BRITISH POLITICS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11549, 28 January 1932, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS

ritrrs- — rr-r-r BIG PROGRAMME AHEAD

TARIFFS OUTSTANDING. DOMINIONS? CO-OPERATION

(U.P.A. by Flee. Tel. Copyright) LONDON.. A an - 2 - ( V The Parliamentary session opening on Tuesday will be . marked, by an exceptional- amount of work. An Jiff* usua] procedure will be that there ivill be no general statoiiienßof policy, nor any fiill-dress donate tb.nWj .pn". Foreign policy "'ill be- o.ntfiilM only in the form of a lowers and, questions. Tariffs will bo tlie outstanding (Abject. It was . autlioriL’tiyci.v admitted to-night that those are. being eyolvcd in close co-operation with tho Dominions. The Government is determined not to follow the procedure of tlie former emergency , dutiph, which have left a fairly long ■'interval between tlie aimouineement of the imposition of the duty and given oportu flit iris of forestalling them by importations. On tlie contrary, the revenue resolutions will he introduced in Committee of Ways and Albans, following the passage., of ..a...".special Bill to permit the. duties to operate the same ■ flight. NEW DUTIES KEPT SECRET. Secrecy similar to that surrounding Budget taxes is being observed in. reference to the new duties. Lobbyists’ latest forecasts include a Hi per (•out. duty on. all manulaetnres and scmi-nvaniilaotnres. including iron and .steel, and ’did ies on many foodstuffs, excepting wheat and meat, but including dairy produce. Tire objects of tlie latter arc, firstly; the encouraging of an extension of Dominion preferences at the Ottawa Conference, and secondly-, the negotiation of reciprocal argrccincnts with. Argentine and Denmark with a view lo obtaining special term*; l'°r certain British manufactures.

5 A Cabinet-meeting held this tnorn•ing was understood to bo concerned '"■dh the procedure in tlie opening stages of the session. It is expected that an early statement will be made ■to the House on Cabinet); decision regarding tlie views of its members on tariff's.

BALANCED BUDGET PROBABLE In view of tlie figures disclosed in tho latest revenue returns, :> balanced Budget is rewarded as definitely in prospect. The returns furnish further evidence of the remarkable response made to the appeal tor the prompt payment of instalments of income tax due this month. During tho week ended on Saturday last income tax collected amounted to £l7000,000. an increase of £7,200,000 over the amount collected in (ho same week of last year. The total amount collected in tlie period from January ! to 23 was 666,900,000, compared with ■ £3-1,800,000 in the first 2-1 days of last year. The amount- collected as surtax during tho same week also shows an increase, over the corresponding period of last year. The total amount of surtax received'in the first 2.3 days of the quarter was Cl 8.750.000, being an increase of £8,500,000 over the total received in the first 2-1 clays of 1.931. The total deficit now stands at £131.000,000.