The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-28 00:00:00

THE DUTCH NAVIGATION LAWS.

eafxpoeLl'iltii6O4n at tlbel.
io u rti
summaryal ilse
ofDu theehy
following The rg pu 0,
for the projects of law recently submitted -;c,'
e
Second Chamber of the Ststes•Cieneral of Holland to,
the modification of the navigation and transit 1 --
_ ra
In the statement which accompanies these project
the government says that the necessity for thePdiffeerte different 41
'lto-,
a:
rations it proposes is at the present moment felt to bee
than ever, because the commercial relations of the country
have been so extraordinarily extended during the
years, and because the means of transport which few
"
employed have been improved and increased in o,„
same ratio. Those nations which More not kepto,
with this spirit of activity and Worms will , pep
he
effects when it will he too late, while other nations ari sdy
to take possession of that portion of the trade of the :„15
which they have abandoned, and so deprive them in th
tree
of a few years of the heritage they have received fromev Dry
.
ceding generations. It is more than ever netesservn,W,t
the activity and vigilance of the people to the proof, , - •h..
is the duty of private persons; the goverementough t•it.,-
guard against their being trammelled by retrogradetiZnieo-
tions, or injured by injustice. The laws and ordo "goo'
must proceed simultaneously with the development ''t juthe
nation, the spirit of the epoch, and the exigencies of
"mkt
moment. In preventing the projects of law in qten
the government has obeyed the impulse of this spins.
Our laws actually in operation subject for our mine
-
s
the freedom of navigation to restrictions of a fiscal and pro
tective nature, amongst which the Rhine navigation dry
and 'lad tolls should figure in the first rank; but ‘e•
however moderate they may be, or however necesearyto--sie.
expensive maintenance of the banks of the riven, must,
without hesitation, be sacrificed to the general hums% -
ll
commerce. The government would wish to be able to elt
tend these sacrifices even to the navigation den ou o;
Meuse, but to effect this it is indispensable to Janke the
concurrence of the Belgian government by means of toe
diplomatic agents.
Tne government believes, however, that while rap: rte.
ing these navigation dues, it should at the same time • gully
abolish all dueson the transit ofgrods,becausenow.adatetkr
'Leant charges added to the cost of transport are Wining
completely to ;lee° the Meit commerce. The Mira.
salting to the Treasury ....
sheen abolitions will be amply
comp-nsated by the salutary influence which must he env,
deed not only y the transit commerce, but still mote by ti
numerous arrival! of vessels carrying merchandise for ton.
sumption in the interior, and by the strewth of its maritime
relations. Numerous advantages will accrue therefrom both
to the government and to the shipping and carrying ei„,,a.
The difficulties by which the freedom of naigration,
rather of trade, is met in the choice of vessels, are of a meet
complicated nature. In Holland, freedom of competition
has always been regarded as the vita! principle of trade ; bat
this healthy system of political economy has not let to
sponded to the ideal theory, since a ix:nimble dun/
on navigation has not been rejected, and ha soma
cues even prohibitive export and import duties
have been maintained. Fre. dom of navi,ratien is ,loos
an exception to this general rule in our country ; every pry
tectice system has been unknown here • the fatal Nu* iak
Act, even, which England parsed solely to destroy H.. had,
did not cause our ceuntry to deviate from the integral eepli,
cation of its system. The idea of reprisal never Lune m
echo among the enlightened statesmen who were coavin el-
and whose conviction has ekee been confirmed-that sew
restrictions and InClaSi...na would not indemnify coomeres
for the Ices which the restrictions and exclusions mote by
Ragland had inflicted upon it. At a later p, tied, when one
conmerce languished, confidence in the principles et free
trade began to be shaken.
Our union with Belgium centribufed much to tide be.
cause commerce 'played euly a secondary part in it; and
because the menufacturing iseurry of the country had ob.
rained but a factitious development. It is from ten teeth
, that the protective dispositions was derived which se still
, encounter in the legislation of Holland. The preeotho
system of our maritime legislation began to gain ground,
while, on the other hard, opi ions began to be enanitesne
1 a totally different nature. *I he imp:rant alorations • hist
I have been recently made in the navigation laws of
fortiole a new proof of the immense influence of teem
opinions.
