The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-03-29 00:00:00

P 0 for each. The first iirns is one million to the East ' India Company. The House will recolleCt that similar sum was voted for that pus pose last yrar, and it is now proposed to advance another 1,000,000. The next item is deficienor of Mal. Duty in 1804 L.540t000 Deficiency of Ways an.l Means in 1603 . 1,707,000 Interest on Exchequer Bills . . 1,600,1;00 st And here I would briefly explain this suhjeft of Exchequer Bills. It never has been the price to provide interest regularly for them, but I think it desirable that such provision should be made, and therefore have proposed the above sum. nentitt sum wanted is to pay offthe 5 pet cents. tol 1797, at the sth of April, 18;:6 • . L. 700,000 Ditto, 10th, October 500,000 Making together And the whole separate charge, forming a total of 5,147,000 The total snippily will then tb. • . 48,916,000 From this is to be deducted, on account of !re load, 2-17ths of the above sum, malting . 5,137,522 Deduct also 2 17ths for Civil List, and other charges . . . . 160,002 Making together Which will leave the total supply for England L. 43,218,472 WAYS AND MEANS. " I sow proceed to the Ways and Means to meet the ntpplies. The first I shall mention is the amount of the duties upon Malt and Personal Estates, /which I estimate at 2,7so.oool.—Grants from pro ceeds of ships captured prior to the war, 1,000,0001. With cespeCt to this any, the House will recoils& that His Majesty has been pleased to grant this um from his revenue, is aid of the public service ; and, 1 have fat ther to observe, that it is his gracious intention, that Ireland should have also the benefit of it, in the proportion of two-seventeenths.— The next is Lottery. 380,0081. The produce of the Lottery last year was 3721,0001. and certainly I feel justified in estimating it for the present year, at the above - amount: Surplus of Consolidated Fund, to the sth April, 11107 . • • . . . L 3,500,000 War Taxes . . . . . . 19000,000 But we must &duet from this, as the meant likely to be eut a tanding on le sth of April, 1607 . . . . . . Leaving as the aetual produce of the War Taxes within the present year 18 OOO,OOO Loan fug England Slaking a total of Ways and Menne for Eng land, of . . . . . . L. 41,636,000 TIIE LOAN. es . The Loan which I have negociatbd amounts to 11,000,0001. for England, and '2,000,0001. for Ireland ; and 1 hope the terms, which L shall ex plain to you, will give satisfaieioa. In this Loan is to be included a sum of no less than 3,800,0001. to defray the deficiencies isi the Ways and Means of the last year. 4. For the current service of the present year, only 11,200,0001. of the present Loan is required. Of the wi which constitute these deficiencies, and their net amount, it may be difficult to form any precise idea. Without therefore pretending to an aecurat- know'edge of what may be can/fly due on account of the Subsidiary Treaties which we have conc.aded wick some of the Continental Powers, 1 thinkl may fairly state it as follows : lets diary Treaties . . . . . L 1,000,0* D,llokowy of Laud and Malt . 340,000 Deticieoe. in other Ways and you's • 1,287,000 To pas off S per Ceuta. of 1797, at the sth M Lod, 446 , . . 700,003 Mau, 10‘h of Wolper . . . . 500,0a0 Wixom on Exchequer Silk • • • 1,900,400 Malin in the chute, with other Item% a total of . . • • • • • 5.1100.000 es Having thus stated the Way: and Means, I think it necessary to enter into an explanation of the stews; and fir,t, Sic, with rupee to the War axes. I have dosuments in my hand to prove the correttness of the statement which I have given, and from which the House will sec, that the origi, al cause for the adoption of these [AXIS, still exists fur their continu ance. It will be within the rccolleftion of the I louse, that it was from the contemplation of the amount of the national debt in I 79d. that the l{igbt Hon. Gen tleman, whom 1 have the honour to succeed, had re course to the principle of raising a considerable part of the supplies within the year ; and, consequently, a direet system of taxation. Sir, it is needless to enter into a detail of these taxes, or of the grounds upon which I propose the continuance of the Pro perty Tax. Looking to the magnitude of the na tional debt, 1 shall proceed to illustrate the advan tage of the war taxes, by stating their cleft upon it : The Nafional Debt, on the sth February, 1793. am-muted to . . . . . 1.227, 00,921 On the ft!, of Pebruare, 1803, it amounted to 48u.574,476 Saint at the rate of nit annual hicre..e of . 115.3.511,393 I tiara stated et, amount, oil the sth of February, 1803 . . . . . . 