DEBATE ON BUDGET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20981, 18 September 1931, Page 9

DEBATE ON BUDGET.

GOLD CONFERENCE PLAN. MR. SNOWDEN'S ATTITUDE. British Wireless. RUGBY, Sept. 16. The Budget resolution increasing income tax by 6d to 5s in the pound was adopted in tho House of Commons without a division. In replying to points raised in the debate the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Snowden, dealt with the suggestion that an international conference should examine gold standard problems. He said it was well known that the matter had b*een and still was nnder consideration by a committco of the League of Nations. ]f the United States and France chose to hoard gold they could not bo made to disgorge it, but if there was any prospect of an international gold conference Britain would be happy to participate. Tho most interesting feature of the debate was the speech by Sir John Simon, who said ho had reached the conclusion that it was necessary and desirable in the present circumstances for Britain to abandon the system of free imports. In regard to the recent suggestion of Mr. Walter Runciman that luxury imports should be banned, Sir John said he doubted very much whether the prohibition of luxuries would have an adequate effect. Nor did ho believe an emergency tariff would lie more than a negative and partial step. The attendance in the House of Commons was smaller than in the last few days, but the Government's majority in the divisions was steady. At question time the Prime Minister, Mr. Mac Donald. said the Government was considering cases of peculiarly great hardship resulting from the various economy measures. ft was confident that these cases could be adjusted without materially affecting the Budget estimates.