The herald., 1897-04-30
A BUDGET STATEMENT READ
uHowINo ENORMOUS REVENUE
FROM INCOME TAXES
n Very Warm Debate in the Commons
on the Policy Regarding
a South Africa
Associated Press Special Wire.

Beach, read the budget statement in the
house of commons today. The balance
of the account for 1S96-97 shows the ex-
chequer revenue to be 9103, 900 ($519,
ESQ, ,000) and the expenditures 8101, AIT, 900
($5O5, 1885,. .O00), leaving surplus of 92.
437, 900 ($12, 1855 0O0). The chancellor of
the exchequer added that the national
debt had been reduced 81, 900 ($37,
100000 during the year, and that the
total value of British trade during the
last fiscal year was G73S, ,000.0 900 $780,
900, ,00O), an increase of per cent.
The increased income tax revenue ex-
ceeded the estimate by nearly S3,5O0,000
is17. .5OO.o0O).
The chancellor of the exchequer said
that careful estimate was made in 1896,
and that they were bound to make an
equally careful one in 1897, especially
because a war cloud has just broken out
and no one is able to say how long 1t Will
Last or how far it will extendL"
Sir william Harcourt accused Mr..
Chamberlain of trying to arouse a war
feeling and of using in all his recent
statements "exasperating language cal
culated to excite feeling of radical hat
red IN south AITlcd, WHlSi, hoNtfSA'
thank God. have failed"
Continuing, he said the policy OF the
secretary of state for the colonies in
tended to produce a war was pre-
vented by the good sense and feeling
of the people of Cape Colony, and he
pointed to the adoption of recent concil-
iatory motion in the parliament of cape
Colony as being condemnation of this
war policy, adding that he was happy to
say the peaceful policy was supported
by the government of Cape Colony
The secretary of state for the colonies,
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, here entered
the house and amid cheers Sir William
Harcourt said: I'm the presence OF
Mr.. Chamberlain repeat that 1t Is an
utterly unjustifiable attempt to excite
feeling.
when we are asked to refuse re-
duction of the taxes of Great Britain
In order to contribute money to promote
warliSe, aggressive opinions in South
Africa ooh, Oh!') we oppose a most
determined resistance. The proposal to
apply money to unjustifiable purposes
against the will of the people and the
government of Cape Town is one of the
most injurious things with reference to
the empire ever submitted to this house
of commons"
Mr.. Chamberlain said he had not ex.
pected to have to reply to such perni-
cious and dangerous language. He
classed Sir William Harcourt's utter
ance as being "unpatriotic in the high
est degree, embarrassing to the govern
ment and injurious to the cause of
peace"
Continuing, Mr.. Chamberlain asserted
that Sir William Harcourt's statement
to the effect that the governments pol
icy had been rejected by the Cape gov
ernment and people was absolutely in
accurate. The policy of the govern
ment, he explained, had not changed
from the first. Only circumstances had
changed to some extent. The govern
ment's policy, Mr.. Chamberlain added,
Is to maintain it's obligations. not to
engage in any aggressive operations
nor to attack the independence of a
friendly state; but "to maintain a
downright stand for the rights of the
nation"
at hoped" continued Mr.. Chamber
lain, that our policy would continue
to be non-partisan, but that hope has
disappeared in the face of Sir William
Harcourt's speech, and now challenge
him to raise the issue. CHEERS and
counter cheers.)
"Is the opposition prepared to take
issue with us when we say that while
we intend to observe our own obliga-
tions we intend that obligations toward
us shall also be maintained? The ques-
tion between us and the Transvaal is not
interference in the internal affairs of
the Transvaal nor an attack on the Lon
don convention upon our part, but
breaches of the convention on the part Of
the Transvaal, and we are calling upon
them to give us satisfaction"
Sir William Harcourt here interrupted
Mr.. Chamberlain by remarking: "You
are asking for a2000O0."
"What nonsense" exclaimed Mr.
Chamberlain, hotly.
Prolonged cheering greeted the sharp
answer of the secretary Of state for the
Uolonies, who continued: 1--WE ask for
100000 when everybody knows that the
Transvaal is asking for a million and
for hundreds and hundreds of thousands
The Transvaal has been arming to an
extent absolutely. unjustifable by any
ordinary policy of defense. We have not
complained, but the result has been that
the present arms of the Transvaal are
altogether disproportionate to the de-
fensive resources of the cape colony, and
the Transvaals armaments, after SPEND
irg considerably over a million upon
them are still going on. Batteries of ar
tillery Maxim guns millions and millions
of cartridges and hundreds of thousands
of rifles have been imported into the
Transvaal."
Mr.. Chamberlain concluded by saying:
II do not believe there is feeling to re-
pudiate the policy of the government.
On the contrary, believe the feeling of
every loyal British subject at the cape
to be one of gratitude and satisfaction
with her majesty's government. under
stand that they recognize their position
as the representatives of paramount
power in South Africa and are deter
mined in the oft-used words to main
tain the integrity of all of our rights
under the convention
The conclusion of Mr.. Chamberlain's
remarks was the signal for tremendous
outburst Of cheering on the part of the
Conservatives
n,una~ ~ Ho.o