HALF LAND DUTIES TO RELIEVE RATES 153 



use for the purposes of through traffic should be borne by the 

 Imperial Exchequer." 



1911. 



One of the baits offered by the Government to help them 

 to carry their Finance Act of 1909-10 was that half the pro- 

 ceeds of the duties on land values were to be allocated to 

 local authorities in relief of the rates. In 1911, however, they 

 introduced a Revenue Bill, which proposed to appropriate 

 the whole to the Treasury. This -Bi\l also provided that the 

 sum to be paid in respect of the local taxation duties into the 

 Local Taxation Account should be a sum equal to the amount 

 of those duties for the year ending 31st March, 1909 (fixed 

 grant), instead of the amount that those duties would actually 

 realise year by year (assigned revenue). As 1909 showed a 

 smaller amount than any one of the preceding fourteen years, 

 the Chamber opposed this proposal, but the Government 

 would not give way. With regard, however, to the alienation 

 of the half proceeds of the land duties, the Chamber were more 

 successful, thanks chiefly to the activity of Sir Luke White, 

 and the Government agreed not to suspend the operation of 

 Sec. 91 of the Finance Act, 1909-10 beyond the 31st March, 

 1914. W T hich meant that, after that date, the half proceeds 

 would revert to the coffers of local authorities.* 



The subject of local taxation was brought before Parlia- 

 ment on several occasions during this session, and members 

 of the Chamber took a prominent part in the debates. On 

 13th and 14th February Amendments to the Address were 

 moved respectively by Mr. Hayes Fisher and Lord Helmsley. 

 On 20th February the Financial Secretary to the Treasury 

 {Mr. Hobhouse) announced that in future there would be a 

 fixed subvention of 1,384,000 per annum for education 

 instead of the fluctuating subsidy hitherto known as the 

 Whiskey Money. The amount fixed on was the actual figure 

 for the financial year 1908-9, which was a larger sum than 



* By Section 16 of the Finance Act passed in November, 1914 

 (i.e., the second Finance Act of 1914) this time limit was repealed, 

 and this alienation of the half proceeds of the land duties is thus con- 

 tinued ' until Parliament shall otherwise determine." 



