The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-25 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF COMMONS.--WZDITIKDAY, FRB. 24.

(Comlstled from yulorday's Express).
MALT FOR CATTLE BILL.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER maid In bad
Iblined for some hours to the eery interesting diacemokse
which had taken place epos this bill. Perhaps he might
able that in his capacity of finance minister it was not with-
eatiegret that he had listened to the speeches of those who
wen interested in the repeal of the malt tax ; bat they were
mg the only parsons who had asked for the repeal of a tax.
As far as lie could be bad made a rough calculation of the
facer which had been the most urgently pressed
apes his etiolation, and thmamounted to nearly twenty
mellioes. The reduction in income tax would amount
%eight and a half millions—in the sugar duty to one and •
belf million—of half of the malt tax would be • question
of
ere* millions. A reduction of the spirit duty to tic. per
:which some Irish gentlemen asked for, via a ones-
ii two and a half millions—of the duty on fire insur-
ances would amount to ono and • half million ; and a
saketiou of duties on certain raw materials, and upon con-
venor's, for which there was much to be said, would
amirent to two and a quarter millions ; and the reduction of
Ile duty on pepper would amount to half • million.
Mine were the articles upon which he was pressed to make
immediate reductions of the duties, and this was naked foe
eat of • surplus of perhaps from one to two millions.
New it had been said on very high authority that in • mul-
Stade of counsellors there was wisdom, and he hoped he
abocld not be considered as parodying that text when he
mid that in a multitude of enemies there was safety.
(Laughter.) The hot. member for Derby bad referred to
the duty upon French wines as being on 274 par oent.,
while upon beer it was 3.1 per cent. ; but it they looked at
the duty on that description of wine which came into com-
petition with beer, it would be found to be at a much
been rate than was the duty upon malt. The argument
of the right boa gentleman the member for Oxfordshire
amounted to this, that be would rather pay an Englishman
10s. for an ankle than Ss. to a foreigner ; but if that argu-
ment were admitted it would carry the house a long way
la a retrograde movement upon the financial legislation of
late Years. ( Hear, hear.) The right hon. gentleman had
observed that there was a scale of duties cn spirits, on
wise. and on beet, and that the higher the rates of duty
charged upon the liquor the less it was in strength ; but
bow would he apply the principle of his scale to the article
of tea, which was rather weaker than spirits and yet more
highly taxed? The subject wee, he confessed, • fair one
liar discussion in that house. He would shortly refer to the
bill, and to the objections which had been urged against it.
They were mainly these : that the bill would be inefficient
sad demorsliziog, and that it was a fraudulent obstacle pat
forward by himself to stop the agitation for the repeal of
the malt duty. As regarded the first two objections he
might leave them to knock their heads together. He did
not ',Tree with the hon. member for Esau, that the bill
would have a demoralizing effect upon the farmers and
=lnters throughout the country. In proposing this
measure, the government, who alone were responsible, had
relied upon the experieece, knowledge, accuracy and pre-
iiiioll of their permanent and scientific advisers of the reve-
nue department, and they did not doubt that the
soperimeuts • hich had been made had been properly tested
by Mr. Phillips, the heed of the scientific department. Is
the experiments made by the bon. member for Derby an
great element—that of cost—had been overlooked. What
skill and chemistry could do was one thing, and what trade
mild do upon a large scale, and with • view to profit, was
another. (Hear, bear.) The bon. members for Ramp.
shire and West Norfolk had spoken of changes which they
hoped would be introduced into this bill. but be would take
the liberty of stating that as the government alone were
responsible fur the revenue, and sot the House of
Commons, it would be quite impossible to proceed
with the bill unless the securities proposed were agreed to.
The government could not consent to alter the clauses
which related to the taking of bonds and to the supervi-
sion of the Excise, although it had been said that the bill
would be inefficient and could not work with them at all.
(Hear, hear.) If he could relieve the bill from the Ernie°
netrictioes be would gladly do so, but to do so would be to
abandon 6,000,01301, of revenue, and therefore he main-
tained that those clauses were absolutely neces-
sary : but it did not follow that the farmers
would derive no benefit from the measure. The
farmers of the North Riding said the bill would do
them no good, but the wasters of the West Riding, and
eery naturally, thought the bill as it stood would seriously
abstract from their trade. He thought that all interests
were too much alarmed at the first moment, and it did sot
follow that because the oonditions of the clauses might be
bcoavetkiest that no good would be derived from the opera-
tions of the bilL ( Hear.) It was possible that the farmers
mould not prepare the material, but the maltater could do
it, and that. too, without any increased excise supervision.
Ile had his men and his machinery unemployed for 6ve
menthe in the year, and they could not be better employed
than in mewing food for cattle. If this bill passed, the
responsibility of working it would rest with the govern-
aural ; but it would not, as bad been asserted it would do,
intercept the discussion on the malt tax. If the bill
were SUCCP/110111, it would be • good of itself. and if
it relieved the malt tax of some of its evils, it
need not p t members from discussing the re-
mainder. He had endeavoured to state the exact rosition
ef the bill, and to az plain to the comity members what it was
they were called upon to vote ; and declaring that he had no
abjection to exclude Ireland from its operation if required, he
begged, in conclusion, to express his hope that the house
would allow the bill to be proceeded with.
The house went into committee on the bill.

.
Sir E. DERING having expressed hie intention of taking
a discussion on the proviso he had placed on the paper.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCFIEQUER, having an
agent engagement elsewhere, thought it better that, coder
the einrninstances. the committee should report progress,
forewarns on Friday.
The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and the house M-
imed.

MANE PRISONERS' ACT AMENDMENT RILL
This Eill wss read a third time sad pealed.
Tim rernsioiag orders of the day were disposed of, sad
Ile house wijourised at half-past 3 o'clock.