The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-01 00:00:00

TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE.

DEPUTATION TO LORD JOHN RUSSELL.
Yesterday afternoon a deputation of the electors
of the City of London was rect ire.' by Lord John Russell
at the Foreign•offiee to present to him a memorial on the
subject of the "taus on knowledge," agreed to at a meet.
ing, held at the Guildhall Coffeehouse on Saturday last.
rh, deputation consisted of Mr. Francis Bennoch, the
chairman of the meeting ; Mr. Ashurst, Mr. J. Stewart,
Mr. J. Bennett, and Mr. A. Novello.
Mr. Beeteocn said that the deputation had waited on
his lordAliip to present to him an address on the subject of
the tines on knowledge. They had orly received his lord
ship's latter, appointing the deputatitu to wait un him, at
ten o'clock thst moriiiihr. which, together with its being
' the la,t day of the year, when mercantile men were much
engaged, prevented a larger number of gentlemen from at-
tending. Ile would, however, find appended to the docu-
ment to which he was about to lull h:s attention the names
of Mr. Dillon, Mr. Travers, Mr, Crawfind, Mr. Morley,
and many other leading mi n in the C.ty of Loudon, who
were interested in the education of the people. Mr. Beu-
noch then read the memorial, a. follows:

"TAXES ON KNOWI.F.I)OE.
Address to the Right Hon. Lord John Russell, by the
undersigned Electors of the City of London.
My Lord,—We, the undersigned, electors of the City
of London, respectfully claim your lordship's good of ors
upon a subj. et which appears to us to be of vital import-
ance, and on which we have reason to believe that your
lor.lxhip's views, as an earliest friend to popular education,
are in liatrneny with our own. We a:lude to those lazes
which are justly stigmatised as the tuxes on knowl'dge—
vie., the duty on paper, the advertise most duty, and the
stamp duty on newspapers In connexion with this sub-
ject, we refer with much of • to some expressions to
which your lordship has lately given utterance at Perth—
• ' The way in which the power of democracy ought to
be dealt with is, by listening to every complaint, by consi-
dering every grievauce, and by giving a legitimate and legal
organ to that power and influence wnich otherwise may be
mischievous, irn gular, and injurious.' to direct and en-
lighten the path of tlist progress which is inevitable, is a
duty worthy of a modern statesman. We appeal to your
lordship in accordance with these sound and statesmanlike
views, to remove obstruction's which prevent legislators from
• listening to every complaint' and ' considering every
grievance,' by stifling their expression, and which, by
this repress'on, tend to make the progress of democracy
• iniecLievous, irregular, and injurious.' To vote money
for the purposes re public education while these justly-
termed taxes on knowledge are still levied, is surely very
incousistent. Iu regard to the paper duty, the amount :of I
the revenue derived from it being nearly a million, we can
only venture to commend its removal to the earnest atten-
tarn of the government when the budget shall be under
consideratiou ; but, as we need not remind your lordship,
the other obnoxious taxes to which we have re erred—
namely, the advertisement and stamp duties—are
obsi iusly not maintained tor the purposes of revenue,
and therefore imperatively demand immediate abrogation.
The advertisement duty has been repeatedly shown to be
destructive of more reeenue than it produces, and the in-
considerable sum of 2-50,0001., the whole amount involved
by the repeal of the compulsory stamp, is clearly cot the
object for which it wax imposed, or is maintained. We de-
! sire on thi. point to call your lordship's attention to the
extreme uncertainty and ranueueas in the administration of
the law which necessitates the stamping of certain classes
I of pereirlical publicationv, and to the extreme unfairness to
which this uncertainty continually gives rise. In condo.
therefae, we earnestly request that your lordship will
take measures for the intent diate repeal of the stamp and
advertisement duties fir the abolition of the system of de-
manding security fur offences neither committed nor con-
templated, and for making such financial arrangements as
will enable parliament to royal the duty ou paper at no
distant period."
Mr. BiteNOCII proceeded to say that this address was
agreed to at a meeting field in the city of London tow or
hoe days ago. lie was authorised to say that so far as the
paper duly was concerned there was no desire to press the '
repeal now, but with regard to the stamp and advertise-
ment duties it was thought that now was the time to press
for their removal. The trailers of the city of London held
that the advertisement duty was a tax upon trade ; Mae.
much as it imposed a tax on tl.e most efficacious means
which they had of making their occupations known to the
public; while they thonght the fact that notices posted up
iu munibusce, steamers, and at railway swims were not
subjected to any tax was a great inconsistency. They held
also that the tax operated as u grievance on the inhabitants
of Loudon especially!because an a popula ion of two mil-
lions and a half advertising was the only way in which in-
dividuai traders could make themselves known to the
wherraein a provincial town any man who opened
a place of business was immediately known ro have done so.
The traders of London held that they might as well be com-
pelled to pay a stamp duty on the name and address painted
over their doors. With ',geed to the stamp on newspaper.'
they believed that it operated as a tax ou the spread of,
knowledge, and they were of opinion that newspapers'
should only be subjected to a stamp duty when they passed
through the post. By this plan, according to the opinion
of Mr. Rowland Hill, the amount of revenue lost would be
only 240,0001. out of 400,0001.; while, at the same time, it
was believed that if the advertisement duty was taken oft
the great number of advertisements that would be for-
warded by letters sent through the post would go far to
, make up the lota of revenue., With regard also to the
!Securities which were now requirixl to be given at the
I Stamp office, it was be believed that the system operated
to prevent the commencement of many new publications,
as it was difficult to get persons to undertake those respon-
sibilities. One of the best tests of the advantage which
would he derived from the removal of these taxes wits to
be found in the (act that at the present moment our purist
literature was contained in unstamped publications. He
hoped that his lordship, as the late, and he triaged the
future, representative of the City of London, would
press the subject on the consideration of the government.
Mr. Aeneas's' said he had so often expressed his opinions
on this subject to his lordship that he would now only add
that he would leave the facts relating to the question with
him in print, so that his secretary might bring them be-
fore his lordship, if he was disposed to take up the matter.
He would only say that in America the number of news-
paper advertisements was eleven millions per annum,
while in England it was only two millions.
Some documents were then handed in to Lord John
Russell's secretary, who was in attendance.

Lord JOHN ItrissELL said, I will bear the subject in
mind, I cannot say more now. You are aware that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer will have to consider various
taxes?

Mr. Asituaer said they were aware of the difficulties
which had to be considered.

Mr. BENNuctt said, that no feelings of hostility but
one of friendship to the government, had influenced them,
nor had they, in bringing the matter btfore the govern-
ment, intended to make any reference to political or
religious feelings.
The deputation then retired.