The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-05 00:00:00

THE INDIAN TARIFF AND THE LANCASHIRE

DlSriZad.

Yesterday morning a deputation from the
operative of P 11114313, appointed by • public meeting held
there on the 28th alt., had an interview with Sir Charism
Wood, Secretary of State for India, at the India Board.
The deputation, which conaisted of Mr. Thomas Dukes,
seerenry to the Spinners' Institutioa, Mr. Meagher, sad
Mr. 3. Baxter Langley, editor et the Prestos Guardian, was
accompanied by Sir Thomas Hake*. /LP., and Mr. C. P'
Oregon. M.P., the members for Preston, and also by Mr.
James Plikingtom M.P., member for Blackburn, who re-
presented the operatives of that disdriot, and who bore •
memorial from them upon the same subject as that delivered
by Sir T. Hasketh from the operatives of Preston.
Sir T. Heaketb explained the object of the deputa-
tion, which was to induce the government to reconsider the
last statement of finance as expounded in the budget of Mr.
Laing, and to induce the government to repast the
taxes upon British goals and yarns imported into British
India.
The memorial alleged that the tariff in British annular
tares imported into India was irrecoecileshie with the pen-
•P* free trade, and aot only injurioas bat crud to the
h operatives at home. It erred that it was DO* that
government should spend upon public works and edam-
in India sums which were at present • peat burden
boa tire dist/rend operatives 44 horns
1 Mama: dated that the tariff, as at ha-
aw% animated tea tax upon each Mom woektag far the
iliun market is Preston equal to 71. 10a. per year and as
there ware 27,148 looms in Preston, four litho of which pro-
thiiied goods for the Indian market, that wookl amount to
152,0004 a-year.
Several members of the arginfictlaa having spokes.
Sir C. Woon, in reply rellmedla the fret Idiom to '
the general questions of iaanifeeent moms la lea* • awl i
said ;he government felt the 41110=e7V17 kr °b.,
operatives in Lanouddre, while be ' deputation
that the whole British parlinasemt eisepiel adds adadratioti 1
thevatienoe with which they united trmsfisiteee
which they were eansiag. As the wee la there
4,av to explain *at this Mileeh fedi Mt eddhdheil
t the pressured the leads Sistil, Whit au& Whir to :
to the amount of eicemmthmese in Amassing ever
'itlidailide Beath govennewelitedild have so pans ills esm .
. nor try
e,owtwwevegertedt
wto say than there was no prespicgtoidat
settee supply from Awed* for some
to come. ?Mr Maw went mealsraer, '
k that ft was nerve cry to explek the wiry prayer pesillea
Is which the Indian goverment steed. Coosidialtleameou=
had been brought to bear upon him by the
*id cotton merchants of this mashy he 'femur efjeMb.
barks in India, which would *pea up the rims sad ,
id!
:
K that country, and *able the grows* to sunk
r with • lane quantity of saw material. He
esserwhat surprised th•t say complant be i
wen that score. With rapid to the Rom dig& .
1 the culture of opium, it was sormearr to slab sit: .
1 large proportion of the revenue of India was tan iiiied. •
drew that source, and that the goverment eedd met, he .
ritto eacrifice 5,0U0,0001. per annum xi tt=s4
agend, he did not know what wetly . i
easueld 1.00a7015 of India if it were net for 1110 GOND
trade. The Wish taxpayer was not oppremede=
, Eat
.o.bitined from the opium trade, for the
the amaint which was carried to the
.reedh ell
th7fa=eachequer from the cultivation of septum . He.
thought it remarkable that while all this complaint arose
from the mseafacturing denten seated the pres-
sure of the Indian tariff as Medea is the
imports of British niandaduses bad &deal taken pleas
during the last few mouths. Tide did not show that the
tariff was a hardship upon the Leith producer. He
could not admit that the texas in these rases ONO paid by
the produce* —they were invariably paid by the cow
sunsets ; nor could he admit that the tat upon British goods
and was paid at the cost el the operatives or the
is Priam It was Mae that ax loasaas el pets
the market, but this was the entire amount at the
With* as against the producer. The English govern-
mid impend • lax el 50 per met. upon Indian , mad
Rao rir aid, onlndia& pepper, and it would be as
Newsnithle for the Indian producers of those articles
'Maw demand
Ecomthe
.nixdalierof thadsiiiwwwddes duties as
to it was
ask
flor the abolition of the Indian tariff. It was asesemsy to
lire • large military form I. ladle. The premed pun-,
bad dome much to redid* Ws expesditare an thee
bat lie believed the, bed new amiss& at The ballad
The native population were wiry impatient
gif myth* Eh* direct taxation, and direct hustles was
alased isepeasliedile among all classes of the people el
r2limisha.
polls. In sot el the largest of the Indian cities, la
which resided some of the most influential merchants, it was
lanai whew the various occupiers of one street were galled
spout to make returns of their molts in trade, that
their whole revenue was stated at • less amount
thee tee hundred pounds per annum. It was
therefor* ammoossilile to get at what was called the trading
revenue of the natives ; and direct taxation, however de-
nimble it might seem to some, was impossible in India.
There were plausible arguments splint the tax on mit,
which in theory was an extreme hardship, but in practise
the tax was found to be • very good mode of procuring re-
venue, as was shown by the fad that in proportion se that
tax had been dammed the cousuniptims of the article bad
been increased also. This circumstance,
bhjeLe= was is a
great measure to be accounted for by the rise that
had taken place in the wages in I which also
*plaited the increase of the opium grant. There was.
however, one point of extreme importance in considering
the reduction asked for, and that was that upon the
examinationdthe estimates of Mr. Laing, it *reed out
that a mistake of 1,0011,0001. had been made, and that,
instead of a supposed sosi, there would in reality be a
deficit. Sir Charles concluded by *apron*ng !egret that
at present he could hold out no hops of further re-
duction of them duties, or say early of that
which at present remained a portion of the tad*
After • few words of explanation Mot Mr. Lawn=
and Mr. BANKB the deratatioa VilialOW. , .

