FOOD TAXES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 669, 20 November 1909, Page 5

FOOD TAXES.

WILL BRITAIN ENDORSE THEM? MR. BALFOUR'S DOUBTS IN 1903. LIBERAL FREE-TRADERS ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE. lUj Tclerraph - Prc a Anjnclollon-Onprrlchtl (Eec. November 19, 10 p.m.) London, November 19. ' Mr. Ha|dane, Minister for War, addressing tho Eighty Club (Liberal), said. "Lord Lansdowno from tho watch-tower has given tho signal ahd Mr. Balfour hns trumpeted a frontal attack. Wβ accept tho challenge. No quarter is asked j none, will be given. (Cheera) "Tho Cabinet is absolutely united as regards tho Budget. Lot us stick to what is within tho four corners of that great Bill. It would bo tho idlest wasto of time to speculato as to the result of this great fight. Wo intend to concentrate ourselves on tho winning of it. Thi issues of tho olection will bo Freetrade and the Budget. • "Lot me remind my hearers that, Mr. Balfonr at Sheffield itf 1003 declared that, in his view of publ(e opinion as it was, ho could not lead a party which committed itself to taxes on food. And (added Mr. Hnldane) I have no reason to think that public opinion in this country now is different. We shall see whether tho Unionist party has got any furthor in that direction " Mr. Haldano expressed himself hopeful as to tho result of fto coming struggle. MR. BALFOUR AND COST OF LIVING. GUARANTEES WANTED. TARIFF REFORM VERSUS SOCIALISM. London November 18. ,Mr. Balfour, in concluding his tariff reform speech at Manchester, said: "The only practical alternative—and I am talking about practical' politics as we know them—to tariff reform is a Budget which will I bo disastrous, to every great industry, and' which is a combination of bad financo and muddle-headed Socialism." Most of the newspapers ogres that Mr. Balfour made a great speech) and comment upon it from thp several patfy standpoints. ' The Liberal organs incidentally arguo tjiat no guarantees ore forthcoming concerning, tho Opposition leader's assurances respecting tho cost of hying. , i [Mr. Balfour is reported as saying: ''I should never 'have adhered to any fiscal change of importance which is calculated to increase, or ,cpuld increase',-' the. worker's< ordinary ■;■ cost , of living'?,';;■ A. pledge- not to. : increas6 ,:'the -ordinary/cost of must'not :bo:.confused :; ;with Avpledgei not Uo, tax food. ■;.. The argument', is-that;., the iCost'.ot-' taxed food i s ' 'maae.' : ::up^'".tt\'tteV^w6rkw : .:.by'>4nprpasi!d/ , ybrk' and; wages; >'so any -fqod-taxeri might I feel' hiqi- ' self .justified in saying that he would' not raise "the ordinary;.cost ; of living.',' l :. Mr.. Chaplin is ' an>' ayowed. ; .'.'food-taxer,: and i.he' also : says: •,"Wa must .next readjust existing itaxes to prei ydnt/tho. augmentation .of the proportion. of taxes' borne;'by :the••'workers"] ' ; -J : : /?:'.'..':-';:

PRICE OF NATIONALIST VOTE. HOME RULE AN ISSUE.' (Reo. November 19, 10 25, p.m.) i London, November 19. Mr. John Redmond, Leader Irish Nationalists, in a's'i>eech at Dublin, declared that if the ( Natoahs,kar,Mo .take a vigorous pait in tho.,bpttle,-against,th«"Hou6e r of Lords they must have' Mr. Asiiuith's official doolaration that Home Ru|e will be one of the issues for the electorates, COMPULSPRY PURCHASE OF LAND IN IRELAND. VITAL'QUESTION , OI , APPEAL STILL UNSETTLED. London) November 18. As a result of a conference between thq fjont benches, the Lords havo agreed not to insist on their amendments in the Irish Land Bill. The Government yielded on many points, but voted against an amendment in Clauee 64 authorising-the creation of an independent tribunal to hear appeals against tho compulsory acquisition of estates. Lord Lansdowno stated that his vital point was still unsettled. LABOUR AND LIBERALISM, WHIP'S PLEA FOR NON-COMPETITION. , London, November 18. Mr. J. A. PenEe, Secretary to the Treasury apd Chief Liberal-Whip! states in a lotter that in the expected general election Liberals will as, far as pqssible respeot seats held'by La 7 : beur members, and ho urges the Labour Ropresontation Committee to respect Liberal seats. Mr, Pease adds that if an aggressive atti--1 tudo is persisted in by tho Lahour party, the ! latter is more likely to bo tho loser. [Ip several of tho by-elections Labour candidates have been run against Liberals, causing Mr. Pease on one occasion to threaten retaliation.] ' PEERS, CQMMONS. ANQ PEOPLE,' VOX PQPULI, VOX DEI. f London, November 18. Commenting in his Manchester speech on the motion winch Lord Lansdowne is to move on tho second reading of the Finance Bill—refusing tho House pf Lnrds' consent to tho Bill until it had been submitted to the judgment of the country—Mr. Balfcur said; "Lord Lansdowne asks the Houso of Lords to tako suoh action as will compel the constituencies to bo consulted beforo they commit themselves to sohoraes which I, at all ovents, at heart believe to be inimical, to the interests of tho ppor, Whatever is tho issue of that trial. Lord Lanedowne ia abundantly right" (Cheers) CABINET WILL NOT GO CAP IN HAND TO LORDS. v London, November 18. Mr. W. Runoiman, President of the Board of Education, in the course of a speeoh at Hull, referred to a rumour that the Government might consult tho Lords in regard to what taxes it should collect during the interval between tho dissolution and the return of a new Parliament. The Minister said tho Government uould have no dealings with the House of Louis on finance. PRICE OF BEER REDUCED. IS IT AN ELECTIONEERING DODGE? London, November 18. Tho browers have reduced tho price of beer. Tho Radical papers allege that this is an electioneering dodgo. [Whon tho brewers threatened to raiso tho prico of beer by $d. per pint because of tho new imposts in 'tho Financo Bill, Ministers alleged that vrhilo thq browors woro being taxed to tho extont of an oxtra three or four millions, they would bo charging tho public with an extra twenty millions. The browcra 1 reply waa that they would lose not only the tlirpo or four millions in new taxation, but tho profit on the consequent decreased consnrap. tion. It would seem, however, that, calculat ing on tho round figures given, " tho trade" would have an amplo margin to " como uml go " on.] ,