Star. — London, England, 1816-03-08 00:00:00

rt. J. ,f 1 pia I roll% ; ix Cll . ' veLte - ' :0I:rst• t estY ,l, I if C. I/1 in vll . cos cc • ; h o net so much to eat when wheat was 50g. as w h en w4s loos. the quarter. From such a rapidly pro. deatruction, t omerdcti industry of this gr oin as vats at this as it were, suspended.o-- the case—the moral feelings of the ans twos oat on ly we re alto deeply hurt. The property of a poor de ar:sintlustrious man was his labour : that labour was sonualik to the State as any property in it : it was d o toondatinn of all wealth. This man, while he m f or his a employment hands war an independent w o e s. But how was he situa t ed now?—he was ; to o l , o bliged to beg for employment ; his hide clew was destroyed, all his feelings were injured, r ho o r himself aggrieved, and he must be so till the •ature of the country is again prosperous. Now *n rit h re spect to the relief : If they were to take the ,esof the country at the lowest possible amount f t hey were to maintain the very lowest possible neacc Establishment of any which had been yet pro ' th e charges of that Esta bl i s hm e n t, combined g lib those of the National Debt, could not possibly Abner than 50 millions. But at 50 millions we old not have prices at the same rate as when taxa ip• was 15 millions. We must make up our minds ps e a which in some degree was equal to the uo n os , Fifty millions was tar feelow the annual burdens of the country ; but taking them even at S 1 millions, we could not expect prices so low as when they were oily 15 millions. If a relief, there for,* w „, to be given, it must be far beyond whet it vas in the contemplation of hia Manstity's nlinisters to pre; did believe that some relief was indispen. . isle, One moue et relief would be, the extending the borne market, by taking off the malt tax. The total on,, taxation on the article of barley in England and eatland, amounted ton& less than A l 2,•14:0,000. — This was an iminetoe taxation. if they added to this *tales peccliar to agriculture, the Horse Tax, the 'tenant's Property Tar, &c. the whole would be fiend to amount to ten millions, a sum equal to the shaleof our taxatiaa, on an average of ten years Ferions to the war. The produce of the country could not passibly sustain this—though it sustained it fe times of prosperity it could not now. But what lad been the effect of this extraordinary tax on the coesumption tel barley ? He had taken an average of the ten years preceding 1793, and also an average of n e wt ten years, exaluding the two years of scarcity saddle two US: years of plenty. The difference of the mune consumption of between the first of these pe. nods and the last, was 420 quarters of barley—that is, there was consumed so much more of that article noting the tint tell years, than during the last. But tiarwas test the whole, for there was a difference of two millions between the population of the one pea Tian and the other. The consumption was in the one case by ten millions of people, and in the other by twelve. During the first ten years, the consumption was 3,3'10,000 quarters; and the increase of two mil. lions of people (eight to have given an additional cen sumptian of 661,000 quarters. They might; there fore, lairly take we deduction in the amount of con sumption between the one period and the other on as average at between 10 and 1,10.4000 quarters.-a- Why that was more. than the averaoe importation of all ft:sena corn during the 1 tat ten years. Bet in the first ten years, barley was at 81s. and in the last ten years it was at 41s. 91 the quarter ; so that in point sf fact there was not a difference is price of 10n-• 14 sr the duty had lncreaserto 245. BJ. the quarter, shile the ankle itself had only increased in price 10sa Tile,coesuniption had considerably increand during tt last, two years, above what it was in• ISO, in /logo:nee of the diminutian in price of the article ; tans sante effect had beel produced to the public :early as it the Miele duty had been taken off. The pc:had fallen 2os. and the farmers relight thus be ad to leave givea their'creip, .and Government to late taken ponesnon of it. The redaction of the eke of the article was at his loss. nac't had been theeffect of the enormous rise of taxation. 