The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-02-14 00:00:00

REPEAL OF THE MALT DUTY.
GREAT DEMONSTRATION 4.T THE FREE.
MASONS' TAVERN.

A great public, meeting of the farrners of England
and others desirous of promoting the repeal of the
malt duty, convened ty the Central Anti-Malt-tax
Arsociation, was held in the Freemasons' Tavern,
Great, Queen•atreet, Linooln's-inn-fielde, London, on
Thursday afteruoon, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, ALP., in the
chair.

The large ball in which the meeting was held was
densely crowded by farmers who had been delegated
to be present from all parts of the kingdom, and the
meeting was a most unanimous and suoceesful one.
, Among the .noblemen and gentlemen present we
observed—Sir M. H. Beach, ME'.. Mr. &later
Booth, M.P., Sir John Trollope, M.P., the Hon.
Dancornbe, M.P., Mr. Goddard, M.P., Mr.
1 Bromley, M.P., Major Beresford, M.P., Mr.
Barrow, M.P., Coloocl Fane, M.P., Lord
Tlolinesdale, M.P., Lord lngestre, Lord H. Thynne,
M.P.., Mr. Sturt, M.P., Lord Corson, M.P.,
Mr. Banks Stanhope, M.P., Colonel Cartwright,
M.P., Mr. Jonathan Peel, M.P., Sir Montagu
Cholmondeley, M.P. Major Parker, M.P.,
Mr. Merritt, M.P., Lord A. Hervey, M.P. Mr.
Alderman Sidney, M.P., Colonel North, &LP% Mr.
Pierrepointi Bentinek, M.P., the Hon. Ralph
Dutton, M.P., Mr. Temline M.P., Mr. Cobbett,
Mr. Surtees, M.P.) Mr. Beach, M.P., Sir John
Hay, M.P., Mr. Abel Smith, M.P., Sir It
Knimbtley, M.P., Hon. Gerard Noel, M.P., Sir
John Mordannt, M.P., Sir E. Dering, M.P. ; Mr.
A. Kintrea acting as parliamentary agent to the
movement.

