The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-04-22 00:00:00

1,011•1

Dorsetobirt.

DOR.CHESTER FARMERS' CLUB.

[The following peered in our Second Edition of last
week. For lisir bonpfit of those subscribers who have
nee read the oin-cluelon of our report, we insert it in
the present ieuniber.l
Ilir. Clati s ' raoved the third resolution : 1 . "Thattiat
the opinio this, meeting,. the
.entire eeyt,.
to bt
tax would faireduce the price of malt piece
it within the reach of farmers and graziers, as profitable
food for cattle and sheep." He stated that so much had ,
been said about the Malt Tax, that it would ill become ,
him to make any very lengthened remarks. He could
help thinking this woes very unjust tax, as the
notricultivists of this country having to compete with
ag
et, whole world, were debarred by the restrictions the
tir imposed from using their barley to the greatest
eantage to themselves in the feeding of cattle and
aheep. Perhaps he should be told that there were no
reatrustions ; that if they sent their barlsy to the
'painter, paid the duty, and the shilling per bushel for
malting, they could, after they got it home, upon making
affidavit that the malt was used wholly for feeding
cottle,.. Tittle* back the money again. But he main.
gamed that this was a restriotion and for this reason,
*eine 'Mem was never resorted to. As had been
already gated, it Westin beet description of barley that
was at pr.nt used for making malt, but ha wag fully
et-effilitoti that if the secondary description could be
also melted without the payment of the duty, it could
be put to a profitable use for the feeding of stock.
Sitypooo..for example, this secondary description of
liseley,cost 30e. per quarter, this would produce about
200 pounds of malt. It would therefore require eight
quarters ~, . barley to make a ton of malt, which would
cost
just 112. This was just the price he had been
paying, for _ his Ail cake per ton, and he had no doubt
that a ton of malt would make more beef and mutton
than oil cake. The whole continent had been ransacked
to ascertain what articles could be impo-ted into this
otry free of duty, yet the Malt Tax—a tax on our
on
produce—was still retained. It was of no loss to
dr brewer that the malt duty should be imposed,
because by the aid of other substances he was able to pro-
dime% • spurious article. The Chancellor of the
Exelesquen had cheapened the wines of the rich, and if he
was an Sorest man, he must feel it his duty to cheapen
beer, so necessary to the poor Man. The fact of his
redutiling.the wine duties be felt to be so strong an argil. ,
mintili %veer at the cause for which they contended, 1
this IA Mt that when the time came for the repeal of 1
' jihereinnet be • reduction in the malt tax. 1
"Iltne, of Came, said he had not sufficiently 1
2 . Ate edged; to enter largely upon the discussion.
t Hr. Gimp had put the Case in so clear a ,
I all must be convinced that malt, as an article
o Med tattle, was meet desirable. He had long
t.%
k that malt was used as food for horses to get
.c.b
neither eqndition. The malt duty was a epar tax, and
belting/dared that it ought not to be levied on agricul-
tate in tines of peace. He had heard ama tater make
usee(jAe remark—and it had been the practice in his
own tei,—that persons used to take their bag of barley
to ffite'rnaltster and take away a bag of malt for it, the
increase by the process of malting being deemed suffici-
ent *Stay the met of labour in malting. He thought
thit ittbe question had been taken up by the farmers
witfi The mime tbe hop duty repeal was taken up by
thelfop rimers, the former would now have been in
the•ptillooti of the latter, and they would have got rid
of this iniquitous imposition. He had great pleasure in
setfofi'dhig the propektion.
The resolution on being put from the chair,was carried
unanimously.
filte—WlLL/SA- Mena= said he rase with very
great pleasure to move the fourth resolution, inasmuch
as it applied to the poor man and his labour. There was
no tax pressed more hard upon labour then the malt
tax. Its poor man could not tave a pint of beer when
he had hard- week to do, how could he perform that
labour properly and efficiently? And in hay time, and
=the long days of harvest, how often was it that they
&little extra work done after six o'clock came; the
man was horn home; tired and exhausted. You particu-
larly emoted some field finished, but money would not
Indelt-him, be said he wanted rest; but let them offer
hinre pie* of good beer,and he would take it, and after
he bed (beak it be would say, "Now, master, I feel as
etrodnin, I could work all night" He had heard it
sai men could work on tea as well as they could
upoix. ,-. He was willing to admit for argument's
sake, %het in • general way a man might work upon tea.
but *hen they wanted to push him, as they sometimes
did—when they wanted two days' work out of him for
oneesiihmirtbey must give him beer; tea would not do
It. -..He never yet saw a teetotaler who was a fit man
for a tern labour when there was a great deal of hard
Work to dn. Ile had known farms on which teetotalers
wereeepplOyed. What was tin result?- He had seen
the sloth ou i t n the fields in the last week of October,
and (le • *Moved he had in the first week in November.
He mffintained then that beer was necessary, to sustain
a maefleban lie had work to perform. He did not hold
withelneeximbion, but he thought the labourer wanted
a stimulitt to keep him up to a certain point. If thee
this tin se that beer was necessary, his labour was
taxeclisellse melt duty. The rich man drunk but a
small poTition of the beer that was made in this country,
the ;vendee portion was drunk by the poor man, and as
a eonnsqueuce the tax bore heavily upon him. It had
been Ir4tted that the Chancellor of the Exchequer could
not do without it. He thought it always advisable,
whet:filmy cbmplained of an evil, to offer some sugges-
tion ter a remedy. - He did not wish to dictate to the
• Chaneetibt of' the Exchequer, or to tell him how he was
to raises revenue, but he might suggest, perhaps, that
a tax night tie.put upon railway tickets—a very small
amount en emeb,,say a penny, would be sufficient for
the pre,pf cresting a large revenue from that source.
