr Balfour's argument about unearned increment and the suggestion thafc the owner ought to be compensated for decrement. The latter was a childish argument. Income taxpayers were not compensated for losses. He believed he had taken adequatesteps to prevent the increment duty; applying to agricultural land. No duty was leviable on account of increment dim to the e&oif. and 7 expenditure of landowners. jjfr LlordGeorge considered the speeches in tlie city were only 'the same drivel about Socialism of which they were' having too much. Lord llothschild said some countries had made" it clear that they would not hitve their policy dictated by great financiers. If the present agitation continued Great Britain would .join the rest.