Sir F. KELLY in taking the chair was received
with loud, cheers. He said :—Gentlemen, we are
assembled here upon • very important occasion—the
first, I believe, within our memory upon which the
agriculturists of England have ever met in the
metropolis to consider the mode in which they oould
best approach the legislature with their petitions for
the redress of a great and heavy grievance. (Cheers.)
You have bees called upon to assemble to devise the.
beat means, and to resolve strenuouely and promptly
for carrying them into effect, for procuring as early
as may be the reduction, and also as quickly as may
be the total abolition, of this great injustice. When
1 see before me an assembly like this of the farmers
of my country, when I feel myself supported by
many of the most distinguished members of the
legislature (cheers), I know that it would be unjusti-
fiable in me to detain you for many moments by
introductory observations. The state of the question
perhaps, known to you all. This tax, which from
'the time of the conclusion of the war in 1815 has
continued substantially undiminished—it was in-
creased for a time during the Crimean Wm., but was
afterwards reduced to its former level—l regret, and
shame to say, has remained even without the con-
sideration of Parliament being called to it from 1835
to 1352. In 1835 some among you may remember'
the ineffectual efforts that were made by the then
Lord Chandos to procure its repeal, but that well
tried friend to the agriculturist failed in his effort,
and, 1 believe, he failed principally because at that
early period the agitation had begun for the repeal
of the corn laws, and he was opposed, and we
were all opposed, by a body, I regret to say, more
powerful in the State and in the legislature than
ourselves. In 18.52 the Government then in
power attempted to effect the reduction of the
tax by half. They very speedily ceased to occupy
the ministerial benches, their efforts failed, and
from that time until the year 1863, though the
question was from time to time partially alluded to,
no serious attempt was made to call public attention
and the attention of Parliament to the mischiefs
and injustice of the tax. In 1863 a deputation
waited upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and
for the first time for many years the Government
became convinced that the agriculturists were in
earnest, and that their voices must at length be
heard. (Cheers.) A committee was moved for by
myself in the House of Commons, and it was granted.
The Session terminated before • report could be
made, and we were anticipated in the beginning of
1864 by the Bill of which you have all beard for
feeding cattle with untaxed malt. (Hisses.) The
Bill became an Act, and I my nothing about it more
than this, that it has failed; but it has had this im-
portant effect upon the community—it has satisfied
them that the Government themselves were com-
pelled to admit to some extent the injustice of the
tax—were compelled to admit that the agricultarists
were entitled as of right to feed their cattle with
untaxed malt. (Hear, hear.) But, gentlemen,
though practically the Bill has had no effect
throughout the country, a great step was gained
by it, because now, after one or two ineffectual
struggles, we are at length going before the
Legislature in a body representing the whole
agricultural interest of England to call upon it at
last to give effect to our petition. (Cheers.) I have
In the discharge of my public duty given notice in
the House of Commons of a motion which will be
made in some three weeks' time, and upon that sub-
ject I will not detain ytii longer than by saying that
you must not suppose your representatives are lees
alive than yourselves to the justice of your entire
claims if they fail to ask at once and immediately
for that which they know they cannot obtain.
(Hear.) We, gentlemen, have a very arduous and
difficult task to perform. We have to satisfy our
own consciences, we have to satisfy your just
demands, but we have also to take up such a posi-
tion in the House of Commons that we shall have no
reason to dread that the Minister of the .Crown
shall say to us, "You know that you are asking that
which you cannot obtain, because the necessities of
the country are such that it is impossible at the
present moment that your demands should be
conceded." - But what I do venture to my
we shall demand, what I call upon all of
you to enforce by petitions, (cheers,) by saying
and doing, to your representatives in the Howie of
Commons, and, indeed, to the members of the other
branch of the Legislature, and all upon whom you
can exercise any influence, is that when any re-
mission shall be possible of indirect taxation. (1
voice: "Of any taxation 1") I say, at present, of
indirect taxation (hear, hear), that your call for the
reduction or repeal of the Malt-tax shall be first
considered. (Cheers.) If my power were equal to
my will I should not have incurred I will not call it
the interruption, for I know it was well meant, but
the observation which has just been made. If I had
the power to direct the financial operations of the
country, I do not hesitate to say that inasmuch as
the income-tax was originally imposed for the very
purpose of enabling the Finance Minister of the day
to reduce the taxation of the people in respect chiefly
of articles of general consumption, now that the In-
come-tax has been partially reduced we ought to
stop where we are, and apply whatever surplus may
exist in the revenues of the country to the reduction
and the extinction of the. Malt-tax. (Cheers.) But
let us deal practically with the subject. Let us re-
member that the agriculturists—thongh I venture to
say with confidence they are by far the most im-
portant body of men within the Queen's dominions
(cheers)--are not numerically at least, or, as repre-
sented in the House of Commons, the most powerful.
(Hear, hear.) We have many classes of the com-
munity to contend with, some among the commercial
classes, others who are influenced by political con-
siderations which ought never to operate upon the
mind in respect of a question of the justice or in-
justice of a particular tax; and looking to them con-
siderations, seeing that we should be outnumbered—
that even many who wish well to our cause would be
unable to support it if we were to attempt too much
—I do beseech you all to instruct and urge upon your
representatives not to go blindly into the field of
battle, not to seek for that which they know they
cannot now obtain, but to make a just and practical
demand upon the Minister of the Crown, that
whatever surplus can be applied to the remission of
indirect taxation shall be devoted to the reduction
of the Malt-tax. (Cheers.) Indeed you will be
well supported by reason, by experience, and by
justice. (Hear, hear.) You have seen during the
50 years that have now elapsed since the peace of
1815 tax after tax reduced or annihilated upon
articles; sometimes of general, but sometimes only of
partial consumption ; upon articles, some indeed, of
home, others entirely of foreign production. (Hear,
hear.) It would be invidious to enter into com-
parisons ; but I may observe, without enumerating
other articles, that you have seen but lately, out of
a surplus arising from time to time, the tax entirely
taken off paper, and largely diminished in the article
of foreign wines. (Hear, hear.) I feel, therefore,
that your demand is founded on justice (hear, hear),
and all I have now to do is to urge upon you to
petiqon, to approach the Legislature and make your
voices heard, telling your representatives, in whom
1 know you may confide, that you rely upon their
zeal and earnestness, and that you yourselves by
whatever influence you may possess in the State will
never afford your cordial support to the policy of
i any Government whatsoever unless they accede to
your demand for the early abolition of the tax.
(Loud cheers.) The hon. and learned gentleman
concluded by urging future speakers to imitate
his example in the brevity of their remarks;
announced that within the last few minutes the
secretary (Mr. Kintrea) had placed in his hands £25
as a donation to promote the object of the meeting
from Mr. Barrow, and resumed his seat amid loud
cheering.
Mr. Pcufwarr (chairman of the Central Associa-
tion) then moved the first resolution, which was as
follows :
"That this meeting is of opinion that the Excise
duty upon malt inflicts great and serious injustice upon
the growers of harle7, which is almost the chief product
of our native soil; ca grevious burden upon the con-
sumers of our national home beverage, especially the
working dames, by whom beer is so largely used as a
portion of their diet, and is wholly at minium with the
free-trade policy of this county."
Mr. litituDwiw, King's Norton, Birmingham,
seconded the resolution.