Then Tennis many other things might be taxed by
pieces . ‘.. called penny stamps, upon them. We
Ladle. 'puny stamps for cheques, and no doubt
a e Aire-had been rallied from this source, ,
but heal Mit suppcbe that.* lest 'nimbler of cheques'
com 47
were listed ' ist' edneoquetiets. than 'there were
beforei- For his own part, Ise did not find
that •Itie , !had las cheques than formerly.
Now, if they were to proceed with this question, he
thought they should ask to be relieved of the whole of
the
tttana:rnot a part of it; as, if it were only reduced,
the OY.celleetion would be the same as now. What
, .
they - ' was to get the whole of the tax removed,
and placed Winn such things and in such small sums as
to be leabletelt, end to extend over the whole popula-
tion of stile eoustry, that that 111-need body of men, the
'eboniee,. might be relieeed of the burden that now
pressedmietemily upon them. Mr. Damen had alluded
to the fact tbet the hop. duty was gone, and se far se
good. olt „pea • great benefit, iniusmileh as it would
offer anjedueempiit for the brewers now wholly to use
bops instead of elehterions drugs as a substitute; but
could nitit betweri also nee substitutes for malt, such as ,
mangoirwintbel, damn, and other shbstances? It was
most dilltriebbllellt Illsejabould use pure malt and pure
bops in the manufacture of beer, and the malt duty
repeal An agq inineement for them to do so,
and th • greet '.of beer drinkers would be bene-
fited.
.enyiKt
,i 1 that evening been very ably
t
argued ' .sFerloul epealters, sod he would therefore
condadtZing the following resolution, which he
bed grdb-' re in 'propos' sg :—" That as malt
liquor in to be oonsidered as a commonly used
beveragetfillothespeor then as li luxury Of the rich, the
duty cannentakeetained on the plea of its beings tax
on one qtfilie binaries of life, and this meeting con-
siders thie.sisimemital in its operations, inasmuch as
the loweeoeiles axe thelargest consumers of beer.'
Mr. liteopaus said he hid very great pleasure in
seconding ills resolution. He bad often known a pint
of beer go a long way after six o'clock, when important
work was to be done. He did not believe that the
removal Otte Iteltl'az waddle the least degree tend
to the moorages of erinlsill.titiebountre.but that, on the
contrary, it would have the opposite effect; that if the
labourers brewed at home and always had it by them,
they would not have that craving for beer they now
had when they could not get at it.
This resolutimi. like all the former, was carried . _
unanimously.
Mr. CRANE next moved "That this meeting believes
the Cause of temperance would be better served by the
remission than by the retention of the tax, as the
licensed beerhouses 'present peculiar temptations to the
intemperate and the improvident, whilst the temperate
and thrifty of the poor, and theme who live at a distance
from the bier/bops, are debarred the wholesome use
of the lignite" He certainly did think that this reso-
lution cortectly stated the case. His own labourers,
during nicrting and harvest time, were in the habit of
Laying tiller , malt gives them, and allowed to brew
their beer in their own houses instead of being supplied
with beer from the farm house, and he could say that
he had seldom ieep one pt them the worse for liquor,
whereas, Wren they had it not by them, there seemed
to be such a craving for it that they drank as much as
they could' rotwitiThey had each his own ovik, and he
had a set of g utensils for them which went from
one to the itbdr. Now, suppeeing the Malt Tax were re-
moved, not.emly et harvest thus, but stall times, they
could brew their own beer. God forbid that he should ever
wish to prevent any poor man from having his pint of
beer, but in oimmiquenos of this Malt Tax, they were
prevented frqm !rowing at heine, and they therefore
went to thskeljeminable beer shops, where temptations
of all kind". weeetbrown in their way, and how often
was it that 'MO stayed longer then they intended on
account of the oempany, drank more than was necessary,
and went Inane Intoxicated! He firmly believed
that according to the present system, intemperance was
more rife tint it would be were the Halt Tax wholly
removed. Th.. fanning might make their inferior
barley into melt, end let their men have it at • cheap
rate. They Would then always have a good wholesome
beverage at home, and would not want to go to the
beer shop. There would then be a diminution of crime,
and the labourers would themselves be at home with
their familial, ana all would be more comfortable and
happy. .
Mr. Demist in seconding the resolution, said he felt
great interest in this question. Mr. Damen told them,
when he first introduced this subject to their notice,
that no Imre Malt was tionsumed now than there was
half a centinw ado, and he believed that under their
present laws, Amy might go on for another century and
the consumption would not increase, sepeeially if they
brewed such bees-as Mr. Gladstone did—using only
two bushels of malt to a barrel. He himself used four
bushels of malt for his home brewed. He had nothing
to say against the brewers as men. They were a
a wealthy anda a highly respectable body of men. He
could remember the time when malt was
very cheap, And he could remember the time
when it wail very dear, yet the beer was
sold at the same price. He could remember
the time when there were free houses in that town, but
he did not know where to look fur them now, they were
got into the hinds of the brewers. There was • time
when men not pali lived in free honses, but when they
made their oini mot and brewed their own beer.
There was einfoSitiqn then in the market, If one
would not pu
their barley another would, but
now it was gof w hands, and the farmers mud
sell to them or keep their grain. He did not blame the
men, but it wee, em he complained of that
created this mos tlier• wers,perbaps,4o who
brewed beer for t a time,there was but one now,
and this monor. . them to manufaeture their
3140
beer as they appose ,one brewer brewed
4000 hopheads ' iii the year, and saved one bushel
witict
of malt from t ppld be used under the old system,
here would be 4 . le the mimeos in that one
Man a ace nines/ le4hrough this monopoly.
I.b. GA !tali nOtir was as halo* as