480 872,476 It amounted, on the sth of February, Ifio6, to 517,280,565 Being, upon the average of the three years,' an in crease of 1`2,236,0•-hil. a year during the present war, that the annual increase of the national debt, duri ig the last war, notwithstanding the lat ter years o' it had the aid of the War Taxes, was snore than double of the annual increase during the present, being in the pi-o°mm of twenty•five to twelve. Therefore, Sir, its the confidence that the House feels the necessity for continuing this system, 1 shall proceed ; and first, Sir, as to the— PROPER ii TAX. is Sir _My opinion upon this tax is not by any means necessary. In the first place, the tax is es tablished. Ido not say that it is the most perfect that can be conceived, but I have a right to state, that it is, comparatively with the assessed taxes, the most equitable and just in use. It is not only the most fair and practicable, but, as I have already stated, it has the great recommendation of being an e.tablished tax. When we consider all the ma chiacry necessary to set a row tax in motion, and make it produßive, I need no justification for hav ing recourse to those already in being, and which have been found to answer their objed. 44 The Property tax I propose to carry to 101 pet cent. I think this prcfer.ible to any progressive step. or gradual addition. Gradual addition, in such cases, alarms the people, who do not know where it is to end ; whereas, coming at once to the natural limit, is most agreeable to the feelings, as h , inging with it something defi site. and leaving nothing farther to apprehend.— I shall theittore state the Property 'lax at 101. per co ot. but the benefit which I propose does not stop here. The source of many of the inconveniencies of delay, (rand, and evasion, and that there has Lest mach, no one. I believe will doubt, I hope will • be avnided. These inconveniencies of frauds and delay have nista from the exe mptions, in the pre sent mode of allowing them. These exemptions were intended for the benefit of poor annuitants and little tradesmen ; and feeling as I de, I would not have moved to take away all these exemptions, unless I felt confident that I should he able to make an allowance for the persons affected by them, in a more efficient and salutary way. It is proposed that teu per cent. shall be levied upon all without distinaion ; but that an authority shall be vested in the tax officers, that upon the proddlion of the deed of annuity, or other document of the title, in all cases of income flora SOI. to 1001. a year, or other ground of exemption, they shall make re payment to the party according to a certain scale of abatement apportioned to the ma& amount of in. come. I believe, Sir, it will not be necessary to go into an argument for the exemption of small tradesmen and annuitants. The ground of their claim is too apparent to require an 7 illustration. But, Sir, there are two other essential points which may be ex petted to render this tax more produaive. In the first place, I have the satisfaaton to state, that the Governor and Deputy Governor of the Bank, have consented, at my reqaest, to receive the tax upon the dividends due at the Bank, and in addition to this, 1 expedl a considerable increase from a new mode of assessment, by enabling the Commissioners to assess lands and houses for two years, and thereby avoiding the great inconveni ence of assessing them every year. Nor do I imagine that any objedion, even in the most unfa vourable result, can be made to this course; because although the proposed plan should be found ineffi cient to the purpose, it may be abandoned without producing any inconvenience . By this means, I ex pel that the property tax will be made to yield five millions a year, in addition to its present produce. CUSTOMS AND EXCISE. "Under this head, I expel to gain another addi tional 1,000,0001. ; and here, I have the satisfadion to state, that while, by the Property Tax, I have proposed to take so much from the general popula tion of the country, the remaining taxes, which I have to propose, are such at will affed the higher classes of society only. Under the head of Customs, then, I propose to increase the War Duties of the forty-third and forty-fourth of the King, in the proportion of from one-fourth to one-third, with an exception in favour of cotton, wool, and wine. On sugar L propose to lay a duty of 101. per cent. or three shilings per hundred weight. Sugar is an article of a perishable nature, and therefore not likely to be smuggled to any great ex tent. It will of course yield a fair and certain pro duce, and the whole increase of these additional taxes, under the head of Customs, I estimate at 700,0(.01. "Under the head of Excise, I propose a similar in censes upon Tobacco. The importation of this arti cle is very considerable; and I think I may estimate the additional increase at 300,0001. making, with the additional Property Tax, and the additional duty oa Customs, in the whole, an addition to the War Taxes, of 6.000,0001. Having thus stated the Ways and Means, provided by War Taxes., at 19,500,0001. of which I can take credit only for 18,000,0001. as the whole amount likely to be produced within the year, and applicable to its current services; the rest is to be provided for by a Loan. I have concluded one this day, upon terms of unprecedented advantage to the country; and, from what has followed, I should hope, highly be neficial to the Contraffors.- TIM LOAN. The terms are, for every 1001. sterling, 1001. three per cent. Consols. and 601. in the Reduced, making an interest of 41. 