The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-21
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The New British budget and Its Re
ceptiOR I'm England.

ceptios I'm England.
LONDON. April 2o-One needs TO live
through such a week of English politics as
that now ending tosrealize what free trade
really means. Sixty years ago the modest
sum then required for national purposes
was only obtainabie by the adjustment of
duties hundreds of articles of daily
consumption, and after a period of lobby
ing and intriguing with months Of general
trade disturbance to follow. on Thursday
of this week the Chancellor of the EX-
chequer Informed the House of Commons
that he would need the stupendous sum of
s9i0,o00o Gao for the expenditure of The COM
ing year just double. that is. of the ex-
penditure Of the year before the war be-
gan.
One day has passed and this morning
we see that he gets ali he wants without
more than slight ripple on the CONNER
cial waters of England. The extra two
pence on the income tax will worry no
one for months. The sugar duty may or
may not lead grocers to clap extra
halfpenny per pound on sugar. but in any
case il is too small a matter to bother
about, while the export coal duty leaves
the consumer unruffed. There is no trade
DISCRIMINATION or grumbling that matters
to be heard this me "ning. except alone
among few coal owners, and their
grumbling viii cease when the Chancellor
promises. as he is expected to do, to ex-
empt from the new duty coal contracted
for export before the budget announce
ment. The Italian Government for in
stance, recently placed an order here for
POO 600 tons
As to the new sugar duties. from which
S25. 900. 900 of revenue is expected. the trade
takes them quite calmly. Only from
Ottawa does there come a cry of disap-
pointment that the opportunity was not
seized to inaugurate preferential duties
from within the Empire by exempting SUI
gar from the West Indies. Queensland,
Natal, and other ugarproducing dis
tricts of the Empire. in which must soon
be included Egypt. This Ottawa disap-
pointment finds an echo here among the
members of the United Empire Trade
League. whose parliamentary spokesman
mean to urge the Chancellor to follow
Canadas lead by giving decided prefer
ence to industries carried on under the
British flag But the Chancellor of the
Exchequer. who in these imperialistic
days can conceive a budget of 9i00OO.000
without one little hint of the word "zoll-
verein,'' is not likely to be moved by such
appeals, coming they do from the most
negligible group in English politics.
Some New York criticisms reproduced
here today suggest that the new sugar
duty, though not protection. is a move in
that direction There are no signs of
anything of this kind On the con-
trary. a far more probable outcome
OF England's galioping and most cost
~ Imperialism is the advent of Il
radical Chancellor Of the Exchequer
who will pursue the example Sir William
Harcourt set with his death duties and re-
cast the whole system of English TAXATION,
with an especial eye upon ground rents
and suCh like sources Of revenue. Sir
williams death duties made the English
aristocracy yell. but they yielded last year
so coo. and the Tory Chancellor of to-
day does not dream of repeating them.
Indeed, he warns millionaires and their
kind to prepare for fresh OnslaIghts in fu-
ture. for the great resources of past Chan
cellors in distress. Deer and spirits. have,
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach amos, reached
their limit of taxation
There seems to he a widespread notion
outside Of England that Sir Alfred Mil
ner's three months holiday is really a
polite way of closing his high commits
sionership in South Africa. From New
York. Paris. and Berlin comes that no
ton differently Expressed. Nothing, so
far as the signs Indicate is further
from the present tlIouk hts of the British
Ministers. even il Sir Alf-ed himself We're
to suggest such a thing because of the
effect upon his always nervous tempera-
ment of the terrible strain of the past
three years. Mr.. Chamberlain would
make great efforts to induce him to re-
sist the temptation to retire But, Sir
Alfred Miner, although feeling jaded and
often disheartened by the seemingly in
terminable length Of the struggle. means
If supported. to see the thing through.
Those who know him best say that the
h4 vat n he civ n
show his real greatness as an administra-
tor. That opportunity will come when the |
Transvaal and Orange colonies pass from
under military control as they are now
gradually doing
Though the public is too busy with the |
budget and South Africa to bother about
China. much Gisquietude exists in Anglo
Chinese circles at the turn events are
taking there. These events may be sum
married. thus: Chinese troops in large |
numbers are everywhere in West Shausi. |
Shensi, and Mongolia, and the generals |
are defying the Germans. There is a re-
crudescence Of the Boxer movement. The |
Court is reported to be removing again to |
a place I'm Hupei, the very centre Of Chi |
ma, whence II can control the central and |
southern NiceroyS and ha almost Ger
tainly decided never to return to PeSin. !
This decision probably was known to the |
Chinese. who accordingly burned down !
the Emperors palace in Pekin. Count Won |
Waldersee's headquarters. These are just |
the events anyone would expect were the |
Court preparing to renew the war, which |
would be certain to begin with fresh mas |
sacres and would be most unlikely to re- |
peat the utilities of the recent Boxer |
uprising.
No one dares expect the Powers. Intent |
as each Is upon its selfish purposes. to I
accept the American proposal for an i'm |
mediate removal of the indemnity diff /
Guilty from the discussion. The position /
is rather that suggested In the following /
parable published here today: IF ten men |
steal a sheep ii is evident that each cam /
not get a quarter for himself, but the four |
cleverest, or cunningest may |
do so On that chance they will stand. |
rather than accept chop and a fragment |
Of tail"
SIGNED BY KING EDWARD.