I-
" ••
• I

• I

Miriea ..1µ1.14

a drum, and as rotten at the roots as a pear, and he
could not expect any great amount of benefit from the
repealaof the malt system without a revision of the
licensing veto,. He would like to see trade thrown
open,so as to allow a man to go and buy his pint of beer
over the counter as he would go and buy his loaf of
bread or any otber article he needed. He believed that
if Um malt duty were repealed and the trade thrown
open, there would not be a tithe of the drunkenness
there now was. There were no doubt • great many
people who did not think as lie did, but he believed
that Mr. Gladstone eotld see the matter in the same
light as he law it—he saw that not half the malthouses
were in work—and his object was to break down the
monopoly as much as possible by his system of short
credit on the malt duties. He considered the Malt Tax
was a very serious tax ; he felt it so on his own farm,
and he would be very happy to see it repealed, but be
was, satisfied that unless the present licensing system
was also revised, the repeal of the Mal; Tax to the
community at large would be bereft of half its benefit.
He kkad great pleasure in seconding the resolution.
The CHAIRMAN then pet the resolution to the meet-
ing, and it was unanimously carried.
Mr. Homes said he had been asked to propose the
6th resolution, and he did so with a great deal of plea-
sure. It was as follows:—" That this meeting is fully
aware of the large amount by which the national
revenue would be reduced by the abolition of the Malt
Tax, yet it also entertains a conviction of the resourcer
of the Government in providing for its substitution in a
more equal manner, and it considers the Government
virtually pledged to the remission of the
duty on malt by the remission of many other taxes
on the manufactures of this country." He was happy
to take part in these proceedings. This was a subject
which applied to our own country, and to our own
locality in particular, seeing that we in this county
were great barley growers. It bad been the aim of the
present Government to relieve native industry, by re-
lieving articles of home production from the trammels
of taxation, and he thought in justice and is truth,
agricultural productions for home use ought to have its
turn next, in regard to the application of this prin-
ciple. There was no sentiment he more readily re•
calved or more cordially assented to than that relief
should be giren as much as possible to native industry.
Hitherto the agricultural body had never come forward
or the remission of taxes, or taken any step which
would for • moment trench or infringe upon
the national resources at home or abroad, at a time
they deemed the taxation levied necessary for the carry-
ing on of the government of this country. Followin
in that step they had but lately moved in regard to the
taxation of this country; but he believed the time had
arrived when the agricultural body might be said to be
fairly entitled to be beard upon that point. He believed
that at the end of the present year, if the a.spect of
affairs were bright, there would be no necessity for con-
tinuing the large outlay we had been put to during the
last three or four years, and that it was quite feasible to
suppose that a large reduction in the national expendi-
ture would take place. Then, he thought, the agricul-
tural body might conic forward and combine for the
removal of the tax which so greatly affected their
interests. He had said the agricultural body hitherto
had not been very active. He would recommend them
moat earnestly to keep the result of the agitation of
the hop growers of Kent and Sussex constantly in view.
No body of men had ever shown greater determination
and perseverance than those men had done, and it was
most laudable in them to persevere as they did. They
bombarded the Chancellor of the Exchequer session
after session, if not for the abolition of the hop duty, at
Least for the postponement of the same. The speaker
detailed some scenes he had witnessed of deputations of
hop growers going to see the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, and said that the duty on the malt used in beer
of the strongest kind amounted to something like 4d. a
gallon.

