On Tuesday in the Upper House the Secretary of State
for Air gave satisfactory assurances that the Imperial system of civil aviation, especially in the East, was really favoured by the Government and would not be neglected. (The Times of Wednesday announced that, as a measure of economy, all civil aviation under- taken by the Government of India would -be reduced to a maintenance basis and no new money would be spent upon it.) The House of Commons returned to the Finance Dill and first passed the clause that empowers advances up to £9 millions for developing roads. Then followed debate on the: appointment of tax collectors. The guillotine and the Party voting made of no avail the efforts of those who see in the changes proposed an advance of bureaucracy that seriously threatens our -liberties which are partly preserved by the present system as administered by the Local Commissioners of Income Tax. On Clause 19, which gives exemptions from the new Land Tax, there was more than bne division, and on an amendment moved by Mr. Millar, a Liberal, to exempt parks and gardens open • to- the public and land suriendered 'for at least five years to sport, the Government majority fell to seven.
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