The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-02-22 00:00:00

THE BUDGET.

Mr. Gladstone has addresSed the following
letter to "The Committee of Importers and
others, Mincing-lane" :

DOWNING-STREET, Feb. 21.
9ENTLEMEN,—I have the honour to acknowledge
your letter of the 17th.
I must beg you not to construe the present com-
munication as the answer of the Government to your
representation. It is intended only to narrow any
apparent ground of difference between us, and to suggest
the course of proceeding most convenient with a view
to the progress of public business.
Your letter refers to that portion only of the financial
proposals of the Government which is intended to meet,
by compensating charges upon trade and exchange in
one form or other, a share of the loss anticipated from
the approaching remissions of duty. .
You comment more or less adversely upon the Penny
Registration Due, upon the charges fOr removals and
operations in warehouse, upon the stamp proposed for
Dock Warrants and fig Contract Notes ; and besides, you
observe that any tax meant for revenue should be imposed,
not upon traders as a class, but upon the community.
I distinguish carefully between your particular and
your more general objection. And with respect to the
latter, I respectfully ask you to consider whether the
financial scheme of the Government, viewed for one
moment as a whole, is really open to the charge of
relieving- the community at the expense of traders as a
class ; and whether, on the contrary, the head and
front of the attacks upon it be not. this, that it too
greatly relieves trade, and therefore relieves traders also
in a primary and special sense, and this by means of a
tax to be imposed on the community. -
It is with reluctance that her Majesty's Government
recommend to Parliament any new charges upon trade
in any form. But the case is a very simple one. They
found that in order to give the requisite breadth to their
scheme, and secure some of its main ends, it was neces-
sary to give a relief from present taxes amounting to
nearly four millions for the year 1860-1, and to nearly
five millions if we include the residue to take effect in
1861-2. They found that they might obtain this great
relief, and along with it largely reduce establishments
and patronage, and effect collaterally-great administrative
reforms, at a change of something over three millions to
the revenue of the coming year. They did not conceive
that they could ask for more than about £2,100,000 from
that revenue, with the present high scale of expendi-
ture, even for the great purposes which they had in
view. It is therefore no wanton infliction which they
suggest ; but tle are desirous to arrange, with your
assistance and that of others who are well-informed, a
beneficial commutation. They rely with confidence on
your willingness to venture something for the public
good. They wish carefully to consider with you how
,to; keep the pecuniary demand within bonnas, and,
above all, how to prevent creating new obstructions to
the course of trade where their main object is wherever
possible to destroy old oust,
I now pass to your comments upon details. Most or
all, of the. Resolutions on which you comment may
require to be modified, but you. will agree with me that
definitive modification had better be reserved until it can
Express the final intentions of the Government.
Nor will you be surprised or offended when I tell you
that, as the Minister most directly responsible, I am
reluctant to ask my. colleagues to give the subject their
final consideration, until I am myself able to pay a less
divided attention to the details than will he possible
until the rion,se of Commons shall have dealt with the
larger and mare vital questions involved in the scheme
for remission of duties.
I may, however, give you certain limited assurances,
on which you may rely, apart from anything that the
necessarily technical language of the resolutions may
appear to suggest.
With respect to the penny registration due, its basis
is this. We have (I trust) arrived at a stage in our
legislation. when the whole pressure-Of Customs duties
will cease 'to be felt beyond a vely narrow list of articles,
and when the largest share, possibly four-fiftlys of more,
of the entire import and export trade of the eountry, thus
absolutely relieved, will continue to receive important
services from CristOnis' establishments that (including
auperannnations) cost the country above a million a
year. The Registration Due is intended, without affect-
ing the operations of trade as duties do,. to make a mo-
derate contribution from trade itself towards the heavy
charge. The requisite classification is of necessity, but,{
inadequately, expressed in the resolution. I am satisAesl.
that it will not be difficult, and that the measure is in
principle generally admitted and amoved. •
The warehousing charges. aim at the same end ; 'and
likewise at establishing a greater equality between
certain claSses of places, with regard to warhonsing
4dvantages, than now- exists. I admit that many of
them. are too high. I further admit that it may he
imen to consideration whether, in respect to sortie p,f
thorn, at least, and especially in regard. to removals, a
different form of proceeding may be preferable. A most
respectable deputation from Liverpool has urged that all
dealers in bonded gucycla should be required to take out
an annual license;
_and the Government are desirous to
obtain the opinion of the commercial world upon this
suggested alternative.

With respect to Dock Warrants and to Continct
Notes I refer to what I have already said respect-
ing.
the proper time for definitive explanation or
improvement. I beg, however, to, assure you that
the former are not kiitended to be liable. to
those • -fcequent repetitions of the charge imposed
which has been 'apprehended and, in rgarcl to the
latter, that it is not, and mer has I,ePI, the intention
of Government to, ask fora tax even of one penny upon
bills 4 parcels, ax. ntien anything that essentially
belongs to, that class, inasmuch as the transactions to
whio they relate are already regulated, and when they
exoNti forty shillings, are taxed by law.
Should the faithful application of this pledge be found
to diminish the estimated fruits of the stamp, it will,
nevertheless, be redeemed.

