The times., 1901-04-21
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The New British budget and Its Re
ception Tn England.

ception TN 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 on 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.Go0,000 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 all 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 an extra
halfpenny per pound on sugar, but in any
case it is too small a matter to bother
about, while the export coal duty leaves
the consumer unruffled There is no trade
Reorganization or grumbling that matters
to be heard this morning, except alone
among a few coal owners, and their
grumbing 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
200O0 tons
As to the new sugar duties, from which
S25. 900, 600 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 sugar producing 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 spokesmen
mean TO urge the. Chancellor to follow
Canada's 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 s940, 100000
without one little hint Of the word zoll-
verein,' is not likely TO be moved by such
appeals, coming as 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, far more probable outcome
OF Englands galioping and most cost
ly Imperialism is the advent of
radical Chancellor of the EXchequer
who will pursue the example Sir william
Harcourt set with his death duties ana Ie-
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 ear
so 0C0 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 onsaIghts in fu-
tUre. for the great resources of past -"dn-
cellors in distress peer and SPIRITS, haNt,
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach tinds, reached
their limit of taxation.
There seems to be a widespread notion
outside of England that Sir Alfred Mil
ner's three months holiday is really
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
Ministers. even ii Sir Alfred 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 UiSheartened 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
opportunity has Yet to be given him to
show his real greatness as an administra-
tor. That opportunity will come when the
Transgaal 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 disquietude exists in Anglo
Chinese circles at the turn events are
married. thus Chinese troops in large
numbers are everywhere in West Shansi.
Shens, 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
ia, whence il can control the central and
southern Niceroys, and has almost Ger
tainly decided never To return TO PekiD.
This decision probably was known to the
Chinese, who accordingly burned down
the Emperor 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
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 it IS evident that each can
not get a quarter for himself, but the four
strongest cleVereSt. or cUnn{ngest may
do so. On that chance they viii stand.
rather than accept chop and a fragment
OF tail"
SIGNED BY KING EDWARD.