The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-17 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

leased by the intervention of the society who had
called the present meeting. The speaker concluded
by reading a statement of his last week's expenses,
which amounted to V. 45., while his earnings were
only 11. 19s. 9d.

Mr. WALKER described the treatment which he
had undergone. Ho kept a small chandler's shop
at Bromley, the takings of which were only 31. 10s.
a week, of which the profits were only 10s., making
together with his occasional earnings as a dock
labourer a total annual income of less than 40/.
Nevertheless, he had been assessed at 1001., and,
notwithstanding an appeal, the demand was insisted
upon, and he was in hourly expectation of being
taken to prison. These facts he had solemnly de.
posed to before the Lord Mayor.
Mr. KERRY denounced the quibble by which the
existence of the double income tax had been pro-
longed for another year.
Tl►e meeting shortly after broke up.

At OXFORD a meeting was held in the Town-hall
on Tuesday, at which the mayor presided, supported
by the aldermen and many of the town council and
principal inhabitants. Mr. Reynolds moved, and Mr.
Councillor Wise seconded, a resolution :
That the continuance of the present charge of Is. 41 in
the pound levied on income, and the mode of assessment,
are offensive and unjust; and as the understanding at the
time of the passing of the Act of Parliament, by which
the tax was increased, was that it should continue in force
for one year after the termination of the war, and no
longer, this meeting is of opinion that the Act of Parlia•
ment ought to be repealed on and after the sth of April
next.

Mr. Taylor, artist, moved, and Mr. J. J. Faulkener, a
member of the town council, seconded the following
amendment :

That this meeting, while it affirms the correctness of th
principles of direct taxation, views with alarm the condition
of the industrious classes, arising from the oppressive
operation of the tax upon the wages of labour and pre-
carions incomes, and will not feel satisfied with anything
short of the immediate and total repeal of the income tax.
The amendment was carried by a large majority. On
the motion of Mr. Alderman Grubb, seconded by Mr.
J. J. Faulkener, the following rider to the amend-
ment was carried unanimously :
That in the opinion of this meeting economy ought to
be prosecuted in every department of the public service ;
that no additional taxes ought to be imposed on the ne-
cessaries of life ; that the financial policy of the late la•
merited statesman, Sir Robert Peel, ought to be fully
carried out, and that direct taxation is infinitely preferable
to indirect taxation.

A petition to Parliament was adopted, embodying
these resolutions.

At CANTERBURY the following resolutions were pro-
posed and passed unanimously at a meeting of the
inhabitants, held at the suggestion of Charles l'urton
Cooper, Esq., of Denton Court, at the Guildhall of
that city, on Thursday evening, Jan. 8, viz.:—
That a Government will ill perform its duty which, when
the nation is not engaged in any great European war, shall
continue a tax so unequal and so unjust, so prying and
inquisitorial, and yet so liable to evasion, so vexatious,
galling, and oppressive, and altogether so obnoxious and
odious as that now levied upon income; and that Mr.
Pinion Cooper be requested to transmit a copy of the fore.
going resolution to Viscount Palmerston.

At TAI-sros last week a meeting of influential
inhabitants of the town was held in the Guildhall, to
petition Parliament against the income tax. The
bailiff' of the borough, Mr. 11. Parsons, was in tle
chair. A resolution was adopted, declaring the con-
tinuance of the present heavy charge of 16d. in the
pound levied on incomes, and the mode of assess-
ment, oppressive and unjust.
At SHEFFIELD a meeting was held on Wednesday
evening, the mayor, Mr. J. W. Pye Smith, in the
chair, and a resolution passed that this prolongation
of the burden appears to the meeting most un-
reasonable, and that the war portion of the tax ought
to terminate with the other war taxes at the end of
the current financial year. Mr. W. H. Hague op-
posed the resolution, regarding the income tax as a
"glorious tax." Mr. Isaac Ironside moved an amend-
ment, having reference to the Chinese and Persian
wars. The mayor said he thought the amendment
was out of order, and that he could not put it;
whereupon Mr. Ironside left the meeting. An
animated discussion ensued, and eventually the
resolution was carried with but three dissentients.
Other resolutions of a similar character in condem-
nation of the tax, and a petition to Parliament
founded upon them, were agreed to.
At TEwitEsat-nv an anti-income-tax merting was
held on Tuesday last. The mayor presided. Reso.
lutions were passed against the continuance of the
war tax beyond the sth of April.
A meeting in opposition to the income tax was
held also at LINCOLN on Saturday. A letter from
Major Sibthorp, M.P., concurred in the objects of
the meeting, and several strong resolutions against
the tax were unanimously adopted.

SATURDAY,

At LFED3 a public meeting of the town was held
on Thursday, for the purpose of expressing an opi-
nion on the tax.

In MILE-END on Wednesday night an anti-income.
tax meeting of the vestry of the hamlet was held at
the Town-house. Dr. Snowe presided. A resolution,
to the effect that the present income tax and its
despotic and inquisitorial character were most op.
pressive and unjust tcwards the professional, com-
mercial, and trading portion of the community, and
that its continuation beyond the sth of April would
he a breach of faith on the part of the Government,
was agreed to by a large majority.