The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-15 00:00:00

TEA AND SUGAR DUTIES.

The house then went into committee of ways and
means. _

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, after re-
minding the committee of the proposal ho had
made before the dissolution respecting the altera
tion of the duties upon tea and sugar, and of the
effect of that alteration, observed that the proposal
he was about to make was substantially the same—
namely, to continue the existing duties upon tea and
sugar for two years from the Ist of April nest. He
referred to returns of the amount of revenue yielded
by those two articles, whence it appeared that the
sugar duties in the year 1855 produced 5,058,000/. ;
and in 1856, 5,129,649/. The tea duties in 1855
produced 5,310,2751.; and in 1856, 5,530,4201., thus
giving an average revenue for the last two years
from tea and sugar of 10,517,5251. He likewise read
returns of the comparative consumption of tea and
sugar by different classes of society in England,
Scotland, and Ireland respectively, which presented
some curious results, it appearing that with respect
to tea in England the upper and middle classes
consume 56 per cent. of the whole quantity, an-i the
poorer and working classes consume 44 per cent. In
Scotland the upper and middle classes consume 54
per cent., and the poorer and working classes 46 per
cent., the proportion in England and Scotland
being very nearly the same. Bat with regard to
Ireland the ratio is reversel. The upper and middle
classes consume 351 per cent., and the poorer and
working classes consume 611 per cent. With regard
to sugar, it appears that in England the upper and
middle classes consume 60 per cent. and the poorer
and working classes 40 per cent. of the total quantity.
In Scotland the upper and middle classes consume
62 per cent., and the poorer and working classes 38
per cent. Again, the same ratio is reversed in Ire-
land. In Ireland the upper and middle classes are
stated to consume 31 per cent., and the poorer and
working classes 66 per cent.
. _ _

In reply to the inquiry made by Sir H. Willoughby
—premising that his proposal would not add any-
thing to the ways and means of the current year,
merely arresting the fall of duties—he proceeded to
say that it had been the duty of the Government to
communicate with the Court of Directors of the
East India Company on the subject of theirfinances,
and the latter, being informed that her Majesty's
Government were ready to consider any representa-
tion they might desire to make as to a change in the
law regarding their power of borrowing money, or
any financial assistance they might wish to re-
ceive From the Government, stated that they
did not find themselves under the necessity of
applying to the Government at present for any
financial assistance ; that their present means
were ample in the existing state of the Indian
treasury. Her Majesty's Government therefore, as
at present advised, did not feel called upon to submit
to Parliament any proposition upon this subject.
The ways and means placed at the disposal of the
Executive Government he considered amply sufficient
to meet the probable wants of the present financial
year. If they should have season to doubt the suffi-
ciency of their means they would net be slow in
bringing their position before the house, relying upon
the liberality and public spirit of Parliament and the
country. But there was no immediate necessity for
doing so; all accruing demands, including the dis•
charge of 2,000,000/. of Exchequer Bonds and the
redemption of the Sound Dues, had been paid out of
the resources of the present year. Notwithstanding
that these large payments had been satisfied out of

the growing taxation of the year, it appeared to be
adequate to all demands, and he did not anticipate
at present any deficiency. With regard to the cost
of the armament sent to India, as soon as the regi-
ments were transferred to the service of the East
India Company their expense was charged to the
Indian revenue, and ceased to be a charge upon this
country. He concluded by moving certain resolu-
tions, in effect to retain the present duties on tea,
sugar, and certain sweetmeats, &c., from the Ist of
April next till the Ist of April, 18(10.
Mr. GLADSTONE did not rise for the purpose of
opposing the resolution, but he thought the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer's statement in regard to the
payment of Exchequer Bonds, and the redemption
of the Sound Dues, was calculated to mislead the
house. The right hon. gentleman appeared to take
credit for having paid off the charges connected with
the redemption of the Sound Dues, out of the re-
sources of the current year, but the fact was that the
money applied to this purpose was the surplus of a
loan which remained in the Exchequer after the
expenses which it was intended to meet had been
paid. Then with regard to the Exchequer Bonds,
the right hon. gentleman was called upon in fulfil-
ment of a pledge given to Parliament to apply the
sum of 2,000,0001. to the redemption of that debt.
He was glad to find that the East India Company
was in such a state as, out of its own resources, to be
able to meet for six months the expenses of the
operations undertaken in that country, and in that
case he agreed with the Indian authorities and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer that no application
should be made to Parliament upon the subject.
The right hon. gentleman dwelt with some force
upon the extravagance of the present Government,
and upon the rapid increase of the miscellaneous
estimates :

I may, perhaps, be of a censorious disposition, but I
frankly own that the views of the Government with regard
to public economy are not my views. Bnt, if they were,
is the Government firmly and justly supported by this
house? What has happened in the last fortnight? Have
we not seen a bill carried, winch I believe unprecedented
in our history, for the wholesale increase of the salaries of
public servants, in the face of an announcement supported
by detailed statements from the Government to the effect
that, if we vote for that bill, we must be prepared to see a
permanent addition to the public burdens of 200,0001.
a year? In twenty years of criticism of miscellaneous
estimates this house will not, so far as mere money is
concerned, undo as much as it did by passing that most
objectionable measure. I hope I shall not be thought to
be exceeding the province of an individual member of this
house in making these comments on proceedings which
have received the sanction of a large majority; but, having
been during the whole session a prophet of ill, regarding
with alarm the financial embarrassments towards which
we are drifting, and having, perhaps too freely, found fault
with my right hon. friend for proceedings in matters of
finance, I think it but fair to keep in mind an operation
so remarkable and so unprecedented as this, which proves
to me that the temper of the public, reflected as it is by
this house, is not favourable at the present moment to
economy, and which makes it the duty of those who think
they see a storm coming, and xho wish to mitigate its
force, to raise their voice in time in the hope that some-
thing may be done to avert it, or to render it at all events
less formidable.

