The Annual Register 1914: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad for the Year 1914Anonymous
History
The Annual Register 1914: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad for the Year 1914
Anonymous
History, Modern; History, Modern -- Periodicals; World War, 1914-1918
Earl Roberts's funeral took place on November 19 with simple but
impressive ceremony. The remains, which had been brought back to his
house at Ascot, were conveyed thence by special train to Charing
Cross, whence they were borne on a gun carriage by the Embankment and
Ludgate Hill to St. Paul's Cathedral, escorted by troops representing
the Territorials, the Guards, Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery, a
naval detachment, and a mountain battery; and Earl Kitchener, Sir
Evelyn Wood, Lord Methuen, and Lord Charles Beresford, were among the
pall-bearers, who attended the remains from the Embankment to the
Cathedral. At the door the Cathedral choir and clergy met and preceded
the coffin, which was followed by the pall-bearers, the Primate,
and the King. Many hundreds of the public visited the grave in the
afternoon. A memorial monument was to be erected at the public cost.
To return to Parliament: on November 17 the War Budget was introduced
by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. After giving figures (to be found
in the appended table) showing that he had to provide for a deficit by
March 31 of 339,571,000_l._, he argued that a substantial part of this
must be raised by taxation, justifying this course by the precedents
set by Pitt in the French wars and Gladstone in the Crimean War. This
war would cost at least 450,000,000_l._ in the first full year; not
to tax heavily for it would be a serious departure from honoured and
unbroken national tradition. If Great Britain now rose to the heroic
level of 1798, she would be raising a revenue of from 450,000,000_l._
to 700,000,000_l._, and no borrowing would be needed. It was wisest
to assume that the war would be long; it would be folly to borrow to
meet interest on loans and loss of revenue; four-fifths of the money
raised would be spent in Great Britain, and during the war and after
reconstruction there would be practically no competition in neutral
markets, except from America. For four or five years, therefore,
British industries would be artificially stimulated; but afterwards
our customers' purchasing power would be crippled and much capital
would have been exhausted. During the period of inflation, therefore,
as much as possible should be raised by taxation. War, too, was a time
of sacrifice and self-denial, and readiness to bear taxation would
strengthen British credit. No taxes would be levied interfering with
productive industries, but all classes would be reached. The income
tax would be doubled, but in the current year would be collected on
only one-third of the income, so that it would be 1_s._ 8_d._ from
December 1 on unearned and 1_s._ on earned income. Arrangements would
be made to meet serious cases of loss of income through the war. As
to the class that did not pay income tax, Ministers had regretfully
abandoned the idea of a tax on wages, owing to the difficulties of
dealing with varying rates, casual labour, and half-timers, and
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