We must ask to be excused from summarizing for the
third time all the old points, exploded stories, wild guesses masquerading under the guise of statistics, and allegations that beg the question in every line. The only new part of the speech was that concerned-with the taxation of land ralues. The first thing needed here, declared Mr. Lloyd George, was that the land should be acquired by municipalities for public purposes at a fair market price—which, of course, means exactly the opposite of what he says. The fair market price is what the municipalities have to pay now. Mr. Lloyd George wants them to pay, not that, but something much lower. His second proposition is that the municipalities "should be empowered to buy land in advance of immediate need," which, being translated, means that they should be empowered to speculate with the ratepayers' money in real estate—the most risky of all possible speculations. The third need is that there should be "a cheap, expeditious method of arriving at the price"—i.e., quick guesses, which in any case are to come out low. That is merely another name for stealing. Mr. Lloyd George illustrated what he meant in his third proposition by noting the fact that in the Glasgow improvements vast sums had been spent on lawyers, surveyors, and experts of all kinds. This is really a delicious gloss from a man who has done more than any other to pile the expenses of lawyers, surveyors, and all such people upon the backs of the unfortunate landowners, be they great or small. .
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