Lord Colmar, M.P., Mr. Mosarrr, M.P., Mr.
BANES STANHOPE, M.P. MT. DITTTON, M.P.,
and Major BIM/MORD, M.P., supported the resolu-
tion.
Mr. H. °moss, Tamworth, moved
"That this meeting is determined to persevere by
every available means in demanding the repeal of this
obnoxious tax, and agrees to the following petition to
Parliament (to be signed by the chairman on behalf of
the meeting),and reeommends it for adoption throughout
the country."

Mr. G. J. WOOD, Chairman of the Dorchester
Farmers' Club, seconded the resolution, and urged
the necessity of petitioning the House of Commons.
Petitions in such • cause were, in a peaceful and con-
stitutional sense, like the shot and shell thrown into
a fortress before delivering the assault. (Cheers and
laughter.) He trusted that a vast number of
petitions would be poured into the House of Com-
mons, to keep up the similitude, until the assault
should be led on the 2Sth instant by the hon. and
learned gentleman in the chair. (Loud cheers.)
The President of the Board of Trade had lately
attempted to show that only nil per cent. was &b.
stracted from the pockets of the oonsumers of beer.
But he (Mr. Wood) had a paper in his pocket drama
up by a young man, who, though • farmer, had got •
good head, and which amply ooefuted the fallacies of
the President of the Board of Trade. (Hear, hear.)
That paper showed that, taking the mode of calcula-
tion which had been made use of by the President of
the Board of Trade and applying it to the question
of tea, they would find the consumer of tea paid only
3 per cent, (hear,) and on the same authority he
would venture to state that in the case of malt 56}
per cent, was abstracted from the pockets of the
consumer, taking into account the expense of brew-
ing and a fair erofit besides, and that what would
cost the consumer now is. might, with a remission
of the tar, be brewed and sold at • fair profit for
ed. (Hear, hear.) He would therefore say to them
persevere, and by that he meant to persevere to the
extent of total abolition. (Cheers.)
The resolution was carried.
Mr. STORRER, of Bingham, moved the third reso-
lution, which was as follows
"That this meeting gladly recognizes and approves
the establishment of the Central Anti-Malt-tax AIAOCia•
ton in London as the medium of communication with
Parliament, and the central authority for organising
the various Anti-Malt-tax A ssociations..

This was seconded by Mr. BRANDRAM, of Ware,
and carried with only one dissentient voice.
Mr. BOOTH, of Yorkshire, then moved, and the
vicar of Swindon seconded, a vete of thanks to the
chairman, and spoke in favour of the movement,
highly approving of the existing organisation.
The Vicar of Swindon denied altogether that the
effect of repealing the malt-tax would, by cheapening
beer, increase drunkenness among the
_labouring
class. On the contrary, the tax on malt Mad been
the means of increaaing drunkenness, by assembling
the labouring men at the beer-houses. It was no.
that the labouring man took too much beer, but
he " took too much beer at the wrong time and wrong
place. If the poor man could brew cheap beer be
would drink it at home in moderation, and his
family also would partake of it, and thus the con-
sumption would be increased. It was a libel on the
artisan and labourer to say that they could not
refrain from taking it when they had the key of the
barrel in their pockets. The consumption of malt
in this country had diminished in proportion to the
Increase of the population, but the government had
let loose upon the country the peat of the beerhonses,
which scattered abroad the most pernicious abuses,
from which every class of the agricultural community
suffered most deeply.
Mr. KINTREA then read the resolution thanking
Sir F. Kelly for hie conduct in the chair, end his
able advocacy of the repeal of the malt duty.
The resolution was carried by acclamation.
The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, said he
should be sorry to leave uncorrected an error into
which a speaker bad fallen in insinuating that he
(the chairman) objected to the remission of the
paper duty end the dutiee on tea and wine. He
was glad of such remissions, but what he insisted
on, and would continue to insist on, was
equality of justice in the remission of taxation, and
he contended that in the remissions of taxation
already made the heaviest and most unjust burden
of all—the malt tax—was altogether omitted.
(Cheers.) It had been suggested that they should not
altogether rely upon the support of their urban
friends. On the contrary, he suggested that
they should put themselves in communication
with every town in England, and, by means
of lectures, &c., make it known that one
effect of the repeal of the Malt.tax would be to
furnish them with good cheap beer, instead of a bad,
dear,and unwholesome compound. ft was in the name
of the great labouring class,and of the people at large,
that he called:onithem to support the movement now
making to abolish this most odious and unjust impost.
(Loud cheers.)
The meeting then separated.