'The ettiaery formed also a considerable market for the pins of the load: From the calculations submlt • to a Committee of the House of Commons in it appeared, that the consumption of the distil. Ms WAS not lower than 151,000 quarters. The autuption of the distilleries in Ireland was stated nut less than 400,000, so that altogether there was *MO fl and 930,000 quarters comiumed in the dis °Vt+. That consumption would now be found, *ma reduced 100,000 quarters, so that with the 'Ann/quarters of diminution already . stated, the fns tr,,a decrease of consumption in all would he "AO quarters. Besides the increase of smug • glutillie almost inevitable result of peace, there was tMu increase in the importation of foreign spit its. IS increased importation ought to be guarded 4 inti me s , . , °al by mop' tening the duties on their Jaen but also by reducing the nuties on home 4 4 The amount of foteign spirits imported into • cruntry, exclusive of rum, was between three dreier minions of gallons, equal to 500,000 gnat-- oh nlin. It fur a time this importation could altogether prevented, or greatly reduced, this nit occasion a demand of produce to the amount Soften two and 300,000 quarters. It was not ry to revert at any great length to the'proceed ti of last Session, for the regulation of corn--to Corn 811. He could not, however, help saying, ' eat Bill had had the advantageous effect of 4 14 gout of the market a coi,siderahle quantity of corn. He had already' delivered an opinion • 4 se ought to adopt a policy which should lead to independence of this country of all foreign couti • for the sustenance of any part of her inhabitants. tieing oliat this was the safest course, he was vatiug what was the result of experience. How much the advantages might be disputed of the of policy on this subject so long adhered to it comely, it would not he contended that any effects had arisen from it. The laws for the pros • of the British grower from foreign imports ' began in the rei g n of Charles the Second, and teontintaal down to _ 1 . 1-7- J. The tmportatiOn duty all that t i me so high as to protect us fro" ti inns : and the bounty on exportation Was , 1 4t same time eatrensely high—(Hear, hear)..;. l oPponents of t h e system d ispute d t h e g i eat a d. t , ges of i:, they could not make it out that it had d font evil. They would find that the in ( if the produce of the country, had always nabre ; 1 4 P: 1 r: v its increasing population, and . and . imnorts increased in . as high is dating that per iod as any other. During t h at r • r Ptice of the Europe of cairn was lower than the ave : ; and wan; they km, that thel ~ -. • effect of these laws was to make the demand equal to the supply, there - was at •the same time evidence to prove, that the low prices did not arise from the poverty of the country. as the exports and imports kept increasing all the time. The Htmourable Gen aleman here read a quotation from a French atiaor, inculcating on the nein!) the expediency of adopting the laws, which ware in force in this country at that time.—Unless, as that author had observed, we ele vated our view above' the production (if What was barely necessary, that production would Often fall be low what was necessary. • We ought. therefore, to look for a market beyond the home. market in a year of abundance. He had ; indeed, no great confidence iu any great part of our supply, bang taken off by a foreign market, because such was the wealth of this country, and such the arnorlut of our taxation, that the price of corn must necessarily be higher here than in any foreign country, and except under particular circumstances we could not sell our grain abroad. Yet the Agriculturists of this country should Lel, that the dernand was not limited to the home demand. If a ;,runty fur a limited time would hay.: the effect' of creating a demand, that bounty watild, in his opinion, - he well bestoited ; and it *as his earnest wish that the House should sanction some mea sure of this sort. lie, fur one, was desirous that such a measure should • be adopted. bit there WAS another consideration :—Stippoing there were almost an impracticability in tioding a foreign market, he should theft sty, the next possible means of promoting and maintaining this extended agriculture of the country was by appropriating the surplus of a productive season to answer the delicien cies of an unproductive one. If the enterprize and spirit of individuals would induce them to take this up, it would of course be preferable to an iotetferenee on the part of Government. But from alt the infor mation he had, there were no merchants likely so to engage their capitals. The whole trade went on from lean; to mouth. It was confi'aed to the grower and consumer. What was the cense of this ? Th:Je was a clause in the Corn Nil admitting the warehousing of foreign Corn, duty free; and so long as the ward. booting of foreign Corn, duty flee, was allowed, see• could never expect any warehousing of our own—we could. never exp...ct any appropriation of our own sur plus.produee to the most useful of all purposes, the guarding against a defective harvest. lie recom mended, therefore. that that clause should In repealed. He did not know that they