PARTY DEADLOCK

Northern Advocate, 13 June 1931, Page 9

PARTY DEADLOCK

LAND TAX LEGISLATION LIBERALS AND LABOUR. BOTH FEAR- ax election. CUnited Press Association—By Electrfa Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received 9 a.m.) LONDON, June 12. Notwithstanding the challenge of the Leader of the Liberal Party, Mr Lloyd George, to the Labour Government in connection with the land tax, which is featured in the newspapers this morning, there are suggestions in

several quarters that there will be many conferences at the end of the week in an attempt to find a way out of the deadlock. Commentators agree that neither the Liberals nor the Government desire an early election upon the taxation question, which would not operate until 1933. Liberal members of the House of Commons, at a meeting on Thursday, spent several hours in discussing possible modifications of their proposed amendment, but the final wording is not to be adopted until Monday, when j a full meeting of the party is to be | hold. Both the Liberal and Labour press direct attention to Mr Lloyd George’s declaration in an article in a Scottish Labour newspaper this week, namely: "An election now might mean another five years of Conservative rule with reaction reigning at home and abroad, which would bo a calamity." The "Daily Herald," in an editorial article, says: "The Government cannot and will now accept the Liberal amendment, which would reduce the expected land tax revenue of £5,000,000 by more than half, and would nullify all provisions for the valuation of improved and built-on land, which aim at the future rating of land values." The "Herald" suggests that the Liberals will not dare to force an election in which they w T ould enter the campaign with the odium of having destroyed the land tax. I