The Press.
London, England, 1854-12-02 00:00:00

London, 23rd November.

••

TIIE NEWSPAPER STAMP AND THE DEPU
TATION TO THE CHANCELLOR OF THE..
EXCHEQUER.
TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS."
Sir,—A more pitiable exhibition than Mr. Glad-
atone made of himself on Tuesday last I never wit-
nessed. As you will have observed from the daily
papers, a deputation waited upon him on that day for
an explanation of the proceedings he has threatened
against the news trade for selling what are called
" the war papers." These are papers containing war
news only, and which, adopting the dictum of the
Board of Inland Revenue, the proprietors considered
class papers, and, therefore, not liable to the penny
stamp. The Government., however, have held that
these are not class papers, and have threatened the
proprietors with legal proceedings. Not content
with that threat, and thinking that/ they must be
beaten in an appeal to the Court of Exchequer, they
have had recourse to a threat of summary proceed•
ings before a police magistrate against all news-
vendors who may sell the papers alluded to. The
object of the deputation on Tuesday was to call on
the Government to proceed in the usual way in the
Coiurt of Exchequer, where the parties would be fully
prepared to meet them. To this representation Mr.
Gladstone replied—" What was he to do ; the revenue
must be protected?"
He was reminded that he bad himself declared in
the House of Commons " that the fiscal part of this
question is most insignificant."
Mr. Gladstone: Yes. Well, the Government have
now a measure under consideration to meet the ob-
jections. I may as well tell you that.
" What necessity for these proceedings, then?"
Mr. Gladstone: Why, we think the revenue is en-
dangered.
" But these war papers are only class papers, like
260 others that are allowed the privilege of an
2ptional stamp,"

THE PRESS.

The Attorney-General : These papers contain that
kind of intelligence which everybody is just now most '
anxious to read.
" And is that why you want to suppress them, Mr.
Gladstone?"
This was a poser for Mr. Gladstone, and he said
nothing.
" Perhaps the Government do not desire to have
intelligence of the war circulated : perhaps thatjis
not convenient ?"
Mr. Gladstone looked at the Attorney-General
and then said, "These are not class papers, but are
addressed to all classes."
"And so are the police papers. Why do you con-
sider law and police news class-news?"
Mr. Gladstone : Oh ! we never did. We have
never done so.
Mr. John Wood, the chairman of the Board of In-
land Revenue, here nudged the right honourable
gentleman, who in a whisper said, " Oh ! do you—
oh—ah—lium !"
Well, sir, a very long conversation ensued, during
which the Attorney-General said they really could
not wait for the process in the Court of Exchequer,
as they were in a great hurry, and after declaring
this over and over again, he exclaimed—" But Cod
forbid that my name should ever be associated with
a prosecution of any newspaper. I should like the
press as free as it ought to be."
At this declaration several of the deputation
thronged round the honourable and learned gentle-
man, and this causing a little confusion the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer took advantage of it, and
left the room without giving the deputation any
answer, beyond the fact which he communicated,
that he has a measure in hand for altering the law
with regard to the newspaper stamp.
After Mr. Gladstone had made his undignified
exit, a gentleman present addressed Mr. John Wood,
and asked him plainly if it was intended to go on with
the threatened proceedings.
Mr. Wood shook his head, smiled, and replied—" It
would depend upon the instructions of the Govern-
ment." 1 am, sir, your obedient servant,
ONE OF THE DEPUTATION.

OFFICERS OF THE CUSTOMS AND THE
BOARD OF TRADE.
TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS."
Sir,—Being, like the " Superannuated Officer"
whose letter appeared in your paper a fortnight back,
desirous of obtaining your advocacy to rectresa the
grievances of which we complain, and on which he
has very ably remarked, so far as the tyranny of the
Board of Trade over us is concerned, I trouble you
with some facts and observations, which I trust you
will endeavour to find room for.
You are, no doubt, aware that there is one matter
which, not only the customs, but the civil servants
of the Crown generally regard as a great injustice ; I
refer to the deduction from their salaries of five per
cent. to provide a Superannuation Fund, which is so
much in excess of the claims of the superannuated
on the fund, that, had a regular debtor and creditor
account been kept from the year 1829, and the balance
annually invested at interest, such a sum would have
by this time accrued as would produce, at the ordi-
nary rate of interest, a considerable revenue, which,
applied to its only legitimate pm pose, would enable
the Government to greatly reduce the per centage
deduction from our salaries, or to give us a higher
rate of superannuation allowance, or to allow us to
retire on the present rates at a shorter period of ser-
vitude.
I can only conceive one possible answer to our
complaint, which is, that each of us accepted his
situation with the knowledge that his salary wali to
be subject to the present rate of deduction, in return
for which he was to be entitled to the established
scale of superannuation allowance. This principle
is probably consistent with abstract justice; but I
presume, even regarded in that light alone, it might
very pertinently be asked, are not the contributions
intended solely to meet certain demands, and
if they exceed these demands, to whom does
the surplus belong? The argument, if good,
for anything, ought surely to apply equally against
our being deprived of privileges we once possessed,
as well as against our looking for advantages we had
not stipulated for. If when we entered on our
appointments it was with the understanding that
our salaries were to be subject to these heavy draw-
backs, so also was it equally with the expectation
that we should enjoy all the then existing privileges
of the service; and if I can produce many instances
in which we have been deprived of these privileges, I
think that I shall have shown good reason why even-
handed justice should be done us in the matter of
the Superannuation Fund.
Now allow me, with " A Superannuated Officer,"
to direct your attention to what has been and is
now being done in that branch of the service to
which I belong—the Customs—in reference to the
collection of the Trinity Dues, and the performance
of what we all the' Board of Trade wool."

