On Friday week in the House of Commons Mr. Lloyd
George made at general defence of the finance of the Govern- ment. Replying to the criticism that they were financing the expenditure of this year out of the surplus of last year, he denied that the Government were responsible. If they had been allowed to pass their- Budgets in the ordinary course, so far from having a surplus of £840,000 depending on the resources of last year, they would have had a surplus of £1,200,000 depending entirely on the revenue of this year. Dealing next with the allegation that the Sinking Ftmd was being raided, Mr. Lloyd George declared that " this year the provision for the reduction of Debt is higher by £2,000,000 than the highest reduction by the Unionist Govern. ment that preceded it." He went on to give some instances of Unionist extravagance. " They made themselves and the country ridiculous, and now they criticise a few salaries which are paid to extra officers for dispensing old-age pensions which they promised and broke word upon." Mr. Lloyd George ended his speech with some criticisms of Socialism and Tariff Reform, both of which are interested " in spreading dis- content with the present system," and "in demonstrating to the people that they must look to the State for redress." In Germany Tariff Reform had ended by creating four millions of Socialists. He himself, however, was " equally opposed to Tariff Reform and to the Socialist contentions that you can by violent and revolutionary interference with trade and industry remove all the evils of life."
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