"BUYING THE IRISH."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 6 September 1909, Page 7

"BUYING THE IRISH."

.UNIONIST ALLEGATIONS. ; LICENSE DUTIES, CLOSE QASJ?,'. lliy 'l'clcprttpb.-T'Prese Aeuoclnllon,*— Oopyrtcbt.l'. (Bee. {September 5, 5.5 p.ih.) •'• ■' . , London, f3ep.t<nnbe,r i- ■ In committee of the Commons on the liquor licenses section of tho Finance . Bill, Several of the Londou lijboral inembers urged potter' treatment of the liijupv trade, : emphasising' the fact that under the old licenso ditties the County pf London £190,0001> year, while jt j.v estimated fcbat under the now duties London will pay £800,000 a year. During the debate hi the eairly .- hours of morning Ministers escapod'■ defeat on ceveral divisions only by the abstention of the Natipnalists, whoso. attitude h»d been more than critical. Tho Qovernmont'e majority on one division was 49, - ■• .'•".' Before one division the Chjef Liberal V?hip (Mr.: J. A. Pease) crpssed the floor of the Hpnse and conferred with Mr; John R«dmpnd,.Leader of .tfee Nationalists.,' To this iuQidcnt Mr. Balfpur referred yesterday af-1 iernoon, taunting the Nationaliats with selU ing themselves tpo cheaply. . . : ■' Many, Liberals were away on; iipliday, 1 and nrgent messages have been dispatched with a view to securing-their better week.' ■' \■' ".;■ ■■■■■..■■■'' "■..-. ;■■ ■• ::•' ■ . Opposition speakers dcolafpd in the cpurseof the! debato.that. the Chancellor jp{ th.Q Exchequer, Jlr. L'lpycl-Georgo, hopcfl \>S ' ;'tfee new scheme of license duties to extinguish a number of licenses, and the fact that none of these licehse-holders. will be compensated is the penalty for npn-acceptsnco by., the Unionist majority. in ;tne House of. Lprds of tho Licensing i3ill of 1908; ,', : .',;•, "Sir-sdward parson (fprmer)y. So-licitp.r-Genercd), with, the, approval' of . tho Wholo of •tho'r'Uriionistsj will move an aniond? ment.tp ■provide , cpmpensatipn ■tp .■thpse discontTOO business , .by reason pf ,the. increase in the lieense 'dv.ties.

I'---. UNEfIIUAI, LEVY ON LONPPNj -;; ■ : The Natipnalis,ts have strongly cpnttemned. (tie. new. license'duties, but-pn. Thursday the/Primp Minister,' Mr. AE.qui.th, offered pertain ; sions to Irish licenses, (outlined in a cablegram in Friday's issue) as apart from.. English, and Scotch. .'Jflie Unionists. j!nm.e.d.ia.tely denounced "tfve bargijin." . ■ :,..,, : .'i. ,' ■■■:\ , : The objection of London.lic«nSßes,is.fqund.eo; pnth'e cqijteijtioii that,under the systemof $#■. 6essment; on the »n«ual valup, London' d'.sproportionately taxed. At a. meeting in. Juno of the London-Liberal members tho folio.iring'<resolution was passe.d :-"T ; hat this meeting oj j London Liberal members, oonsider? that tho levying of the , license duties upon.the basis of annual value places. London lioaises at n peat disadvantage as., compared with tlxe res? of the equntry, • and'desires thfct some, other; basis should he adopted, s.u.oh as a percentage, .on the. trade, of enoh house, under which, jth« "JMclenco of.the. liojense , 'duty would be more equallydjsr tribufed over the.whole kingdom'.", '■ ;,- ' In & statement mnde, to.ilrVH, Hoyd-Ge.prge, the London browtrs; e.hanoe.Uor of th» Exchequer in .his- Budf«t.statement .said that, ho expected to get an (idd.jtio.nal from hi? new. -license. ■ A u t ie ' n i a »- d ,I«VRW brewers'-licpnses. Deducting- iiCOO.OQD for brewers.,. licenses and % duties.;to, bei,.lej|ec\,onilic-.-enied; pre.miscs;othos than -public-homies.- and beer-houses, we- h.\v<>. 42,000,00? W■ th* add;tional amount, (b. be, obtained from, the.;public.. hbusM and beer-houses of the United KinEdoni... One-tentii ..of- "this-' sum is '^200,000; .instead of tVa't; the a.dministr»tiT« county- of London will be called upoii to pay- JM0.000.-;, In indiag MnrcK 31. ,1008, ths ywld,.pf..tli» license duties was ASK. 3 !'?.' from; which-'mast be,dc--ducted the receipts for dutieslevied, pn »ceo6«d. premise's other .than pubbc-ho_n«>4 nouses;''aria wt.of the. total ad: iuihistvative .county of :LpndPn t paid or 'approximately .wßole/--' ' .■.''■ ' "Tne' result 'njay be eumraariseq as-.folfpws. London : will pay a sum at - least' four .times a* large, as tho license dxilies. at'.ttae flresent; timo and more- than thrt«; times as.lnrge'as. the just share of tho: isr«i»sed - duties: which-: should fall on:l,oridoa, 'niTasiired.eit.her.^y;PopulasP.n,..pr bvits share of the licenso ,c|utlfe paid hitherto,' and this in a'disbict .whero.' the'/pnex) rf charged'by'.the brewer is osceptipn.ally low, Thew figures revtal Such;i>: startling inequality in of tondoii. that-.-it siblo to 'thinli ican-be. Wt>,unMdhss>d, - ; ■ There oa'n-be that. t|» l>. cense yalues of London public-houses hsvo e«or, mously/diminished. in tlw lasts..bye. :y«rts. ; .»;d thcy-'wq now,at a.lqwsr, ebb. than f.qr-.mauy ?? "Tlo'only''fair method'is' tp'.dv?trib.uts : the burdens, in,proportion .to \hp hade ((one. • i Q treat'■ monopoly'-'wine of- the ■ wfeolo trade nj eqjnething-exclusively Wonging to one class ol trader'' onlv, tho. publican • and,.;beer:house keener, when 1 that: particular class-is. annually doiig 'a dirainishing share of j a diminishing trade, -is to ig-aore .facts," ''';■,;.',...!■'■-■ - :