ought not. instead, to go further than this. He was as unwilling as possible to demand any assistance from Government but he cer. tainly thought that some application of the public money should be made at the present moment. He thought that advances shoulal be made to such per sons as should deposit their corn in public granaries, and that the amount of the accommodation slituld not exceed one half of the value of the Corn so depo sited, so that no risk of loss might be run. It did not occur to him that there could be any material °Nee tion to this plan. He stated it as a measure arising out of the necessities of the country, and a measure from which the public could be no loser. That woich was not wanted at the time could stand for the future. We could not foresee what would be the produce at a future harvest. If the Wit hat vest was detective, we should have cause to rej , ,ice that we bad such gratialin. —The bounty ou expaii tation. and these s t orehouses, would have the advantage ct inspiring into the try some degree of confidence. It se.is necessary to give that protection to the produce of the soul which was afforded to ail other mantitactures.. It was by the application of capital and indttusy that all land produce WAS . aopired.as well as in theses! of tWier manetactures. as.l to make people employ their ca pital 'in the suit, they ought to have the same advan tages as other mtittifacturers. They ought to have a return corresponding to their capital and labour.— Now, if such was, very properly, the policy of this country. that no vise article of home manufacture failed to have from the Legislature an ample prntec tion.—if not only all competition oh the putt of the foreign manufactures was prevented by duties, but , exportation encouraged by drawbacks. why Withhold this protection front the manuf.icturer of corn ? W.is it not equally necessary. There was no differethe of feeling between the cultivator of the soil and any other manufacturer ; he was. actuated by the :me motives—he was stimulated by the same desire of his own advantage. Bet the home produce was not adequately protected against importation 1 abroad; and on the retain ot peace a deluge had glowed tete our markets, and absolutely destroyed all production here. Cheese was one article—rape seed was Though tie average importation luring Orel war hid not been mote than 70u0 quarters, and all at once last year it rose to between 80 and 93,000 qrs. Besides this there were other seeds which might be grown in this country, and for which we we. e now de pendent on foreign supply. Of linseed there bad been .5 or 600,000 bushels imported yearly, though ' this seed, of better quality, might he grown in this country. Mustard seed was also imported to a great extent. by the cultivation of these seeds in this coulltry, perhaps sixty thousand acres of the best landw in the highest state of cultivation, would be withdrawn hem tho.production of wheat, of which they now produced, perhaps, 180 or SUO,OOO bushels. If the deMand should require It, this land might again be turned to the cultivation of wheat. Unless, there fore, we chose to be dependent on foreign countries for that whist' we might ourselves produce, a prohi bitory duty should belaid on the importation of these articles. There wore other articles, the sudden influx of which into ournarkets had• materially 'depressed' them. Then were the produce of foreign pastures, such as tallow, butter, cheese, and salt provisions. which had been thrown in abundance into all parts of the country. This importation had, however, most severely elicited Ireland, of which some districts, hr Lad been informed, were distressed „beyond belieit=— (Neer.) Nothing, however, was incredible to those mho saw the distresses of this country. There was another Most impatient article. of agricultural pro duce of which the importatiukliad prodigiously in. creased—this was wool, on the importation of which, it was true; there was a small duty with a 'drawback on manufactured articles exported. This duty should be much increased. for in the last year, the impel... tation had increased from seven millions of ibs. which it had been the year before, to" IS' or 16 nlll6Onser It was to be recolected a few years ago the impor tation had only beeu three or 4 millions. GreaC par t of the importation had been from. Germany. 