1143

The several collectors of customs have hitherto
been allowed a per centage on all monies collected
on account of " lights duties," and for the general
management of the business of the Trinity house in
their respective ports. The profit derived from this
source varies with the trade of the ports, but in
many instances it forms a heavy per centage of the
incomes of the collectors, who are not few in number
nor confined to one class, for each port has its creeks
or out-stations, the coast waiters at which act as sub-
collectors, and share in the profits, as does also one of
the clerks in all but the lowest class ports, who assists
the collector. By a Treasury minute, dated 21st
April last, it is ordered that " the collection of these
dues shall hereafter fall to be a part of the regular
duties of the collectors of customs," and that only
in case of "extra assistance or establishment being
required" is anything to be paid for their collection.
This is not to apply to the present collectors whilst
they remain at their present ports, but its effect will
be to blight the hopes entertained by hundreds of
officers and clerks who have been for years past
anticipating the advent of thatperiod when from this
source they should be enabled to allot some small
sum annually to the education of their children,
providing an annuity for the wife, or some other
equally necessary object which the scantiness of their
salary at present precludes the possibility of their
doing.
Do the public expect their servants to collect this
large revenue—for large it is, and all the more trouble-
some for being paid in very small sums—and keep
all the accounts in connection therewith gratuitously,
when each and all of us had reason on entering the
service to expect we should derive a greater or less
benefit from this duty, as we in turn succeeded
to the offices entrusted with its collection ? And, if
we must submit to this reduction of the advantages
of the service, have we not a right to expect that the
five per cent. deduction from our salaries for the
Superannuation Fund should be so managed as to
afford us the largest amount of practical benefit that,
can be derived from it ? The lords of her Majesty's
Treasury in the minute above quoted give as a reason
for charging the " lights dues " with the expense of
extra asssistance " that the duties are altogether
distinct from the customs revenue." I should like
most humbly, and with all the respect due to my
superiors, to ask their lordships whether this same
circumstance does not give the customs officials a
strong claim for some remuneration for collecting
these dues ?
In the year 1850 was passed the Mercantile Marine
Act, the administering of which has, except in a few
of the larger ports, devolved on the customs officers,
who were allowed for the first two years a small and
inadequate remuneration for the additional, and in
many respects► most annoying and disagreeable, duty
thus imposed upon them. This allowance has now,
without a single word of explanation, bean discon-
tinued !
P, this is justice, but it is not calculated to

_'erlitaps .
reconcile us to the deduction of five per cent. from
our incomes when propably two-and-a-half per cent.
would be sufficient for the purpose.
I confine myself to the above instances of "sharp
practice," as being the most recent and the most
glaring, and not as being the only ones in which we
have of late years been deprived of valuable aids to
our very moderate incomes. I could draw up a long
list of minor privileges we have lost., pertaining,
unlike the above, to the service itself, and the loss of
which far more than counterbalances any benefit we
should derive from the equitable administration of
the Superannuation Fund; but I fear to encroach
too far on your valuable space.
I would, in conclusion, observe that it ever there
was a time when the loss of the sum deducted was
felt by many of us it is the present, with all the
necessaries of life enormously high and a fourteen -
penny income tax, making together with the one
shilling in the pound towards the fund in question
and one pennrin the pound compulsory contribution
to the Customs Benevolent Fund, exactly two
shillings and threepence in the pound, or full eleven
per cent. diminution to our salaries before they
reach our pockets. _

AN OFFICER or CUSTOMS.

November 21, 1851.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRIM."
Sir,—A dose of poison requires an antidote. and
as Mr. Mechi of Tiptree-farm, has kindly sent 101.-to
the Times with a request that thirty copies of that
paper may be sent daily to the army in the Crimea,
and ten copies to the hospital at Scutari, as long as
the 101. lute, I now beg to hand you W. (which you
will find enclosed) and I beg that you will send fifty
copies of the l'aEas to the same quarter weekly,
until the 51. be exhausted. Your obedient servant,
December 1, 185.&. Z. Z.
[The directions of the writer shall`be complied
white—Rah Passel