The Hon. James A. Robb, Mi ter of Finance, has presented a new Budget, and in a country such as Canada this is the main event of the Parliamentary Session in peace-time. The attractiveness of the Budget to the average citizen lies in the fact that it provides for reduction in the income-tax, that ugly legacy of the war years. In the personal income-tax there reduction of ten per cent.; as a corollary there is the decision that '$500 exemption will be allowed for mentally or physically inca: ed persons over 21 years of For corporations the tax is cut to ight per cent. In both cases the new ruling will be effective at one and the taxes which are due in April will be on the reduced basis.
Provision is also made for a cut in the Sales Tax from four to three per cent. This levy has been unpopular ever since its introduction in 1921, and there have been mai attempts to evade it by clever manceuvres. newspapers. Interested—Montrealers have tried to induce the Ottawa officials to reconsider the matter, and have promised the money to pay for the passage of the woman and her baby. Incidentally, of course, the father has expressed himself as being quite willing to assume the responsibility of pro-iding for the child, and- of seeing that it shall not be a charge on the community, but the powers-that-be will not move, and there is no solution in view.
Cases as startling as the above are not frequent, but the attitude they represent is most disquieting. Not only is the immigration policy of the Government not aggressive, but it is also lacking in other respects, There are indications, however, that the people are waking up to this fact. If the Conservatives can prepare a strong platform in the form of a national policy, embracing immigration, tariff stabilization and development of natural resources, they may sweoy the country at the next election.
The Budget is unsatisfactory, that there is mo statement of 1
Railways, and also in that the changes in the tariff are merely a slight juggling of figures. The gross indebtedness of the Dominion on account of the railways is enormous, and, as a result, the annual fixed charges eat up all the net profits, It is unlikely that the cost of running the system can be met out of its annual revenue until the volume of traffic fs much greater; and this increase is not to be looked for until the population is doubled.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.