'We had actually drawn five millions ofpounds from places whence formerly there had been no importation. It' was not to be denied, that the ccimbined efforts of the .Government were necessary to raiiFagricul• are from its present depression—for if we looked at the subject merely in a financial point of view, h iw vast ‘s as its importance I He had endeavoured to calculue the portion of the revenue which was derived fr.mi die produce of the land. The whole amount of 'that produce might be calculated at 228 millions, and the taxes derived from if at G 8 millions. If the value of the agricultural produce were reduced only one third this would be a reduction of 22 *millions of revenue. But the fackwas, since 1812 the value of agricultural produce had been reduced to one-hlll. The conse• quence was, The rent could not be paid by the occu piers of the land—for arable land now paid no rent —(Hear).—lt was true that the occupiers paid rent, and might for a- short time -continue to pty it—but . it wilt oat of thei r capital. The/ paid their taxes out of the same source. The farmers had been in the habit of consuming the articles on Which taxes were laid, and even though their profits had ceased, they. could not at once change their habiti' of consump• tion. It teas in vain to expect to extract a large re venue from people in such a state—relief was urgent. As so the Sinking Fund, if the country was note in the state in which it had been presumed to b~ by the Chancellor of the ExChequer, this war the time in winch the advantages of such an institoti.in would be manifest. And it was to the aivar Fa , e of l j Mini stersl to propagate the belief that the country was realty in a state to reap benefit from this fund. Bul l the tact was, to ntaintaitv the 'Sinking Pond now would be to hurry the country into ruin. It would be a Sinking Fund to sink the country deeper into difficulties. It was absurd td make use of the Sinking Fund at this moment, when the country Was lab-am. ing tinder the pressure of taxation. This tnip,ht be perceived, when we compared the state win an indi vidual. If a m inolacturer had established a manu facture, he tstittit lay by a certain smn for the intr. pose or reducing- the debt wLich he hid inclined for the purpose of establishiinz it ; but it would be t: se height oi folly to continue to do so, when the straction of money fr-m the c! , necrn would cripple his trade and reduce his profits :;0 per cent. it was ttprally d f• - >: a in inufactitier to starve his s!..arn est,line, or tor a farmer to starve Isis horset..— Thtre could be but one wish, to apply some remedies. lie should now state those wh;cb he thought were applicable, and which in a Committee of the House he shoot(' take the liberty to propose, as Ile. solutious on wi.h-h to ground sylise.iolatt nvasates., It some R...solotions were a,loitted and cirt.ulated even bel,:re the rue ism-es were ,d from wh;cl , . benefit was expecled, the country mould be rebeved from anxiety.. He should read his Resolutions to the House, which were hastily &awn tip, but serve to chew ti. (pinions on the t.tioject. The Honourable Gentleman then re.td a series oi Reio iutiOns, of a hick— I. The first stat, el the Agricultural Interest, art'. the Conr.ter dal Interest connecrLd with it, were pluntzil into a state of *lnez aroVit3 distress, which demanded relief front Pad unient. l'ltat varu a tatters had contrihwed t.i the depression under which the people i!its cuts::try were lair:wing, bat that it was eviii,nt that the rinlock: of the soil was su reduced in value as 14 afford an insufficient vice to corer the hesvi clasps incurred in raisin; it. _ . 3. .1 . 1.5 t Barley was Cubject to very heavy dAleinwhite It un iltrOrent tl-rt process whic.it prepared it for the use of the consu tpers.; Cist the cotahtuance of this duty la time of peace, while suet ismili!y'tv•-re aftirtled , 4 smoothly, would tend to destroy he home ina:.ofacti:re of spilit4, and thus reduce the demand t.,r thit articl• , whiz.% 1.4 so ixcessaty to assist the cultivation of all otter articles ut agricult prcriime. 4. Tl:at it was du:retort: nectscary to repeal the Duties en M-.h, Wier and Spirits. S. at. to secure an equal supply of Grain it was expedient to rspeulthe law which allowed Foreign Cora to he witrehoused duty fret•. and to VIC0111:•gd tha.appropriation of the burp us produce of our own harvests ra prevent Ittt 0-e scarcity. ri. Thar, fur a rime at :vast, the growth of Corn should be en. co.traged by a Tiounry on Exprutioi,n. 7. I hat tour Alt:lc:there should he also encourage() by a pro. I.it,i t t ru o f t he redeetims of toreigh so4l, which this country was agtutil7 caparilt of prolucit.g. e. • 0.41. the .'&3l rioitural 11.ttrest was further ed to a re lie' from Vic other l'axeb whish preato.:ti uu them, and which it po.Doirle to repeal.. The lianourable Member then moved that the House should resolve itself into it'e. mmittee so cou sider the distressed state of the Agricultural interest. Mr. FRANKLAND LEWIS seconded the .110... tion, in th convictioh that, it was the duty of tbe• !louse to find a remedy, if it could be. found, for the distresses of the Landed Interest ; or at Ica.,t to ascer tain that there c,iuld be no possible reniedy : for he was so well conviiir(A of the high spirit of the people of this nation, that they world be resigned under any privations, if they knew that their situation had bern• howstly and seriously considered.