THE BALLOT SOCIETY.

The weekly meeting of the eieontiVe WeiMni9l•ll
wu bald on Tuesday, at the offices is 5, Cladhal
bets ; Mr. IL E. MAMOZN in the chair. A report ea the
divines as the cooties for leave to introduce the Ballot
Bill was received, showing the actual vote to be as fol.
lows Ayes. 85 ; pain, 111 ; tellers, 2 ; total, 198. Noes,
52; pails, 111; tellers, 2 ; total, 165. The following rem.
hike was agreed to :—That this committee begs to tender
its best thanks to Lord Fermoy, M.P. H.
Sir Charles
Douglas, ILP., Mr. White, M.P., Mr. E. H. J. Cranford,
M.P., Mr. Core Imegtes, M.P.. and Sir J. V. Shelley.
ILP., for the valuable aid which they gave to Mr. Berkelu,
M.P., to bringing in his bill for vote b ballot, and it fWe
censored that the rile sore thus re to the care of
freedom of eieetios, will be appreciated by the Meads at
the ballot in all the couirtituenchs et the Idnedoes.
It was reported that the Ballot Bill bed bees brought in
sad read a lime time, and the second rending Axed for Wed-
pudgy, July 2. Instructions were given to the officers of
the society to communicate with friends in the constituen-
cies to secure a fall atteodance of the members favourable
to the measure at the division on its next stage. The
result of the Shrewsbury election having been reported, and
the fact that the cause had gamed a supporter by the elec.
Moo of Mr. B.olierteon, a ballot man, the &Bowleg Isola-
tion was agreed to : " This committee congratulates the
electors of Shrewsbury on the return of Mr. Robertson, M.P.
for that boroogh, by which a difference of two votes will be
made in favour of the ballot ; and points to the lairp
majority by which be was retureed as a pleasing proof of the
popularity of a really liberal candidate as contrasted with
that of the haltitodhalf wee who have lately appealed to
various constituencies is vain."