19s. 7d. The amount of the interest upon the stock thus created, with charge of management, &c. is 1 ,136,1061. ; tor' which annual charge provrdon is to be made. I propose to provide accordingly in the following manner:—First, I propose to make the wine duty permanent. An intention to this effect was expressed in the last Session, and I estimate its produce at 500,0001 Secondly, I propose a duty on pig iron. From the nature and quantity cf this article, it was formerly considered a fair subjeet of taxation, and from enquiries made at the time the measure WAS in contemplation, the quantity produced was estimated at 900,000 tons since that period, however, it had considerably in creased. I propose to lay forty shillings on every ton, the produce of which I estimate at 500,0001. The third article will be more a regulation or equalization of the duties upon tea. According to the present system, tea sold tinder 2s. (id. per lb. at the East India Company's sale, is exempted in favour of the poorer classes. lf, in reality, the rib jeßs of this exemption derived a real benenefit from it, it would be far from my intention to revoke it ; but, in fag. it is well known that they derive little or no advantage from it, nor does it 'fled them ; for, whether from the artifice of the dealers in tea, by mixing the finer sort with the coarse, or by some other stratagem, no tea is sold at that price, and the public is defrauded, while the lower classes receive no benefit or relief from the exemp tion. The produce arising from this equalization, I shall state at 70,0001. A foot th article which I pro. pose, is a tax upon appraiscrn:nts. When the duty upon auctions is so high, it appears reasonable that it should be extended, in a certain degree, to appraise ments ; for appraisernent is a mode of ascertaining the value of property, as well as auction, and there fore ought to pay in proportion. I therefore pro pose to tax appraiseinents at the rate of one half of the audion duty, which I taped will pro duce a sum of 66,0001. making a total of 1,136,0001. This sum is 1061. less than the sum to be provided for. but this fraßional difference will be defrayed by the farther proceeds from captured ships. THE CIVIL Before I sit down, there is one statement which I think necessary to make. As I have risen with a view to lay every thing conneded with the imme diate subjed, fully and fairly before the country, I feel it incum'rent upon me to state, that the estimate made of His Majesty's Civil List Revenue, has not proved adequate to the expenditure; and. I am extremely sorry to say. that the deficiency amount ed, on the first of January. to 1 is.ntsl. The House will recoiled. that His Majesty has been graciously pleased or give 1,000,0001, of the pro ceeds from captured ships, in aid of the public ser vice; bur, from whatever cause the deficiency may have arisen, I have no doubt but that the House will think it their duty to ptovide the most elTatu.ll means that can be devised to make it good. I shall now, Sir, for the Me of marking the business more distinolly. and to avoid all error, en ter iuto a recapitulation of the Supply and Ways and Means. SUPPLIES, Mitch 18, 1806. Navy . . Excluinve et thdtiai.ce Sel Ser vice England lrpland 18,500,000 `England including Sea Service . :4911,000 4,718,000 ( Ireland . . . 11107,00(1 England . . . 1,i00,61000 2,170,000 Miqeellaneous‘ land . . . 670,000 Arrears of Subsidies 41,60,000 Vote of Creed[ En g land • • • 1,4013,000 2 000 000 Ireland . . . 600.000 , Army . . Ordnance . Joint Charge England and Ireland L. 43,669,000 Add England's separate Charges.— F.ast india Company . . . . 1,060,000 Deficiency Malt Duty 1804 . . J 40,000 I)tto Ways and Means 1805 . . 1,707,000 interest iin Exchequer Bills . . 1,000,000 'Fo pay nff 8 per Cents 1797, at Sits of April, 700,001 1806 Ditto Oct. 10 . . 1,200,000 Tata% Supplies . . . . Deduct on account of Ireland , as below . 5,747,000 48.916,000 5,t97,f,21 On account of England Deduct on account of Ireland,? tt•t7ths o' the above suns ofc 5,197,53 ♦ i,(169,0001 Deduct also 2-17ths for Civil Lest 160,000 and other Charges . . . . L. 5,297028 WAYS AND MEANS. Malt and Persooal Estate Maims Grauts from Proceeds of Ships captured prior to the War Lottely . . . . ..... Surplus Consolidated Fund to April 5, 1E307 . War Taxes Deducts likely to be outstanding 1 500 rOO at Apni 307 L 18,0(10,000 Loan 1,750,000 1,000,00 340,00 3,500,060 L 43,00,04 " After this recapitulation, I have to express my sincere wish that I could follow up this statement, by adding, that the burdens which I have proposed to lay upon the people were light and easy. But 1 shall not state them so. While I state this opinion, I do not think so ill of myself, or so meanly of my country, as not to suppose that all these - burdens. however great, will not be borne by the country with all that fortitude which is the charatteristic of the country, and forms its most distinguishing feature ; and I feel gratified in stating, that if they do (Ind them heavy, they will bear them with cheerfulness, at the