Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-28


ended April 81:
THE BRITISH EMPIRE Notice OF
the new British budget for the fiscal
year 1929-30 Cbegan April - was
crowded out of last weeks issue. Wins
ton Churchill, chancellor of the ex-
chequer, made the presentation to the
Commons on April Is in a speech OF
characteristic brilliancy.
The late fiscal year ended with q
surplus of about the equivalent OF
ninety million dollars Gas against the
original estimate of about thirty mil
lions), thanks to an unusually large
mortality Of capitalists and consequent
fine harvest of death duties. A total
expenditure of q little more than the
equivalent of four billion dollars Is es-
tirnated for the current fiscal year 0ess
| by about two hundred million dollars
than for the preceding fiscal year,, and
| a surplus OF about the equivalent Of
| twenty lone million dollars.
! The most striking feature Of the bud
get was the proposal to abolish COM
pletely the tax on tea, oldest of taxes.
dating back to the reign Of Elizabeth.
| The government stands to lose about
! $30,000,000 annually by the abolition,
and the retail price OF tea goes down
about cents per pound annually, so
| that the relief. per individual Is not
extraordinary. But 1t Is what you might
call sympathetic gift, and its diabolic
| cleverness makes a tremendous appeal
| to the national sense of humor.
Not impossibly Mr.. Churchill has by
| this notable stunt" STAYED of the de-
feat that threatened his party Only
less clever, considering how large pro-
/ portion OF Britons are sporting gents"
has the proposal to repeal the betting
| tax; and the farmer, whose loyalty to
the Conservative party has been show
ing signs OF waning, was conciliated by
the proposal to make at once effective
those clauses OF the "derating bill" (now
under discussion), which provide for
taxation relief commencing in Octo-
ber) to the farming community in an
aggregate sum Of $4,000 900 annually.
But, after all, Mr.. Churchill mani
tested cleverness chiefly by restraint.
by not abusing his opportunity of
electioneering appeal His gifts were
modest but they evidenced a sympa-
| thetic study and humorous apprecia-
ton Of the tastes and susceptibilities of
the public (There Is no doubt about
approval by Parliament Of the pro-
pOSalS glanced AT.
J. Havelock Wilson, founder and
president of the National Union of
tBritish) Seamen, died the other day
at 10. He was man of great force
and sagacity, and 1t may be doubted
IL any labor leader ever exercised a
more beneficent influence. His atti-
tude was magnificently patriotic in the
great war, during which he welded
a kind dictatorship over the seamen
OF the merchant marine. He sat in
Parliament for 16 years as a labor
member. Though a stern and sue
cessful champion OF collective bargain
ing, he succeeded, largely by the re-
spect commanded and liking conciliat-
ed by his character, in establishing
relationships between capital and la
Dor In the shipping industry Of Pc
culiarly happy character.
The commission, headed by Sir John
Simon. appointed by the Westminster
Parliament to examine the workings
OF the dyarchy system in India and
, report, has just reached home. The
work of the commission has been very
seriously prejudiced by the boycott
thereof by most Of the Hindu politicians
GERMANY The experts committee
dealing with the question of German
, raparations) continues to sit at Paris
! inditing, one might say, its autobiog-
: raphy and its obituary. Or. Schacht
s. head OF the German representation
e visited Berlin over last Sunday ant
conferred with the reich cabinet. but
returning. made no improvement or
his offer of April II, which the allied
representative found not merely in.
adequate, but amazingly so.
! mentioned two weeks ago tn,
D adhesion of the Centrist party TO tn
government and the admission Of thre,