We cannot in a week crowded with events, Parliamentary and
otherwise, attempt to give any summary either of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's speech or of the debate which followed. We must point out, however, that Mr. Austen Chamberlain, after chaffing the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the Cocoa Duties, and for succumb- ing to the election cry of " How about cocoa 1) " pointed out that the Land Taxes had hitherto cost a great deal more to collect than they had yielded. With regard to our naval expenditure, be noted how dangerous it was to hold out hopes of a great reduction in the future, for we did not control the situation—a warning which Mr. Austen Chamberlain was fully justified in giving to the nation. The scheme of payment of Members he declared would meet with determined resistance, for he was strongly against placing the House of Commons on a salaried basis. Members of Parlia- ment ought to be the guardians of the people's purse, and not the recipients of the people's bounty.
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