London vid Bombay, Jun. 14.
The feature of last night's political oratory was a speech by Mr. Balfour at York in which he made a definite statement in regard to the taxation of food.
Mr. Balfour said that he believed that a small duty on corn, with preference to the Colonies, would tend to diminish the cost of bread, as it would lead to an increase of the area under wheat cultivation. No alteration, he continued, in our fiscal system was thinkable, unless it were Laid down as a basic principle that the change would not make for the detriment of the poor.
The Unionist leader pledged himself not to increase taxation upon such necessaries as wheaten bread, tobacco and tea.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.