momentous crisis in which we are left, with only our own means and our own strength to sur mount all difficulties and ensure our safety. They look with confidence, as they ought, to the ter minatios► of the war. as the-extent of thetimedurin which they are to bear these hardens; but that which must inspire them with still more zeal, is the confident assurance they feel, that tbe supplies which they afford will be applied to the purposes for which they were intended, and managed with economy. I believe they have that feeling, that, if ever there were men committed to those principles of econonif and integrity, they are the men now in power ; and that if they deviate from those principles of tali tude, they will carry away with them from office nothing but shame and disgrace ; and this I say, not only from the charaCter of the men, but from the means recently established for the prevention of abuses, and which did not exist in the time of their predecessors. To the advantages arising from the naval enquiry, are to be added those which will be also derived from the Commissioners of military enquiry ; and when I state that Ministers will be always ready to adopt their suggestions with a view to economy, I think I state a strong ground for public confidence. Upon this subject I can add, that steps are now taking in the West Indies to reco ver losses sustaifted by the public in that quarter, and to prevent that system of fraud and pecula tion from which they have arisen. —ln stating all these things, 1 do nen claim any extraordi nary praise. It is only stating that His Ma jesty's Ministers will do their duty ; but, I must add, that on this account the burdens will be borne with more cheerfulness than ever. In the state ment which I have made, there is nothing that requires concealment. publicity is all our financial affairs I hope we shall always •have re course. It is the source of our success and our prosperity. An old Roman moralist wished to build a house, the inmost recesses of which should he visible to the eye of the passenger. This princi ple peculiarly applies to our financial system. if time be any ohjeCt more near to my heart than another, it is publicity in oar financial *fain, nod as such I shall ever continue to recommend it." The Right Hon. Member concluded with mov ing his first Resolution. Mr. FRANCIS said, the Noble Lord had his thetas end acknowledgments for the labour and abilities with which he brought lot ward so luminous and perspicuous a statement ; but what he rose for was, to observe upon two passages in his speech, one of which he heard with satisfatlion, and the other with regret. 'that which he heard with pleasure was that the Bank et England had agreed to receive the Income Tax, upon the payments tnade to Annui tants and Stockholders, at the Bank, which he was now the more pleased with, as he understood it to be an accommodation which was denied to a for mer Administration. That which he viewed with regret was, tike sudden and great increase in the Property Tax, which he was convinced would er• cite considerable distress and dissatisfaCtion through• out the country. He could by no means agree with the Noble Lord, that this measure would be more ',a 6:fat:tory to the people, than if the increase were gra dual; on the contrary, he was decidedly of opinion, that a gradual augmentation of it up to 131 per cent. from Atiwhich at was now, would be less felt and less burthensome, than doubling it at once, as ap peared on 0 . ., lace of it. Surely at was a bad 7? rgu meat to say, that doubling a sax widuld prove Lame . . grateful to the people than an addition 14.4 made to it. Besides, he would ask the roil. Lied l , aar this olnubling, at present, would secure u. item a gt aduAl increase of it hereafter ?- Lord H. PETTY replied, that the Goveinnrs of the Bank of England very considerately consented to this arrang-ment, at present, in conseque..ce of the tmmerous evasions which they saw praftised udder the former syo .m. As to the other topic alluded to by the Noble Lord, he had only to repeat what he said before, that he thrught it would he better for the public to know the worst at once, than to he under any uncertainty about it. Mr. ROSE said, he did not mean to Mliiw th e Noble Lord thr-ough any of his statements, nor dod he feel any soutia objeaion to them generally, though there were sone, on which he should here after offer some observations. It was nor, indeed, his intention to have said any thing on the ple•ent occasion, had he not been provoked to it by what ftll horn the Noble Lord towards the close of his speech, where, not contented with making an cc. logium on himself and his colleague*, to which hoe for one, should not have the least otitaioro, he took occasion to piiss an unmerited censure on the lan's Administration, as if they allowed frau Is and p • culations, perennially, as he termed it, to be poe tised in the West-Inthes. With respoet to th o subjea, he stilted, t h at he was himself the first vrhe deterled and "represerted those frauds and peculiei hops to the then Administration ; the conseque nce of which