19 JUNE 1920, Page 2

Mr. McKenna thus confirms .our contention that the first thing

to do is to fix a maximum of taxation, such as we can afford to pay without weakening our industries. When Parliament has rationed the Government by determining the total that they may spend, the Government in turn must ration the departments, and they again must do their best with the sums allotted to them. We hope in an early issue to outline the plan which we have in mind for applying the rationing policy. Our plan would not dis- establish the House of Commons, but would restore its true function as the guardian of the public purse without lessening the Government's responsibility. The House of Commons has not only the right to tax, but also the duty of seeing that taxa- tion does not destroy the very basis of the national wealth.