—(/kar, /scar). — He did not believe it possible to find a speedy and complete remedy, but it was their duty to look at the real state of the country, and to comider.ell the al4. viation of which its distresses admitted. The coup ' try had long been engaged in one pursuit, with one object—that pursuit was war—the object victory.— (Haan /rear). —That war was at an eed ; we were, as lie hoped, in a secure peace, yet we were in distresses which two years ago had not been at all foreseen. — Even the latter years of the late war no one suspected, •sittile the country had been making unexampled ea. ertlons, that all was not vigorous and health:al. Yet we had now to inquire whether; in the nature of these extraordinary efforts there was not somethiag which had been destructive to our system? For our present distresses some had a short .way of accounting, by saying they were occasioned by peace ; but if it only did away with the idea, the Committee which had been proposed would be of infinite importance. That it was not 'peace alone which had produced the change id the price . of Agricultural produce, might be seen from the tables: of. prices in the first years of peace, after the Seven Yvars and the Atherican war. True it was, the change lioin war to peace had been productive of some distress; a change from peace •to war .would be productive of the same evil,.becausiall changes by which numbers of persons were thrown out of employment:ivere productive of 'distress. Go vernment having also withdrawn hom the market its purchases for the Navy, made some ad,lition, to. the depression of prices i but it was but small, tor as to the army, no one could complain that it was mist large enough—( Near, hear.) The main cause of our dis tress was to be found it this consideration—that the late war, while it had been beyond all others glorious, had been beyond all whets expensive. 'The ;facility" with which enormous sunasof numey had-been raised, had burthened Ls with a debt, the interest .of which was forty mations a year. This, tberekre became a ~` ~~ ..__ necessary branch of our"perrnanent exiseoditelvatand to Lids. were added etabiishments, w.hich.were aid.to be ne:essary, weica w0..11d cost t&eaty millioes mat ' at the Irate. Thus we were oblized, to provide per. menently, during peace, sixty milli ins yearly. As to the National llt.bt, respecLing the effect of which there were so meaty different opinions, it apprised to him, that as yet its esnet had merely been to tcansfer • a certain pinion of the revenue of the enuntry to in dividuals.; but it obliged the State to raise so lard an amount of taxes, that we had appro ac h e d roarer to the very limits of taxation than had been generally imagined— (Hear, hear.) He hoped his view of the subject was .iiise, ier lie loved his comma, in . () well to conteiiplate,its distress but with pain and misery. The utmost limit of the, power of transferring - the property of the country to the Skate, might be de duced from two principles :-l. That all th• pro. perty of the country Was the produce of its industty. `2. That induery vect.ld &tit* when deprived of an adequate reward. It might be also observed, that there were two sources of proeerty—the profits ot c.spital, and - the rent °fiend ; the utmost pitch to which taxation could reach was, that both the profit of capital and the rent of land should bi creature.' to the State. But it was impossible that taxation could, in ainy state of things, be carried so far.:--be. cause a great part et rent was indispensibly laid out en the land, and it was requisite that, the landlord . I .ltould be rewarded for his, general superintend tnce of his estate. The lowered con iitien to which litid lords could be reduced, was, that they should only P* as stewards* 4 the land. By the property Tax Re. turns it appeared that the rental of the country was 130 millions in 11?12, from this was talcui 63 millioas of taxes—thus half of the whole rental of the country had, in one shape or other, been tr in , ferred to the State. Since that time the rental of the connity had been in real value reduced one-third, but the razes continued the saute. It this ealculattim was correct. taxation cntili not be carried meat fattier than at 4 present. This was one great souace of the agricultu tat distress. It might be said; th i.t in a snort .tiar every thing would find its 1011, aud .in a c uatry where the natural jarrent or affairs had ilia Meets (lisp': bed by artifrial