Mr. Austen Chamberlain, who followed the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
made some very damaging criticisms of the Government's finance. He dwelt strongly on the incon- sistency of the Government's announcement that they did not mean to vote the Budget at once, but would do voluntarily what they complained so bitterly about, and indeed refused to do, last March,—namely, collect taxes not legally imposed. To quote Mr. Austen Chamberlain's words, "by their present scheme they have exposed the hypocrisy of the attitude they adopted before Easter, and they have once more shown that whilst it is high treason in the House of Lords to quarrel with a Liberal Government, the Government can be an obedient servant when the honourable and learned Member for Water- ford definitely states what he requires." Mr. Redmond had decreed that the Budget should not pass until an autumn Session, and the Government shaped their policy accordingly.
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