The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-20
GREAT INTEREST IN
 TIE B|C BUDGET
Throngs Gather to Hear Chan
 ceIIor Austin Chamberlain
HIS FATHER WAS PRESENT
Starts Out By Telling What Difficulty He Was Placed In Because of the Evident Waning of
 Prosperity.

l London, April 19.-The widespread inter
 est in the presentation of the budget to-
 day was evinced by the crowd in the
 state house of commons. Long before the
 chancellor of the exchequer Austin Cham
 berlain rose to make his statement, every
 part of the house was filled. Joseph Chamberlain was present to hear his son,
 as was also Mrs. Chamberlain. The for
 mer colonial secretary, whose first public
 appearance 1t was since his return from
 abroad. met with great reception from
 the occupants of the ministerial benches while the nationalists invited him to sing
 Rule Britannia"
 Austin Chamberlain opened his speech
 by expauating on the difficulties of his
 position, the great wave of prosperity
 which Great Britain had enjoyed so long
 having apparently spent It's force and giv- | en place to a less prosperous cycle The industries of Great Britain, especially the cotton Industry, were depressed and for eign competition was keener than ever The markets in which Great Britain were heretofore supreme. were increasingly threatened. The commercial depression In the United Kingdom was aggravated
 by the conditions in South Africa The S'ShNC AoA ioVo-t WdS 9lo,O1OIpuU DelOW lH6 estimate while the expenditures exceeded the estimate by s15035,OO0. The repeal of the duty on wheat had been more costly than anticipated, without affording the consumer the relief expected. The net total deficit for the fiscal year was ST. 075, ,000.
 Gives the Actual Deficit.
 Total deficit for the financial year was SzH0I5'OO0. MT. Chamberlain proposed to realize from unclaimed government stock $5, 000,000 towards the deficiency.
 The chancellor refused to suspend the sinking fund considering it bad policy. MT. Chamberlain estimated expendi- lures of 1904-O5 at $7144OO00o, and the rev.
 enue on the basis of the existing tax alton at $695300,000 leaving a deficit of $19. 100000 to be made up. He proposed therefore to increase the income tax by cents. He also proposed an additional tax of cents per pound on tea. The
 chancellor further proposed readjust-
 ment of the tobacco duties, imposing a duty of S1 cents on tobacco. stripped
 before imported. also an additional duty
 of 12 cents on cigars and an additional 25 cents on foreign cigarettes
 Mir. Chamberlain proposed also to raise
 the moisture limit to 32 per cent and in-
 troduce three or four different rates in
 the drawbacks. which he hoped would increase Great Britans tobacco export trade, especially to the colonies. The net gain by these tobacco changes was estf-
 mated at s275o,ooo
 Increase In Tea Duty. The increase in the tea duty will
 amount to $lO,OOOO0o, bringing the total | estimated revenue up to S71S,0I000 or a surplus of s3,650,000,
 MT. Chamberlain's announcement of the | increase in the income tax, which would l give $10,000,000 additional revenue, and in the tea duty were both received with | loud protests.
 | On the motion to increase the tea tax | the liberal leader, Sir Henry Campbell Bannermann, asked the chancellor of the | exchequer on the luoidity of his speech. He said he had discharged difficult task | In a manner to command general admir- | alton, notwithstanding the fact that the
 chancellor found himself In a somewhat incongruous position between the posi- ton he held and his fiscal aspirations, | which he did not conceal.
 In conclusion, the liberal leader referred to the greatly increased expenditures of recent years and said 1t was the first duty Of the house of commons to check | this extravaganza.
 | MT. Ritchie, the former chancellor of the exchequer also congratulated MT. l Chamberlain, but he defended his esti- mates of last year, which he said were based on conditions which could not be 1 foreseen.
 | The house after considerable discussion l adopted the increased tea and tobacco | duties by majorities of 72 and si respec- | lively.