New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-21
ICELAND NOT MENTIONED.
:. o,rI. TO REDUCE THE TAX ON FARMS
INTRODUCED IN THE COMMONS.
.yrrrors MEASURE THAT IS STRONGLY or
,svn NY THE ILBERAIs-As A LAW. 1T Is
co,rENpEo. IT WOULD NOT RELIEVE
TENANTS BUT ADD TO THE
WEALTH OF THE LANDLORDS
"A GREAT FINANCIAL
QUESTION IN
vOLvED.

QUESTION IN
voLvEp.
,.,aor Apr, 1O.--In the House OF Commons
~. Right Hon Henry Chaplin. president
~. Local Government Board. introduced
r .~ov,d,ng for the reduction OF rates on agri-
80, lands In the course OF his speech
w. chanlin declared that land was at present
..-.d out Of al, proportion to Its ability 70 pear
...-,ar The time had come. he said. when
,,rs, he relieved and the Government pro-
...a 70 that end after the close or the nscai
T., March 1897 instead of assessing the
9, ratah,A value upon land. to impose tax
Ii, half of its ratable value. allowing the
sua,ros thereon to remain assessed at their tuii
,u. a. heretofore This he said. wouid cause
: ..ec,ency OF IL 500 900. which would be met py
..wvearly payments from the treasury 10 the
,..., county authorities. to whom the sum OF
4 INK nm was also allotted by the budget for the
-r-nose Of reducing the agricultural rating. he
"a M doubt ne said that the relief under the
-.v,.,ons Of the bill would 90 largely to the
tenants
m. Plight Hon Sir Henry H. Fowler. who was
..,-.,arv Of State for India in the late Lioerai
.a,,.trv said that the country had known times
.nssvter local taxation than was now assessed
M. hill offered by the president OF the Local
n,v.,nment Board. he said. was simply pro-
.,.o hand over to sectional class f1.500.o 900
s..r drawn from the pockets Of the general rate
80. and furnished no real remedy for the
...,s,ent agricultural distress. The imposition
-, taxation might be unfair. but its unfair
stranger against the towns than against
~. .oun.rv. The bill said nothing about Scot
: IA and Ireland though the latter. as was well
Inovc nossessed a strong claim to fair snare
d relief
Trh. onnos,tion. he declared. would meet the
hm with most uncompromisng resistance as
-ro.s,v unjust and inexpedient measure
TIE BILL WARMLY DENOUNCED.
civ Charles Dixie denounced the measure.
..h,ch he declared tended to increase the ex-
,.ine unequal rating and. instead OF renewing
tae poor. added 10 the wealth OF the landlords.
richard Burden Haldane. Member for Had
a,rv,onsh,re said that If tie possibility OF such
= bill becoming law had been known at the Time
of the last elections the Government would not
have had majority O.: members from the
borourhs He predicted that In few years
after the passage Of the measure. should 1t pass
the farmers would not thank the Government
for It.
tobn Dillon leader Of the anti-Parnellites, de-
rared that the bill vas an outrage on Ireland
uM we're passed Ireland ought to receive from
" 50 per cent OF the grant.
sr william Harcourt the Liberal leader IN
NE Home said ne doubted II the House knew
the magnitude of the proposals contained N tne
bul II vss by far the greatest nnanclai ques-
don that had been opened Within his renS
1u,fshxment. He was astonishec by the iecn-
less0ess and want of consideration with when a
measure OF this kind was nuns on ,he HOO. %
the House. 1t Ii q gross ard palpable inJustice.
Sir William added that the bill went hall way
toward a national poor rate than which there
vas no greater danger He predicted that very
soon the Government would be unable to resist
the demands that would be made upon them
and would go the whole way.
Mr. Chaplin replying to the criticisms on the
BILL contended that the Unionists had pledged
such a measure before the elections. Many OF
the proposals that the Opposition denounced
were based on the recommendations OF their
own Royal Commission. Mr. Chaplin announced
that the annual grant would continue for five
years. and thereafter as Parliament should de-
termine.
Tho hin fhen nassed It's first reading.