In the Commons on Tuesday, when the Finance Bill was
in Committee, protests were made by several members against the clause differentiating against shipowners in the Excess Profits Duty. In reply Mr. Boner Law recounted his own experiences as an investor in shipping. For £8,110 invested in fifteen different companies, for which he would have been well content to receive 5 per cent, or £405 in all, in ordinary times, he has received, after paying Excess Profits Duty, £3,62A for 1915 and £3,847 for 1916. And on the top of this he had received cheques for £1,000 and £1,050 tin respect of capital sums of £200 and £350) as the result of the distribution of surplus capital. " That is the trade." Lc gadded, " wo Iwo ae1aaia." Ile held it wee very wrong of the Government
to have allowed such profits to bo made, but attached no blame to the shipowners, and emphatically denied that any base bargain had been mode with the Labour Party. The clause was pained without a division.
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