The - Finance Member made a statement in the Assembly on
Tuesday. The retrenchment in Government services is to be drastic and comprehensive, 10 per cent. 'generally, though the Viceroy leads it by voluntarily surrendering 20 per cent. of his salary. Incidentally, Sir George said that the Government was thereby making it 'possible to establish the new Federal Government on a sound foundation." The most substantial piece of new taxation will be a tempOrary surcharge of 25 per cent. 'on all existing taxation except the Customs Duty on experts. We regret that the salt tax should have to be increased. So, no doubt, do Sir George and the GOverminent. 'The increased tariff for cotton- goods was his justification for putting a duty of half an arena a- pound on -nit* cotton, which will incense the Boinbay -mill owners' who have been well repaid for supporting the boy_ coteOf British cotton goods. The total benefit expected from new taxa- tion and retrenchments is nearly 1,000 lakhs. Sir George prophesied that the extra taxation Awould not last more than eighteen months. There has been no more serious news from India this week of the, troubles in Kashmir. Here the Round Table Conference has con- tinued to sit and we publish an article -on its proceedings. We are glad that after the publication of our last issue Mr. Gandhi changed his Mind again and went to Lan- cashire, where he had conversations that must have been useful to all who were present.
Previous page