Mr. CRICK thought that after the very many excellent
speeches that had been made that evening, he ought
not to take up the tune of the meeting. He fully con-
curred in all that had been said, and begged most cor-
dially to second the resolution.
The resolution was then put from the chair, and
carried unanimously.
Mr. HARDING thought that after what the last
speaker had said, he ought to follow his example, and
sit down by simply moving his resolution. He had,
however, but a very few words to say, but this he did
say—be had long and was still strongly of opinion that
the malt tax 1111• S a curse upon the homestead and the
cottage. In the first place with respect to the labourers.
Was it not written that they should receive of the first
fruits of their labours, and that " thou shalt not muzzle
the ox that treadeth out the corn ?" But he maintained
that their lsbourers were muzzled, and so were their
oxen too, by this iniquitous tax. He mid this iniqui-
tous tax—as it debarred every poor man in the kingdom
of much of the happiness and comfort he would other-
wise enjoy. They might talk of their labourers being
their country's pride, but he would ask what pleaaure
was there in going into the poor man's cottage, and in-
stead of seeing them enjoying that most healthy and
invigorating beverage—• drop of good borne-brewed
beer—find that their only drink-was wishey-washy tea.
He was quite sure they would be unanimous, and not
only theDorelester Club, but every Farmers' Club in
tse kingdom woutd be unanimous, in demanding the
repeal of the obnoxious impost, and thus enable every
poor man to have what was the right and dim of every
Englishman, a barrel of good home-brewed beer in his
cottage, that he might enjoy it with his wife and
family. By continuing this tax they drove the unfor-
tunate poor man to the publichouse•' and who, be asked,
would base to &Rawer for the sin of driving them there,
and thus initiating them to whatever wrong they learned
there, but their great inen, professing to, and sent to
parliament for the purpose of representing the interests
of this great agricultural country? But instead of
honestly representing them, they picked the fanners'
pockets, lowered their produce, and caused sin to
abound by driving the poor man to the beershopa, by
continuing this iniquitous tax. He knew it had been
said that the farmers did not pay more than other
people. Now, lie consumed in brewing 150 bushels of
malt every year, tho greeter portion, of course, he gave
to his workpeople to sustain them in their labour& Did
he not pay duty? Ile had to pay £lB a year on the
malt duty, but was it right he should have to pay it
when it went to sustain the poor man in his labour?
and ought he not to be relieved from the impost? And
ought he not also to be allowed to sell his secondary
quality of barley at • remunerative price? If the far-
mers of England would only look at the robbery of this
most iniquitous and rascally tax, they would bestir
themselves in the way those noble fellows in another
plane had bestirred themselves—the hop growers—and
give the Chancellor of the Exchequer no rest till he
relieved them of this unjust and obnoxious burden. He
only hoped to see the time when they should have de-
putations of barley growers besieging the office of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the way it was beaieged
by the hop planters, and he should be moat happy to
form one of such deputation next year. Mr. Harding
concluded by moving That the members
of this club and their friends present, pledge themselves
to use all constitutional meatus within their power to
obtain the legal removal of the tax."
Ur. HOMER, in seconding the resolution, said he
would offer but few remarks at that time of the evening.
Now it struck him that the first thing they had to do
was to show the country generally that this tax pressed
chiefly upon the landed and agricultural interests,
although not in a direct, yet in an indirect manner.
In the next place, with regard to themselves and their
labourers, they ought to petition to show that they con-
sidered it the duty of the legislature to repeal the
obnoxious tax; and thirdly, with regard to their county
members, they should endeavour to convince them that
it was their duty to support them in reference to this
111041601.0 in the House of Commons. This he thought
was perfectly constitutional, and in accordance with
their own duty. Now supposing the Malt Tax were
I repealed, they could let their labourers have malt, after
I paying the minister's charge, at ss. per bushel, at the
present price of barley ; and if malt were cheaper,
perhaps at 4s. a bushel. Now the malt and hops he
gave his labourers for the purpose of brewing their own
beer at liervest time, cost him about 18s. per barreL
Then a labourer, if the tax were repealed, would he
' able to have a barrel of good borne-brewed beer in his
cottage, and he would be in a much better position
than at present, as he would be enabled to have a
wholesome and cheap beverage, and be enabled to enjoy
it at home with his own family, instead of having to go
to the publiohouse. From the experience lie had had,
I he was quite aura the repeal would have a beneficial
! effect on the morals of the people, and go far to repress
drunkenness. When he had given malt to the men to
brew their own beer, he had found them always keep
perfectly sober. He bad never seen them intoxicated.
It was their own,and they seemed to appreciate as such,
sad to take care of it. But when they had not the beer
as their own, there seemed to be a greater craving for
it, and they wonld drink oftentimes as much as they
I could get until it overcame them. The Malt Tax was
I evidently an unjust tax, and pressed heavily upon both
the farmer and the labourer, and he believed that its
I repeal would confer on the country an incalculable
benefit. And now that restrictions had beers taken off
foreign produce, and the foreigner was enabled to com-
pete with the English fanner, it was only just towards
I them that the tax should be removed, and he con-
sidered the Chancellor of the Exchequer was bound to
relieve them of it.

