Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-16
CHURCHILL LIFTS
! ! BRITISH TEA TAX
Chancellor of Exchequer
Gives Budget Estimate, Raps
Enemy Parties. <
BY the Associated press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, April l6.-Winston Church.
III. chancellor of the excheauer, indi-
eating his belief that the sureSt way
to win the hearts of Englishmen and
women, and perhaps their votes, is
through their teacups, yesterday an
nounced the adjustment of a 500
year-old tax on tea in unfolding his
1929 budget to Parliament.
The chancellor thereby lifted the ma
tional financial statement to the level
of a fighting announcement for the
forthcoming general election.
The reign of King George v thus
will witness the total immediate
and what Mr.. Churchill believes to be
the f1nal-abolition Of tea duty which
has been levied since the days of Queen
Elizabeth.
The Prince of Wales sat in the gal
lery of the House yesterday and heard
the historic announcement. He sat
through 212 hours of a speech which,
Tor all the lucidity and incisiveness of
the chancellor'S style, and his satiric
humor in frequent tits with opposition
benches. naturally was a largely de-
tailed and highly technical financial
statement.
during dull moments, the prince
yaWned like the other persons who
damned the benches and galleries of the
houSe. ndgeted with his necktie or re-
banded his sore thumb. which was
wrapped up like small boys.
IL VIII cost the government in revenue
ABOUT f6,150,000 to reduce the cost of
Tea to the consumer fourpence a pound
oy removal OF the tax. The measure
VIII take effect on May %.
Mr. Chnrnhi1l ol.o
the betting tax would be repealed. II
had been a fiasco because of "the elI-
slve and slippery character of the bet
ing population and the precarious con-
oltions under which they disported
themselves"
The budget was balanced by the
chancellor with an estimated expendi-
ture OF 1922 ,584, 900 and an estimated
revenue Of f826, $50 900, giving a pro-
spectve surplus of f4,096,000 (about
$15.866, 000).
In conclusion. he declared that Pre-
mler Stanley Baldwin would announce
tne Conservative election platform at
an early date. The Laborite and Lib
eral opposition, however, insisted on
taking the whole budget statement as
keynote speech in the Government
campaign. 1T was not a budget, but
an election manifesto" leaders Of these
parties declared
Mr.. Churchill ridiculed the end of
Unemployment promised by David
Lloyd George, Liberal chieftain, and
said that the only difference be-
tween the Laborites and the Liberals
was that the former proposed to raise
their funds by heavy taxation while
Lloyd George proposed to borrow his.
Gives Unemployment View.
The chancellor propounded in great
detail the government view that un-
employment could be reduced only by
o revival OF industry as a whole.
Mr.. Churchill said that the greatest
economies Of the government had been
in ornaments. on which savings of
about $37,000.000 had been made since
the Conservatives had come into power
since 1924.
Large reductions in the navy could
not be made without Great Britain
falling below the one-power standard.
which he considered would be a fatal
position. or without endangering the
trade routes of the empire.
AS to arresting development Of the air
forces. the chancellor said that this
could not be safely done without plac-
ing the country largely at the mercy