BRITISH POLITICS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 138, 13 June 1931, Page 7

BRITISH POLITICS

THE LIBERALS’ ATTITUDE FAIR PLAY FOR LAND OWNERS RUGBY, June 11. The situation that will arise next week in the House of Commons when the Liberal amendment to the land tax proposal of the Government’s Financial Bill will be discussed, was described by Air Lloyd George in a speech m Edinburgh to-day as critical. The Liberals propose that the tax should fall exclusively on undeveloped land by conceding to the owners the right to deduct from the land tax the amount paid on the same land as income tax. The newspapers state that the Government will resist the amendment, which the Chief Liberal Whip deciares will be pressed. Air Lloyd George said that, they were taking this attitude, not to create embarrassment fur the Government, but because they demanded fair treatment for the owners of the land. Unemployment Benefit. The Parliamentary Labour Party held a special meeting to-day to consider the first report of the Royal Commission on Unemployment Benefit. The Prime Minister and Air Henderson both made statements, several questions answered, and the meeting expressed confidence in the way the Government was dealing with the matter. In Parliament this afternoon the Prime Alinister answered in the negative a question as to whether it was proposed to call a three party conference for further consideration of the whole question of unemployment insurance, now that the interim report had been published.

Aliss Bondfield, answering a question, said that the amount the Treasury uad advanced to the Unemployment Insurance Fund to date was £85,629,990, leaving an unexhausted balance of borrowing powers of £4,380,000. That was likely to be exhausted early in July, and further provision would be necessary before that time. LIBERALS AND LABOURITES NO DESIRE FOR ELECTION EFFORTS AT A SETTLEMENT Received June 12, 7.30 p.m. LONIDON, June 12. Despite Air Lloyd George’s challenge which is featured in the newspapers, there arc suggestions in several quarters that there will be many confer cnees during the week-end in an attempt to find a way out of the deadlock. Commentators agree that neither the Liberals nor the Goi eminent desire an early election upon the taxation question, which does not operate until 1933. A meeting of Liberal members of the House of Commons spent several hours on Thursday discussing possible modifications of the amendment, but the final wording is not being adopted until a full party meeting on Alonday. Both the Liberal and Labour press direct attention to Air Lloyd George’s declaration in an article in a Scottish Labour paper this week “that an election now might mean another live years of Tory rule, with a reaction reigning at Home and abroad, which would bo a. calamity.” The Daily Herald, in an editorial, says: “The Government cannot and will not accept the amendment, which will reduce the expected land tax revenue of £5,000,000 by more than half, and nullify all provisions for a valuation of improved, built-on land.” J'he Herald suggests that the Liberals will not dare force an election in which they will enter the campaign with the. odium of having destroyed the land tax. ,