After giving your obliging enusideration to this letter
You may, perhaps, hti autWA to. 41aw iuto more specific
forms any sirg.,,stlops. 4 may be agreeable to you to
na4e. shiail bp Most ready to communicate with you,
; boat in writing and personally, at the proper time ; and
it is for the general convenience, rather than that of the
Qcvernment, if I venture to recommend that by mutual
communication the classes best informed and most
directly concerned should as far as posi,itile represent to
us on behalf of London and.otlm•pl.icestleir collective
wishes and opinions,
As this.lettsr. eppeOltipts wholly tp. matters tit general
intoTe4 I make no, apology for s.cn,diAg i 4 ssuoe cox
pagication ; and A have the. hollow 40, remain, gentle-
men, Ivith rutich respect, yew. yery faithful servant,
W. R. GLADSTONE.

ORILLIERRY ON TkIE FRENCH TREATY.

•
The following were the remarks on the French Treaty
with which Lord Derby concluded his eloquent speech
in the House of Lords on Monday night f ant not
going now .to discuss the various Wigles of the treaty.
' There will be a more ample opportnnity for considering
the merits of Ow treaty,: the anionnt of reciprocity ob-
tained lly it, and the benefits. which our commerce •
is to dcrixe. Nom it. Ido not intend in the slightest
4egtee to ntider(talue or deprecate the advantages—
on the contrary, I rate them very high---of extending
and increasing our commercial relations with.'Fraw ;,
but if this be effected by treaty at all,. VI it be
done by a treaty whiCh bears some safippiec of ertnivar.
lent benefit and reciprocity. (t.ltea,N, hear.), The noble.
Secretary for ForeigrA, rit a passage to whi,eh I
have refeßecli clown very distinntly, wht•ti arguing
sorhst treaty, the danget there would ho in the ease
9f a treaty of; .the French heingt apt to consider that
their interests were sactitleed to those of England. On
' the other. lia,nt3/4,, it has beet impressed on us that the
great ehject o,f This treaty is, not to obtain harmony and
good nusilerstaittlillg_ between the two Governments, but
hainiony and good understanding between the two
people, and to prevent the chance of their ever
quarrelling. Now, it appears a strange mode of attain.
ing that object to make a treaty which, according to the.
confession of the noble lord the Foreign Sceretaq,
would lead the French people to believe. that their
interests were sacrificed to oars, (Hear, and a laugh)
And what is the greun,d put forw,ard for thia being
made a mattey ef treaty.. Why, that the changes will
be NOM uppopplar in France that loge ()lasses of
01P. 1'91),1c Will he violently opposed to
and' so Sertowt will lie the objections felt and so
great the difticalty recurring to the ordinary mode of
legislntion ;a France, that the Emperor, with all his
mower and appliances, would be unable to pass these
• redactions through the French Legislature ; and it is,
therefore suggested that you should assist hint, and
make that matter of treaty which you your.:,elves have
declared ought not in principle to bp made matter of
treaty: (Hear, hear.) The; Li spite of your own
principle and the eiTeteil in Franco, you will
enable the Fa-yea-or of. the French, in accordance with a
specyt,ll,itw. op the subject, by the execution of the treaty,
t() give to his 'acts the power of law, that, law beino, one
which he would be unable to Iytsa in the ordinary
way. If there be mny truth in these statements,
the mode ailopolA eertaraly appears a singular way -
of C9•ll6l‘DitiAg' the lwoiile of Vranee, and of commonl-
y tire treaty to, their approval. (I-lear, hear.) I wish
now to be itifwied by the noble earl opposite what steps
the exoyerriment propose to take to give effect to the 20th
article of the treaty. I think I have succeeded in showing
that it is absolutely necessary that the assent of Parlia,
meat should, be given to the treaty, not itapliek,
positively and absolutely, and by pgkshttixe enact-
ment, not dealing with partiorlai; pyrrts, of rt, bet xe,
citing the whole treaty ;,rick cwieting' the assent of Fur-.
liament_ftete, Slioild he
.glad toheat.that the
Oovtrirnateitt have made up their mina to adopt Atria
w
• arse; fir Dien there.Wegld-be ample tkiao to consider the
treaty in all its bearings and A cAli; As:,-itlre the Govern-
input that there ilia. 44c, on, ray part, or on the part
of those n910.10'4 near nte, to slot with any factious
spirit or, caw. enibarrits,sment to the Government. The
first ttttestmn whicbprosents itself to my Mind is whether
it was wise, with respect to any financial arrangements,
to hind o h niselvesand and foot for ten years; and the
ext question that occ4rs is whether, however desira.hk
it may be to extend and increase oar commercial
tions with France, the present is the proper 111i>141341t to
make these alterations, when we have an cnerinous deti-
Cit in the revenue to meet, and when, to obtain the ad-
vantages of this treaty, we Innst largely increase and, in
point of fact, make permanent a system of taxation which
has hitherto been reserved for periods of emergency and
war, bd, titictia. if you impose at 10d. in the pound/ in the
time of peace, you are establishing as a portiPu, of the
ordinary revenue, never to be got xtd of,. and are dePriv.-
nig yourselves of a most powerful, engine for, raising an
extraordinary revenue in time of war. (Cheers)
itsl,
object to sow articles in the. treaty on their ol.vneantere
aconiideeteiv,ethe
thaters intoiti,onnot,thte4.ier
licipownnonklitertitos.,e,bitiettr I;ieetosstteiel.
stipalations; and, if it were,
is most
tate you propose tcr e the. reqpisik revw•P
. , ,
objeetion44.. 4cel7s-).
I consider tha