I tender my thanks to my right hon. friend for having
made this proposal. There is nothing surreptitious in its
character. It bears on its face exactly what it is. Above
all, I rejoice in the proposal on this account, that when we
come near to a state of financial embarrassu.ent we always
have to recollect that two alternatives may happen to us,
either of them worse than an increase of taxation—one, an
attempt to shuffle and shamble on from year to year with
successive deficiencies; the other, to make loans to meet
the ordinary expenditure of the country in time of peace.
In my opinion, either of these courses is most detrimental
and most disgraceful to the country, and I frankly own
that I feel the more grateful to my right hon. friend on
the present occasion because I interpret the proposal as a
clear sign that he is impressed with similar opinions with
regard to the weakness, the imbecility, and the disgrace
of having recourse to either of those expedients, and as a
pledge that, it' the necessity arises, he will propose at once
to meet that expenditure of the country by the only wise,
honest, and manly course—an addition to its burdens.

Sir HENRY WILLOUGHBY Was of opinion that we
were " rapidly drifting towards an enormous defi-
ciency."

Mr. DISRAELI, as it was "not probable" that the
house would be favoured this session with an Indian
budget, thought it expedient that some accurate
information should be afforded of the state of our
Indian finances :

At the time of the passing of the charter, it wns agreed
that a guarantee fund of 2,000,0001. should be established,
to accumulate at compound interest, to form a security
for the Indian stock, for which the British Government
then virtually became responsible. It is of the utmost
importance that wu should know the state of that fund.
We ought to be informed whether that investment was
regularly made, and whether the interest was invested in
a proper manner, and we ought also to have the amount
of the whole aunt fairly before us. I moved about a week
ago for a return of that nature, but it has nut yet been
presented, though I should have thought it was as simple
and straightforward as it is important.

The calculation of the comparative consumption fo
tea and sugar among the different classes was
authentic, and proved in a remarkable mar ner that
the pressure of these indirect taxes was not borne
by the working but by the higher classes. With
regard to future prospects, the right hon. gentleman
observed :
As far as I can understand the state of our finances, we
shaa have a deficiency next year for this simple reason—
that we have been living this year upon a largo amount of
income tax which we shall not have next year. The
amount to be raised from tea and sugar is not an amount
which will at all meet the danger at hand. Next year,
when we meet, we shall have an opportunity of expressing
our opinions upon this important subject, and for the pre-
sent 1 shall content myself with saying that I offer no op-
poaition to the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The resolutions were then agreed to.
The Probates and Letters of Administration Bill
was read a third time and passed.
The Joint-stock Companies Act Amendment Bill
passed through committee.
The house then went into committee upon the
Customs Acts, when certain formal resolutions were
agreed to whereon to found a bill.
The Probates and Letters of Administration (Ire-
land) Bill was committed pro forma.
The house adjourned at five p.m.

HOUSE OF LORDS-THURSDAY.

The Bishop of ST. DAVID'S, on the motion that
the house resolve itself into committee on the
Burial Act Amendment Bill, took occasion to repel
the attacks which had been made upon him in the
matter of the Swansea cemetery.

After considerable discussion the several clauses
were agreed to, and the house resumed.

THE DANUBIAN PRINCIPALITIES.
The Earl of CLARENDON, in reply to the Marquis
of Clanricarde, made a statement with regard to the
position of affairs in the Danubian principalities.
The noble lord said that the firman of the Sultan
having been interpreted by Vogorides as not strictly
applicable to Moldavia, great delay and discussion
took place, and repeated references were made to
Constantinople, " where unhappily there was not
much greater unanimity than in the Principalities."
The noble lord, having eulogised the conduct of Sir
Henry Bulwer, proceeded to explain that the Porte
ultimately decided that the firman applied to Mol-
davia as well as to Wallachia :
Whether there was a timely comp• Acation of this deci•
--no the of the President of

sion to the Kaimakan upon t_ part - ...moment 01
the Commission, who was also the Turkish Commissioner,
or whether be misunderstood or neglected it, I cannot
undertake to say, because charges and countercharges have
been made with respect to the matter. The fact, at all
events, is that the Kaimakan proceeded to complete the
elections in accordance with an electoral list which he
himself had prepared. The representatives of France,
Russia, Prussia, and Sardinia, however, acting upon in-
structions which they had received from their several
Governments, protested against a Divan so constituted,
which they declared could not be looked upon as a faithful
reflex of the opinions of the people.
The noble earl then briefly referred to the rupture
of diplomatic relations between the Porte and the
four powers, and to the opportune arrival at Osborne
of the Emperor of the French :

An opportunity was thus afforded to us of reviewing a
state of things which had suddenly assumed a very com-
plicated aspect, and which might have led to events of a
magnitude altogether disproportioned to the cause to
which they owed their origin. Having considered that
state of things, we came to the conclusion that, although
there had been no scrutiny at the elections in Moldavia,
and although no evidence had been obtained which in
England would have been deemed sufficienZly strong to
justify us in declaring such elections to be void, yet that
there was prima-facie proof of their irregularity of a nature
which would warrant us in recommending that they should
be annulled. We felt that it was for the interest of the
Porte that there should be no doubt thrown upon those
elections which would lead to the conclusion that they
could not result in procuring a faithful representation of
the people. We were, tuoreover, of opinion that the inten-
tions of those powers who were parties to the Treaty of
Paris would not be fulfilled if such a representation was
not secured, and that no English Uoverum'nt could sup-
port elections the questionable character of which we
could not altogether deny. We felt, therefore, that we
should be fully justified in recommending the Sultan to
annul those elections and to revise the electoral list.