TRENDS OF CRITICISM OF THE CRIPPS' BUDGET PROPOSALS

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 April 1948, Page 5

TRENDS OF CRITICISM OF THE CRIPPS' BUDGET PROPOSALS

Investment Levy, Higher Prices For Liquor And Tobacco Received 7.30 p.m. LONDON, April 9 As a matter of course the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Stafford Cripps) has been the main topic in Britain this week. There were all the usual criticisms of the Budget. Some said it was good, others thought it bad and others thought it wrong and inept—this latter criticism from a Labour member of Parliament.

Generally speaking, the man in the street was less concerned with its first aim of reducing inflationary pressure by collecting a real and big surplus, as he was with income tax and purchase tax concessions, and the increase in the price of beer and cigarettes.

At least another half a million people with small Incomes learned that they would have to pay no income tax in future, while everyone else found they would have to pay less. This was liked and so were some of the purchase tax reductions. STEP MOTHER'S KISS. Even so, Mrs. Jean Mann, a Labour back-bencher, thought Sir Stafford might have gone further. She regarded these reductions as a “niggardly peck"—like a step-mother's kiss.” Attacking the 33 1-3 per cent, tax on utility fully-fashioned stockings, she asked "Doesn't Sir Stafford like to see neat stockings? Does he like a corrugated-iron ankle type of stockings?" Most grumbling perhaps, came over higher prices that will have to be paid for tobacco, whisky, and beer. Various increases, two pence on 20 cigarettes, one penny a pint on beer, and the “cost of living,” as a Scotsman called it, rising on a bottle of whisky by 2s 4d to 33s 3d, have not been well received. It is pointed out that if it was Sir Stafford Cripps’ intention, by making these additions, to check people spending money on these things he would fail since neither confirmed smokers nor people who take an occasional drink will refuse to spring the extra penny or two pence

The most intense criticism of Sir Stafford Cripps on his Budget came from those will have to pay his investment levy. There is some doubt as to their exact number at the moment, since Sir Stafford Cripps himself put the number at 140,000 and Mr. Douglas Jay, economic secretary to the Treasury, said later in the same debate that they would be 125,000.

As regards the manner of Sir Stafford's delivery of the Budget, there is no criticsim but praise. Mr. Churchill described the speech as “a comprehensive, lucid statement, in which lew words were wasted,” and “worthy of Budget occasions in the past.” ONE JOKE. Sir Stafford Cripps, it was noted, made only one slip of the tongue, made no single gesture ,and cracked only one joke, which was largely missed by the House—“l propose," he said, “to abolish from May 1 the excise duty of eightpence a gallon on unsweetened table waters—mainly a tax on soda water which I don't drink. I hope nobody will accuse me of encouraging inflationary tendencies.” Inevitably, Sir Stafford came in for popular publicity during the week. One report described him as a “vegetarian, a teetotaller, cold-bath addict, an exercise fiend, and pre-dawn insomniac." It was stated that he goes to bed at 10 p.m., rises at 4 a.m., writes for two hours, takes a walk in St. James' Park just before 7 a.m., and then has a cold shower before breakfast. The secret of his energy and power of concentration is said to be “yoghourt,” a sour milk junket, which can be spelt in 13 different' ways and served in as many dishes.