Birmingham state herald., 1896-04-19
M|LORD'S LAND TAX LOWER But the Poor Fenian to Be Taxed
 as Heretofore. CHAPLINS LAND RELIEF BILL Will Work Hardship Only on One Class of
 People. GOVERNOR R0BlNSON'S HEAD WANTED Because of Alleged Fear of President Kru- ger of the Transvaal-More Troops
 to Be Forwarded to
 Egypt.
CHAPLIN'S LAND RELIEF BILL
GOVERNOR RoBINSoN'S HEAD WANTED

London April 1S.-The government will crown the edifice of the sessions legisla- ton by introducing on Monday the bill of the Rt. Hon. Henry Chaplin, president of the local government board, providing for reduction of the rates on agricul- tural land Sir Michael Hicks Beach, chancellor of the exchequer, in his budget speech Friday evening avoided making statement as to the full extent of the landlord class legisla tion that the gov ernment will support. It was proposed, Sir Michael said, to devote the estima ted budget surplus of 1,70S, 900 to the reduo- tion of the maximum rate on land from. shiltngs in the pound to shilling. Large as this sum is, Mr. Chaplins measure will involve a far greater amount The bill proposes to reduce the whole rating one-half, making the yearly total con- tributed by the general tax payer for the relief of the landlords about fl, ,950,0
 According to the estimate of compe- tent authorities, the great fight of the session will be waged over this bill, but the liberal opposition will not lessen the determination of the conserva tives to grasp what they can while they have the.r foes under their feet The more ex- treme tories do not think that the pros
 
 is good enough. They want all the land rates to be swept away, and take the coming bill as a mere installment of their full demands.
 An analysis of the chancellor of the ex- chequer's proposals discloses some cu- rious features. Under the scheme of land relief the English farmer or landlord will get about double the remission in taxes on farm of the same value as the Irish farmer. Landlords who have redeemed their land tax under the belief that the tax would be perpetual are not consid- cred. As most of the railway companies have redeemed all their lands, the lib- eral members of the house of commons who represent the railways will be cer- tain to raise an outcry against the pres ent proposals.
 No session that has been held since prior to the reform bill in 1882 has been so perfectly gratifying to the cravings of the tories for class jobbery, sectarian education and war extremes. The statement made yesterday in the house by the Rt. Hon. Jo- seph Chamberlain, secretary of state ment had decided to immediately replace the troops who were going into the in- terior of Africa from Cape Town by battalion of infantry and body of mounted men only skirted the truth. A much greater move of troops has been
 
 statement of the colonial secretary. At a conference held Thursday between the Marquis of Lansdowne, secretary of state for war, MT Chamberlain, Commander in-Chief Lord Wolseley and Gen. Sir Red vers Butler it was arranged to pour English troops into Cape Colony and Ma tai. This measure is taken in direct op- position to Sir Hercules Robinson, gov ernor of Cape Colony and British high commissioner in South Africa, who has advised the government that the rein forcement of the British troops now in South Africa will excite the Boers and hinder the prospect of peace with the Transvaal
 Governor Robinson states that Presi- dent Kruger has sent a communication to him declaring that the negotiations be- tween the Transvaal and Great Britain will be hopeless if troops are sent to Cape Colony. The Globe and other unionist papers and also many liberal organs pro- test that the government ought not to show timidity before the Boars and submit while the Transvaal Is arming itself to the teeth. to keeping the British forces on mere police level The Globe sug gests the dismissal of Governor Robin son for being too subservient to the gov ernment of the Transvaa1 and in this 1t certainly voices conservative feeling.
 President Kruger has sent Herr Won Boschorten. state official to England on a mission connected with the charges that the Transvaal has violated a provision of the convention of 1884 for bidding the Transvaal to grant preferen- tial rates to any power against tha Brit ish. imports. President Kruger as was pointed out in this correspondence some time ago. dodges this convention by a1- lowing large rebate in the duties col lected on goods imported from Germany by lowering the railway rates on ship ments for the Transvaal by way of Del agoa bay. which is the route followed by German goods, and by other methods all of which result in benefit to imports from Germany and disastrously affects British trade with the Transvaal.
 It is said that the relations between Russia and Great Britain concerning Corea are satisfactory. Lord Salisbury has received assurances that Russia does not aim to interfere in that country.
 Experts in Irish land legislation are exploring the mazes of the text of the Irish land bill which was issued to the members of the house of commons yes- terday. They find it difficult to agree on exact conclusions as to how the measure will operate. The chief secretary for Ireland MT. Gerald Balfour, in introduc- ing the bill last Monday, left the house in a state of puzzling perplexity. His style of exposition did not assist in elucidating the intricate subject. Expe- rienced gallery reporters concur in the opinion that MT. Balfours speech was the most complicated and technical one ever delivered In parliament. He hurried unintelligibly through mass of details, rapidly reading parts of the speech that had obviously been prepared for him, which he did not understand himself.
 MT. John Dillon, leader of the anti Parnellites, who understands the Irish land question probably better than any other member. said in the lobby that he had listened to the most intricate and difficult of all the speeches he had ever heard in connection with Irish land af- fairs.
 The text of the bill shows that the measure is divided into six parts and forty-four clauses, of which the matter of purchase occupies seventeen clauses. covering eleven pages.s-Until the bill is fully scrutlnized nothing definite can be