THE HOME RULE BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 1514, 9 November 1912, Page 7

THE HOME RULE BILL.

FINANCIAL provisions.

THE IRISH DEFICIT. GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS r. : CARRIED. By Telegraph —Press Association.—Copyright. (Received November 8. 10.40 p.m.) London, November 8. The House of Commons, which is continuing the debate on the Home Rule >£•}] has begun a discussion on Irish finance, which will occupy seven sittings. Mr. Herbert Samuel (PostmasterGeneral), in moving the resolution affecting finance, said that an Irish deficit must be taken as a dominant factor. It- was inconsistent with the essence of Home Hule that the deficit should rest, for all time upon the British taxpayer, but the burden could not immediately be thrown on Ireland. Therefore it was necessary that nominal increments of revenue should go to the Imperial Exchequer until the accounts were balanced. The Bill, Mr. Samuel said, did not give fiscal autonomy. In no federation did a province involve the central Exchequer in an annual loss, therefore Ireland was different from all Federal precedents. Mr. Austen Chamberlain (Unionist) said that the Government's proposal broke every Federal precedent, because Ireland had a deficit and was yet to be granted greater powers than the local legislature of any federation. The financial scheme, he said, would not heal the old feuds, but would open new ones. Mr. Wra. O'Brien (Leader of the Independent Nationalists) stated that the proposal stripped the Irish Parliament of the control of five-sixths of Ireland's own taxation. Mr. Lloyd-George' said that England was. giving nothing that it had not already given to Ireland. It was dishonest to assert that they were finding two million to finance Home Rule. , . Mr.. Bonar Law (Leader of the Unionist party) contrasted the action of New South Wales in sacrificing free trade to secure union with that of England in sacrificing it not for union but for. disintegration. The resolution was carried by 320 votes to 181 with the aid of the guillotine. IRISH MEMBERS AT WEST- • MINSTER. THE CLAUSE RETAINED. London, November 7. During the discussion of Clause 13 of the Homo Rule dealing with the retention of the Irish members at Westminster} Mr. F. Cassel (Unionist member for St Pancras West) moved to. exclude all Irish; members, from the Imperial Parliament until there was no debcit in Irish expenditure for three successive years. The Prime Minister (Mr. Asquith) defended the retention of the members as being a necessary part of the general devolution of which Irish Home Rule was the first step. Mr. John Redmond (leader of the Nationalists) said that,, pending the completion of the federal system the . anomaly of Irishmen at Westminster must .be endured. Mr. A. J. Balfour (ex-Leader of - the Unionist party) derided the idea of a general devolution. Otherwise the Government, he said, would not have handed the Customs to Ireland. The amendment was rejected by 315 votes to 213. . CUSTOMS DUTIES CLAUSES. MEMBERS OPPOSING THEM. (Received November 8, 11-45 p.m.) London, November 8. A memorandum representing the views of 70 Liberal members of the ' House of Commons is being circu-! lated at Westminster. It is set forth in the memorandum that the members signing it oppose Clauses 15 and 16 of the Home Rule Bill, which- permit the Irish Parliament to reduce or increase Customs duties. They argue that the proposal in the Bill is calculated to lead to the setting up of Customs barriers and urge the Government to leave the matter to the unfettered decision of the House.