regulations.alqs would be trye. Bet in this country every th:n3 ttaded to prevent .tongs troy 6.iding their level.,and consequently if circa there WAS an. urgent nec.tssity to accommodate aaxatiOn to the statical the leaded ituerct, it was the present. If some measure : i f this nature .wt.te „not taken, the Lapdholdeis. court not get th e b etter_ of the shock s .11 froth anx ti ttoexpectedevenia new.4var %hould plunge uó into torslt expense, there woell les lan end of • thenkt andake cowry would aeon see the things . ,dreadful effects of such a state o f things—peat-J... The lamentable stain. of /m 144. rind? had been lately soeloquently described. ores& M grit pleasese from the want ot a resiacnt Gentry, and it was.to : a resideet Gentry that * .England owed italiberty, hap einess, and glory. when he contemplated theaile structinn of this body, he. could not but feel more serious apprehensions than .thiese. lie felt .of dan ger trolin the Cates or liasjentans, against whom we were to keep up so great • a military force, and •he Icould not but view. with more Rain the - desteection of one parish in any,courtty,o( England, than .the less of. all the colonies which sec.were to defend -et so ennrosous a view.- (mar); ye k elte deiteerction of pa. Tishri. in England, did not ezist !Welt , in .isnasieataoix —there were parishes is Oambridgeshire which : lied been left as wild and derdate as any coloay we had,. —He agreed with hia_Honourable ?rifted. that much of the distreseof the country bad also arisen trion the state ot. our paper currency. ,It was since die establishment of a currency without.a standard that pi ices.had been raised and had fallen back so rapidly. ' ['he Country Bankers, from their facility of issuing their stamped paper, had made loans to the Farmers, which, on the appearance of distress, they had ,with drawn—and now even if the Chancellor of the Ex chequer could lend them 14 millions they would not lend, it farthing to the Partners. For the same reason the fundliolder would not turn his capital to agrie.it. tare, because farming was now a losing trade. The Chancellor oldie Exeheqeer therefore was deceived is celcoleiing that the money disengaged by theapera oka of the tinkiug Fund would be applied to the re ' kwf of Abit.4gricultaral isiteress. A primary measure Nitiould be* to reduce our corsvocy, if hot to the foe nter standard, at least to some standard or other—for ' a currency without a standard aggravated the evils if the country, when our affairs were declining, though it increased our apparent wealth in days of prosperity. He recommended the repeat of the taxes which par ticularly affected the landed interest, and particularly the Malt Tax, . which was a two-fold operation on the consumption and. the produce of farmers.— The operation of this tax might be perceived from the comparative quantity of malt made in the year in 1 which the day was increased, and the following year. In 1803, two tbilliggs a bushel was added to the Tax; in that year thirty : . millions and a halt.ot bushels of barley were malted. In the following year only 22 millions of bushels were made into malt, and this quantity had not encreased pp to. 1811 In 1815, when barley tell, the quantity malted: SW- 27 millions of bushels. If this duty weremst altogether abiedoned,. yet a reduction . of it might . increase its productiveness. The Honoazable Gentleman then proceeded to remark. on the restrictioason the e x p or - Lanni and carriage o f wool, which he thought should be abandoned; as also, the prohibition of theecultiva tton of tobacco, to which the soil of this country was adapted,, This plant might.: he thought, be culti vated bete, being subjected to the. same species of duty as that on hops. He then proceeded to animad vert on the present state of the.poor laws, which, lie thought, required revision—the measure which he should recommend Was, that .the obje ct s ec of tilts species of charity should be bet t e r de and the tel extended only to decrepit 'and aged.pessons t n.-,t to the improvideit or vicious—(Nar. bar-) There should also, be some limit to the amount of rates levied,- without which. this species :of impost would threaten the destruction of the landholders.— He concluded by seconding the Motion, adding, that theughibe did nut concur in all the ideas of the Hon. Moyer, he completely agreed as to the necessity sit a Committee.. i • - Mr. ROBLNSON complimented the Honourable Mower and Seconder, for .. the temperate and luci d . a4 vn i a i nn i e m r por in iat w i h t ic ni h es ih su e re y . . House, and expies , ed his entire concurrence with the 11 : d o trZ n on it si t. der d a ti rion me o ri f tg . t . h °l o the suoiect to a C 033181111.04 proposition for referring . _1