POINTS OF THE BUDGET

Evening Star, Issue 20151, 16 April 1929, Page 6

POINTS OF THE BUDGET

LONDON, April 15. (Received April 16, at 1.5 p.m.)

The reduction in the harbour duties applies only to the herring industry. Tlie tea duty remission means a reduction in the price to the public of Id per lb. The benefits of the delating sell cine will bo applied to agricultuio forthwith, and to the other industries in October. In view of the criticism that brewers, distillers, and tobacco manufacturers would benefit lro.ni the derating measure', designed to assist the distressed industries, the increased duties imposed on the three indnstiies would counter-balance the gains under derating. OPPOSITION CRITICISM. Mr Philip Snowden (who was Chancellor .of the Exchequer in the Labour Government), lollowing Mr Churchill, said the Budget was really an electioneering speech. It was very different from what the. House was Jed to expect. A more .shameless piece of election bribery had never been presented by any political party. The speech was in the nature of a swan song. If the Ministerialists thought that the. Budget would be of advantage to them at the elections they were underrating the intelligence of the electors. Mr Lloyd George said he did not complain that it was an electioneering speech. “IVhat I object to is the high moral standard that Mr Churchill takes when anyone else has an electoral purpose in mind. He was very severe about my suggesting borrowing £200,000,001), but he himself spent £400,000,000 without providing anything like substantial employment. From the point of view of dealing with the present gr.avc situation the Budget is extremely disap-

pointing.”' The usual Budget resolutions were agreed to. and the House rose. —Australian Press Association-United Service.