The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-02-23 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE WEEK.


The second reading of the Malt Tax for Cattle
Repeal Bill was read on Monday night, after •
brief but temperate discussion. For • great
number of years past the malt question has
perplexed every successive Chancellor of the
Exchequer. There have been annual meetings
in Kent and Sussex, and annual pilgrimages to
that shrine of all their hopes—the snug and
umbrageous corner in Downing-street, where lb.
"high priest of the national coffers cloth dwelL"
"Why dont you take off the malt taxi" lies
assailed the ears of every Chancellor of the
Exchequer in turn, and invidious comparisons
have been made on the barley cultivators on tha
one hand and the pacer makers and tanners on
the other. The answer has been invariably the
same, whatever the colour of the Chancellor's
politics may have happened to be. The malt
interest is too important, and supplier far too
large a rum annually to the revenue to be re-
lieved to any considerable extent. A duty that
is counted by millions is far too large to be ruddy
meddled with. Well, but so was the paper duty;
two millions went there. Very true, but don't
you perceive that that was a tax upon know-
ledge, and it was very unwise to continue
blades *hick bad the demurest perible Moamar
unanswerable, but stilljuestleat &loth.
to repress the intelligence of the age. The
content etc:tastinnuendur
black door in Downing-sweet still continued, and
deputations once a year were ,till heard to les&
in the vantage. At length Mr. Gladstone has
made a concession, and the berley-growsre think
they have accomplished a notable trlumpii 011
getting "in the thin end of the wedge." •
Bill, as we have said, has been introdueed for
the purpose of enabling farmers to use malt in
the fattening of their cattle, provided one-tenth
of linseed or oil-cake is mixed with it. There is
_ .

• difference of opinion, however, even among
agriculturists of the merits of this measure.
Some think it may be of some advantage to the
farmers; others, that it will not. The more
practicable gentlemen who, like Mr. Henley, are
in the habit of reducing everything to the
standard of utility and common sense, think the
experiment of doubtful advantage, there meet
be a separate building for the new description of
malt, a new department for the exciseman will
be created, and a now trade started for the
dealers in grain. Others doubt the fattening
qualities of malt, and urge that the farmers
already grind the inferior descriptions of barley
and feed their cattle with them. Mr. Gladstone,
on the other band, quotes the opinion of Lishig
and Dr. Lyon Playfair, who admitted that while
the effects of malting barley is to diminish the
sanguifying ingredients, on the other hand it
makes them more soluble and acresible. The
inference, therefore, is, that either with Mersa*
to feeding in certain states of the animal, or in
combination with other articles of food, this pro-
cess may produce, if not a primary, at least a
very important secondary article of diet for
cattle. Whatever effect, however, may be pro-
duced upon cattle by this measure, it by no
means follows that "who drives fat oxen should
himself be fat ;" for Mr. Glad/tone repudiates
the notion that this concession is to be • fore-
runner of the repeal of the malt-tax. So that
Mier all, the farmers are only deluding them-
selves if they imagine that they really have "got
in the thin end of the wedge." First, there is
the "enormous amount of revenue" involved
in the malt-tax ; then the amount of reverie
levied upon articles which come into competition
with products of malt. The average duty on
beer amounts to 20 or 25 per cent of the value;
on spirits to 400 per cent; on wine from 50 to
100 per cent; on tea not much less than 100 per
cent ; and on sugar some 60 per mint is lard
Moreover, the right hon. gentleman "does not
think that the government of this country ever
entertained the idea of being able to liberate
spirits or even malt from taxation." Apparently,
then, there is an end to the hopes ot thee. wbo
are interested in the abolition of the malt-tax.
Nevertheleas, if they wait they will "see what
they will see." Mr. Gladstone has expressed
opinions on other subjects of taxation quite as
strong as on this, and yet he has been known to
give them up; and if he should be in Mlles tibia
the next vigorous assault is Made on the door-
knocker of Downing-street, we should not be a
bit surprised if he were to give way.
On Friday two parliamentary returns were made,
one of which will be sore to raise some discussion by
the opponents of corporal punishment in our army
and navy. It seems that in the year ending 1862,
in the army 126 soldiers were flogged, the number
of Imlay inflicted being 5,999. in the Royal
Artillery 16 men were flogged; in the 19th Foot
Guards, Ii; in the Military Train, 7; is the 3rd
Foot Goanie, 7; in the 4lsl and 60th
Reentnentik, 5 each; in the lat Foot, 4. The ether
regiment,' in the return do not in say of the, ime.
hibit more than three owes, and many have cry
or. In all, bet 12 out of the 126oeses M &wag.
50 Whin—the highest number allowed by -kw
nere inflicted. la the navy, where 55,782 men
were liable to corporal punishment, there work'
cum. of Begging. The highest number of Imam in-
flicted wail 48, the lowest & The number Of e.
and boys flogged pursuant to sentences of court-
martial, was 71. frequent items of offence are cos-
tempt of superior officers and smagusliquor into
the ship. We timid aro mobr these
punished by the lash—" skulking," " insolinark"
"dirtiness," "quarrelling." "false imissatiows,"
"bed looffave. "idiom.," " malignering," asa
" wimp on watch." The other return alms the
moving' and deficiencies upon the greats for the
navy maim for the year ending 31es Marsh, 1813.
The expenditure for the year was tl 1.M786.
while the groan mad mount arkweristod 026 of Oho
vote of credit were £12,1002 .howlag • met
saving in the asosat voted at 1:370,327. The pm
total of savings is £870.100. triar rbeliglass,es:3667
being victuals ler semen and
and Mem isociasery and daps beak by eastomak
£465,681. The pas teifi of doil6ndieis £429,702.
the prior item hewjl ware to mamma ma
„NAN" 115,721 ; dons for building, re.
peer, sad aeM a the as* A 02,1142 ; wad mai
he acaveyamos al laoapo, £llO,lOll.