Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-19
Comment on the British Budget is
Generally Unfavorable.
OUTCRY FROM THE COAL DISTRICTS
Representatives of the Sugar In
terests Disposed to Complain.
SOME NEWSPAPER COMMENT

LONDON, April 19.-Taken as a whole,
the comments of the country on the pro-
posals of the chancellor of the exchequer
In the budget statement presented yester-
day can now be regarded unfavorable.
The outstanding feature of the public's re-
ception of the budget is the outcry from
the coal districts. and, in a lesser degree
from the businesses affected by the sugar
tax. In coal centers the export duty is re-
garded as confirming the idea in some rad
ical quarters that the government is riding
for a fall but the weIl-informed consider
1t possible that the chancellor of the ex-
chequer will be induced to exempt from the
a new duty all contracts made prior to to-
day. thus relieving the pressure on the
mddlemen who have bought or sold coal
for the future.
This it is believed, will go far to recon-
cile the coal trade generally to the new i'm
position In the meanwhile. however, the
opposition of the coal owners is augment
ing hourly The chambers of commerce in
the coal districts are protesting in vigor-
Gus terms The Cardiff exporters scent ruin
and their markets being captured by Amer
lean and German coal The manufacturers,
on the other hand, ftatter themselves that
the effect of the tax will be to lower prices
and lessen competition in iron and steel.
Grocers Advance Sugar.
- The Srocers advanced sugar a half penny
per pound this morning in London. Brit
ish refined sugars were very strong and
jumped two shinings to two shilings and
sixpence hundredweight. The Scotch
manufacturing confectioners and preserve
makers advanced prices four shillings and
slXpence and two shillings and siXpence
per hundredws light. respectively. The
Scotch sugar retners have put on three
shillings t. four shilIiags and have abol-
iShed discount.
There was practically no business on the
Grecnock sugar exchange owing to the ex-
cnanSc buying spriOr TO the budget
nouncements.
The president of the refiners' association
expresses the opinion that the tax will
work u'It beneficiaIly.
y steamer with a cargo of continental
sugar arrived at Greenock last evening after
the custom house was closed. and was re-
fused permission to unload The duty on
her cargo amounts to t2.u0. The import
eTS claim that the duty on sugar had not
been imposed when the stea rler arrived
and therefore they will contest payment of
the duty.
The budget had little general effect on
the stock exchange here today. apart from
weakening consOls- This premier security
opened half point at 9i1a, but later re-
covered somewhat. The price today is the
lowest since 1882. Business became brisk
and the market indulged in a game of
pinS-Dong. with consols for balls
There IL reason TO believe that the best
consOls.
There Is some expectation of the new
loan cor ing tomorrow. The market talk
suggests that the issue price will be 9415 as
already dealings have occurred at y to ,.
premium
Comment of the Press
Commenting on the budget the Morning
Post says:
Nothing bold and statesmanlike has
been attempted since Mr.. Gladstone's days.
We should have preferred, however that
the chancellor of the exchequer had gone
further and restored the shilling duty on
wheat
The Standard apparently OF the same
grounds severely reprOaches Sir Michael
Hlcks-Beach for timidity in missing "a
grand opportunity of adapting the financial
system TO the transformed conditions of
modern times, and complains bitterly OF
the increase in the income tax
III the budget fails to arouse great en-
thusiasm. says the Daily Telegraph 1t
IS not likely to encounter effective Opposi-
ton
The Daily Chronicle characterizes the
budget as honest, but DISASTROUS
The Daily News, which seizes the occa-
sion 10 attack the governments war policy.
says:
There Is no discernible and scarcely
any imaginable end to the ruinous and
fatal drain upon our national resources
caused by the most calamitous ENTERPRISE
In which England has ever been engaged
The proposals of Sir Michael Hicks
Beach are fairly satisfactory, inasmuch as
although they do not go to the root of the
matter. they recognize a principle which he
q
etSsnent in taxation.
Although his budget was criticised from
many points of view. practical alterna-
tive suggestions were produced in the de-
bate In the house of commons
Coal Trade Mt Stand.tiu.
The export coal business at Cardiff docks
was at standstill today. Merchants re-
fused to ship and take the responsibility of
the new tax while the colliery owners re-
pudiate any liability.
The Scotch exporters of coal are of the
opinion that the United States are bound
to capture the West Indian coal market
The ship owners of Glasgow anticipate
that portion of the duty will come out of
their pockets.
The comments of the afternoon news
papers here follow the lead of the morn
ing papers generally in anticipating that
she more acute irritation will soon pass off
The Irish newspapers condemn the income
tax feature of the budget and they think
the sugar duty viii press specially hard
on Ireland, owing to the general poverty of
the people The Dublin Independent re-
marks: The imperial taX-gatherer will
thereby be enabled TO draw out of ireland
an additional half million for the South
african war, which, nation, we have
emphaticaly condemned