The resolution en being put to the meeting by the
Chairman, was adopted unanimously.
Mr. DUNNING was then called upon by the Chairman
to move the Bth, and last resolution, as follows :—That
petitions to Parliament, embodying the views and
objects of this meeting, and of all others feeling an
equal interest in the subject, be prepared for presenta-
tion to beth Houses, and that copies of these resolutions
be sent to the Central Farmers' Club, and also to all
clubs in this country, earnestly inviting their active
CO-operation."

M. THOMAS HOMIER SAUNDIRS was MOSt happy to
second this resolution, lie believed this was the first
meeting of the kind they had had in the country, and
he thought the question that night had been fairly
placed before them. If this restriction could be re-
moved they might then malt their secondary barley for
home brewing and fattening purposes, and he
considered that as they were now thrown into
competition with all the world, the farmers of
England had • perfect right, morally, to make
the most of their own produoe without the interference
of legislation. He also fully agreed with Mr. Idanfiell
that &shilling in meney would not go as far as sixpenny.
worth of beer with their men after six o'clock. He bad
not a beershop within two or three miles of his house,
but he bad known some of his men, after they had done
their day's work, walk those two or three miles, and
the brewers' beer had been so strong, and the eoinpany
so enticing to them to stay, that they had got drunk,
and to prevent being been by the policeman, had got
into the fields and lay down in a ditch. The next day
some did appear at their work, and some did not appear.
He thought that if they were enabled to have their own
melt and brew at home, it would keep them at home,
and not give them that craving for pnbliehouse beer.
And, besides, it would have this effect, it would keep
them out of many temptations; for when they went to
the publichouse often, they did not meet the best of
comnany, and they would naturally and necessarily im-
bibe the principles in • greater or less degree of their
associates. The subject that night had been ably
handled, and at that late hour be would not occupy
more of their time, but merely state Shell he cordially
seconded the resolution.

nig also, like all the former onee, was unanimously
carried.

The CHAIRMAN said if there had been warmth of ex.
preadon manifested by any of the speakers that evening,
be thought it might well he exeused, seeing the subject
had been so strongly and pointedly placed before them.
That lb. Mall Tax was a groat inottbiaa he Ilwaght