THE IMPERIAL BUDGET.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14004, 13 September 1909, Page 5

THE IMPERIAL BUDGET.

MASS MEETING AT GLASGOW. LORD ROSEBERY'S SPEECH. Press Association-By Telegraph-Copyright LONDON, Sept. 10. Lord Rosebery addressed an enormous . meeting at Glasgow. A largo number of business and non-party men were present. No resolutions were passed. The speech occupied one hour and forty minutes. Ho remarked that though he did not belong to the Unionists, ho could not" help paying a tribute to tho courage and ititelligencosol the gallant little minority in tho House oi Commons. He characterised the Budget as harassing, inquisitorial, bureaucratic, tyrannical, and predatory. No form oi property v«is safe, nor was it iutended to "bo safe, under the new taxation. He argued for the rer>--tion of the Budget. Received 5.5 p. in":, Sept. 12lh. LONDON, Sept.'ll. Lord Rosebery said that he had long been an independent politician, but ho believed it to be his duty to show why it was not in the best interests of the nation that the Finance Bill should become law, Mr 'Lloyd George, the. Chancellor, had proclaimed it a budget of war against poverty, but it was a war which depleted capital, increased unemployment, and produced universal insecurity. Lord Rpscbcry said he was unaware of tho actual amount of tho Budget deficit. Sir Robert Giffen had declared his belief that thero was no real deficit. The now taxes were Hot for national defence." but to raise vast sums for the use of the central Government without parliamentary control. The Budget had had no adequate preparation. ,It -outaiued material for six buduets, and ,n the complementary Developments Hill the most noval and formidable proposes weife presented to for many, years.

The Budget, said Lord Besebcr'v. put Britain inti the melting jx>t. It was a revolution without any mandate from the people at a time when it was difficult to make botli ends meet. The Budget took as much and harassed as much as possible. It .placed new taxes on l.in'l besides expanding the income tax and death duties. It was a distinct step towards land nationalisation, which Mr Lloyd George said must come. Land was selected because its taxation could not be evaded. The unearned increment could be applied "to every other kind of property. No exertion was needed by holders of consols and railway stocks. Ho warned the country to consider the contagious interest of the principles raised by the Budget. Personally he found barassing and unremunerative iorm of property. The land , laws , might be j improved and more people of. the yco- j men class settled on the land ; but the | landlords should be justly treated, for j they were usually human" beiugs in difficulties. In 1890 a return showed, that the capital value of land had fallen ono thousand millions m thirty i >et this was the industry the I Government sought to tax out of exist- I ence.- Landowners seemed to be damned and doubly damned' for holdilig property "in land. '_ The' many millions of working men's money invested by prudential temperance and friendly societies might soon bo Tie considered that the enormous iiicrease of the death duties was a danger to ' ,-apital. They ought to 1«* reversed. For war the Government's enormous taxation of capital was 'strangling in time of peace the goose which laid the golden eggs in war time. The Government boasted that thev h.ul naid off 40' millions'; they did n"t burrow, but proceeded to spend V> millions annually. The transference by the enhanced deuth duties of the masses' capital from the individual to the, Stat 1 , injuriously reacted on commerce ami employ ment, destroyed the nation's reserve powers, while scores of millions were lying idle in. the banks or going abroad to develop other countries, owing to the apprehension of the Government's financial policy. t "What feelings would Mr Gladstone have had lor such a budget? Liberalism and liberty used to go together —the Budget cstablishi ed a tyranny and an inquisition never 1 previously known. N Loid Rosebery denounced the Government's bureaucratic socialism. Bureaucracy was almost strangling France, yet our Government created staffs of well paid officers for the small holdings, factory inspection,' pensions, and housing and planning acts. The supertax would bo administered by commissioners from whom there was no appeal. This sort of tyranny was not liberalism but socialism. For five years before their death men "". would be ghosts; during that, time they could give nothing to their children without it being reckoned part of their estate. lie declared that such statesmen • as Cobdcii, Bright and Villcrs never dreamt of levying tho vast sum now asked by indirect taxation. If the tariff was to bo the only alternative he would cease to defend the principles of free trade. He urged retrenchment but not of national defence. Why should Ireland cost £1,200,01)0 more yearly than she produced in taxation ? He would conduct the State as a private business. Ho was sorry that the Government had taken iides with the Socialists. Some of tho Ministers were conscious Socialists, the least worthy working men being taught not to exert themselves, and his Liberal friends wcro clearly moving ou tho path leading to socialism. Jlo could not follow one inch. He might think that tariff reform or protection was. an evil, but socialism was the negation of faith in family, property, monarchy, and empire. Tn a subsequent speech -Loid Rosebery declared that- tho right would havo to bo 'denounced/of the' encroaching proposals 'of , tliis t " Budget.' " Lobby opiiiion coincides" in the viewthat Lord Rosebcry ."has created a new situation, and ' rendered even - more likely the House of Lords', rejection of tlio Budget. \ ~ i The Unionists ultach "rcal-signiik-

ance to Lord Rosebery's dedcla'ratioii of Lis belief that the Government are taunting and daring tliq Lords to tJiroiv out the Budget. It is expected that the Bill will bo sent to the Lords about 15th October. Both parties expect a general election to follow in a few weeks. The "Times" says the .essence of Lord Rosebery's speech is that the Bill involves a social revolution, witlioiu; precedent. Ho showed that behind the devices whose professed end is revenue, lurk far-reaching schemes for the subversion and redistribution of private property. The "Daily Mail " says-the speech will sebtlo the fate of'tho' Budget, be? cause it will convince the multitude, of independent voters belonging to neither party. The "Telegraph " says that Lord Rosebery pronounced aii elegy over the Liberal party as it existed until": Mr Lloyd Georgo assumed tho Exchequer and Mr Churchill was admitted to the Cabinet. .'■'.' The "Daily News" remarks that there is no opponent so venomous af the renegade, no critic so stern as the man who has failed. The "Chronicle " says the speech was. that of a great landlord; not of a great. Liberal, and that it was "entirely coloured by prejudices" posscssion of landlordism.