IN THE PUBLIC EYE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16606, 18 July 1914, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC EYE.

PROMINENT PEOPLE OF THE PERIOD.

Mr Worthiugton Evans, M.P., who has been identifying himself with the movement for tho exemption of incomes earned in tho colonies from tho operation of tho income tax in the Old Country, is a well-known expert in company law. Ho was " special manager " for the liquidation of the London and Globo and British-American companies after tho Whitfcakcr Wright smash, an appointment that ho owed to his high reputation as a company solicitor. Being a. fervid Conservative, ho has naturally been sought out by Conservative Administrations to servo on special committees, but tor all his keen interest in party politics his judgment in general politics is not warped, and ho is recognised to bo one of tho sanest and soundest men in the Houseof Commons. An ardent Socialist, of course, would not express that view, but more than once the Liberal newspapers have paid him pretty compli-j ments by quoting him with approval.

The income tax which is being so extensively discussed just now was dovised originally bv an Oxford "don." Tho University dignitary is not, as a rule, regarded as a keen business moa, but Dr Henry Beeke, a Fellow of Oriel, who suggested tho tax to Pitt, had quite a reputation as a financial genius. Ho was Professor of Modern History at Oxford in his day, and afterwards became Dean of Bristol, but his chief claim to fame rests on his " Observations on the Produce of tho lucome Tax," described as a capable application of statistical reasoning to financial problems. Incidentally it contains a lucid account of tho economic condition of Great Britain during tho early years of Inst century. \ Beteko, by tho way, had a hand in tho framing of many Budgets, particularly during the long "term of Vansittart as. Chancellor of tho Exchequer. |

As levied in 1798, during tho French War, tho tax was a triplicate as assessment on property generally, but later in tho year a true income tax of 10 per cent was imposed on incomes of more than £6O. This was intended as a temporary expedient only, but the idea was utilised ill various shapes until 1815, when Parliament, in a fit of bitterness, ordered tho destruction of all documents relating to it. Peel revived tho tax in 1812, when ho was in difficulties with tho free-trade policy, again as a temporary expedient. The curious feature of tho controversies of tho past on this subject is that so few of the critics recognised tho value of the method as an aid to tho equitable distribution of taxation in general. Hume, however, was in advance of his time, for ho advocated the graduation of tho impost according to the value of tho property held, the tenure of the owner, his ago and the size of his family. It was in 1874 that the income tax becamo, oh tho deliberate voice of tho electors, a permanent feature of tho British fiscal system. There had been persistent and bitter hostility to tho measure, and whon Parliament was dissolved in that year Gladstone gavo a formal pledgo that if he wero returned to power he would repeal tho obnoxious tax. Tho Liberals", however, were defeated and the income tax was retained.

Lord Mersey carrier, his years well. He is within a month of completing his seventy-fourth year, and yet lie has just carried through successfully a patient and thorough investigation of the circumstances of tho loss of tho Empress of Ireland. It has been stated lately that he took up the study of law late in life, but that is scarcely correct, for he was admitted as a barrister whon ho was thirty, years of age. He represented ono of tho Liverpool divisions in tho House of Commons for three years, retiring in 1897 when he was appointed a Judge of tho High Court. He was a member of the Royal Commission that reviewed the martini law sentences after the South African war, and in 1904 he was appointed president of tho Railway and Canal Commission. Ho becamo President of tho Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of tho High Court in 1909, and was raised to tho peerage in the following year, when ho retired. His selection as chairman of tho Court of Inquiry into the loss of the Titanic was universally applauded, and it was in the natural order of tilings that he should bo appointed to preside over the inquiry concerning tho Empress of Ireland disaster.

Sir William Osier, the eminent physician, whose views on the tuberculosis problem have lately been cabled, is often spoken of as an American. It is quite true that before he went to England he had been Professor of'Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University, but ho is really a Canadian. His father, tho Rev' F. L. Osier, was a Cornishman, who emigrated to Canada seventy years ago. Sir William was born at Bond Head, Canada, and had his early education at Toronto. Then ho visited tho great European Universities and, in ISS-1, accepted an appointment at the M'Gill University, where, by tho way, Sir Ernest Rutherford was subsequently to win fame. f Sir William was at the Johns Hopkins University for fifteen years beforo ho was appointed to Oxford., where he holds tho post of Regius Professor of Medicine. One of his brothers is a Canadian Judge of Appeal and another represents West Toronto in the Dominion Parliament. Sir William has had many honours bestowed ou him. and ouly a few weeks ago he was elected a Foreign Associate of the French Academy.

An interesting little glimpse into the secret political history of France was given by a Senator during the week, when he declared that the .resignation of M. Delcasse in 1905 was due to shortage of ammunition for tho Navy. Tho episode was a particularly interesting one. M. Delcasse was Foreign Minister at the 'timo and Franco was busy developing her interests in northern Africa. France, Britain and Spain had come to an agreement of a sort regarding the futtU'o of Morocco, and apparently thero was nothing to present France from pushing ahead with her programme of " pacific penetration." Suddenly Germany intervened with the suggestion that sho had interests to be considered, and sho informed the Sultan thnt sho was not n party to the international understanding. Germany, of course, had an axo of her own to grind, and she proposed to grind it bv upholding or > threatening to unhold Morocco against French aggression. Tho German Emporor had planned a little tour in the Mediterranean, and ho opened it. by paying a very official visit to Tangier. Ihe . next development was a declaration by, Morocco, obviously inspired by Germany, that she would bo guided only by a conference of tho Powers interested. At this stage M. Delcasse resigned. There were nil sorts of explanations of his action, that commonly accepted being that he had been sacrificed at Germany's demand. The official explanation was that M. Delcasse disagreed with the vest of the Cabinet concerning the relations with Britain, the suggestion being that ho preferred a formal alliance against Germany, while his colleajrues preferred a mere understanding. The ejtelanation now given is that M. Delcasse wanted to send the fleet to Tangier bv way of warning Germ an v to keV» off the French preserves. The Minister of War, however, told him that it was idle to talk bio:, seeing that tho fleet's ammunition would ™ exhausted bv ten days' fighting, and M .Delcasse prompt! ly tenders his resignation. Fran p ™ 4, certain V *™to*M ..» .this incident and if toW 18 correct sho deserved to bo.