was, th it an Aa of Parliament o as passeot. appointing Commissioners to inquire into and report until the abosits. •Che Commissioners petfot rn ed their duty, and made a very voluminous teciiit, pointing out r.ot only the depredations, but the pe t . s Ins by whom they were committed. His Majesty's Ministers, in older to punish the offenders, and compel them to re-fund their fmudulent gains, laid the report before the law officers of the Cro:v.io ; and, as these gentlemen were now present in tle House, he would leave it to them to explain why the offenders were not brought to justice. What he contended for, therefore, was, that the gentlemen on the other side, had no right to assume all his merit to themselves, as the industry of the late ministration in the d..xecti.m of abuses. was, at lea.t, equ a l tit theirs. As little right hail they to assure, that the national account; were now made more public than they were before. His valued now, unfortunately for his country, no mote, vas the first who began this sytstem of sad never departed from it at any period of his life He repeated, that he had only said thus much, be. cause he fel: himself provoked to do it. As to the taxes, he did not altogether approve of them; he had considerable doubts how the iron p.a.:, s add bear a dimenition of the drawback of cut of four. That manufafture had lately tillers away one half. The finer parr was aatielly tallest almost to nothing ; and the silk trade WAS in the same situation. Lord HENRY PETTY replied. that if he meant to charge the late A dmi i str at ioin id% negleft, he should have named them. lleI: .d oily stated the faits, and the .intention to co• t 'ha abuses; but he imputed no blame to His Majesty's late Ministers, and, least of all, to a R•ght Hoo. Gentleman, deceased, whom he always wished:to speak of with respea. He certainly load a right to mention these frauds, as they were not cot: toted yet • and, as to any attempts or tploceesting4 at might have heretofore been taken for that. purpose, he had not yet had time to look into chem. Mr. ROSE replied,. th it, as to the f. of pro ceedings haring been taken, he only asked the N. , ble Lord to give credit to the A& of Parliamere, and not to him. Lord H PETTY said, that, he that as it may. tlw fraud, still existed. With respe& to the ch,t.;e orhis having made an eulogiiim nn • im,elf, ;aid, that if so, that eulogium only consisted of the ne cessity he stated for economy, and of the intention of himself and his colleagues to observe it. Mr. PERCIVA I. said, he should have b glad it the topic which called up his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Rose) had been altoge,her excluded from the debate. If the charge against the We Administration were not dire Sly made, it WAS pistil plainly insinutated ; fur the Noble Lird stated Ant determination to apply to the coiredion of abuses. . as grounds to induce the public to b'sr she bur dens now imposed upon them, more cheerfully than they did before ; as if that were exclusively his own, which was only following what was done by his predecessor. Ihe Noble Lord, however, would find in his office, the voluminous rep, sot the Coal missioners, sogether with the rehaences of them to the Law Officers of the Crown. and it onw bee- 04 his duty, as one of those law officers, to explain prosecutions were not instituted. The reason that though the Report contained a great variety er frauds, they were d, scribed in so loose and va?ae manner, that he could not engraft from them that legal evidence, which lie thought would be veer sary to convia the offenders. He was Oil, bos.ever• to find, that proceedings were now institet d againt them, and lie heartily wished the Prosecutors success. He agreed,. that the atistemeat of the Noble. Lord was clear and luminous, and he was col! laying a ground for future argument, in stating, that this method of voting several millions of Ways 04 Means, beyond what hitherto appeared to be die supplies of tho year, was highly objeetioitable ; and in that he believed the Right Hun. Secretary of State (Mr. Fox) would agree with him. Thera* rat spirit and objen of the statement, had his highest approbation ; and he wished only to add, that as as was convinced many and great difficulties ssoud occur, as to doing away the exemptions with IT' Spa to the property tax, the Noble Lord should be welcome to any assistance, towards removing td rr difficulties, which it might be in his power to affoia him. He was pleased with the general view ot tho plan ; because it brought the measure nearer to it, original shape, in which he had a share. donng the Administration - of a Noble friend of his, now 3 Member of the other House. He said. he Icir v34. that great difficulties would arise in settling the la, upon appraisements, from the experience he had I the great difficulty there was now, in preventing evasions of the Aultion Duty, which was a he would strongly advise the Noble Lord to at" ) to. Lord H. PETIT repeated the statements h. " fore made of estimates of the Supply and Way- Means. to chew that the Litter did not excec, th P" -c .0 in