The abolition or differential duties already desired by Hale
I land, as ad Telen %menus, has become of urgent eecessity ie c awe
quer.ce of the modification of the commercial policy of Rig
I land. The law in Englard gives to the ROVernano tais
power of depriving fereign flags of the riglits of artimilaisa
wh,re the Engiieh flag does not enjoy perfect reeipreity. It
is then even to our interest that the English flag shoed ba
placed on the same footing as the national flag. It it lotto,
however, to act still more widely and liberally, to semis
complet. ly and irrevocably all protective dispose loss, 0,0 tt
adopt the principle cf freedom of nivigstien Meted
any condition. The well understeol interests of the
people counsel us to adopt this course in all In
hearings and even political considerat on% advise it. In fad,
there is no better guarantee for a durable pros than the
meintainance of a stele! neutrality; 'uniform spina fear
toms tariff is nothing more than the application of that use
Minty to commerce.
Moreover, the privileges existing in favour of these:long
flag are almost insignificant. An abatement of ten p r (eat
in presence of a tariff in which, with but very few crap
tions, the import dutie • do rot exceed 6 per cett., is but a
very slight advantage, and even for the import"
Hon of goods subject to youth higher duties, the per
teetien is n• ver higher then from I to 2 per ct. ad oil um
a protection which as very rare on exportation, and doss tat
exist at all on the transit of geode. In some uncles it is
true that the advantages accorded to the rational fiq
os
not of such very slight importance, but they have ether
Men modified or diminished by a series of commercial tree.
ties more recently concluded. Ships blaming the Pre Us,
Eeigli.b, North American, French, Russian, Belgian, Se £
ish, Neapolitan, and Greek flu s are placed on the sass
footing as our own vessels, and consequently enjoy the fuel
remission of dude a accorded to the latter. Bill men aloe
is the protection which our flag enjoys from the tonnes
dues, for the privilege is equally enjoyed not only by the
ships of the rations just enumerated, but elm by tb to of
several others. When a favour has to be divided vi to
many others, does it still merit the name of ptoteetion? aid
le it net right to inquire agate st whom this pretreat is
granted ?
It is quite certain, if the support of our navigri, a is
really to be found in a system of differentiel ann., th,t it
is high time to replace the am trent with a real prohetics,
But this protection is net solicited at all. The d.whyardi ef
the Netherlands wire more flourishing after the points
on the construction of ships were abolished; the intorno-
, tion of the 1, gelature is no louger necessary to must the
e'ccay of our mercantile marina The Nethernees
flag can meet with *stay tree competition; it her
maintainer its position in the erowth of commented rein
dons ; the number of our vessels has Manned ancuale,sed
even where legal protection has entirely disappeared, a cow
pat ie in with the flags of other nations is not untivoursies
to our own. In support of this assertion, the goverment
presented to the house several statistical tables, sneezed to
the exposition ef motives which are summarised at the cm.
elusion of this statement.
The most skilful men in this matter are now Convolced
that differential duties ere destructive to commerce awl air-
less to the national navigation. Of this the goveromini has
acquired a new proof from the different renorts which it has
received from tbe tribunals of. commerce of the country.
No vertheless tee government feels itself bound to reply
advance to questions which may be put respecting the until
of the measure which it has proposed.
The first qni felon is this. Shall the system of assist"
and
Imitating the fligs of ell Rations be applied eeneullr
without conditions, or is simple reciprocity in.c nded ?
The
application of the law in this latter sr use would havebec it
pc-red to the govrrement. as it 'half measure merely, sase
in that case it would always he c to SUppo`e 111
existence of differential Cu i, a sand protective du' s
would then be nothing else but Went/Tea of reetissle
and their execution would meet with ram` glee
difficulties. The govt rnment pref.( rs applying the sys'm
has adopted in all its legal cons, quences and in every Wear
der double reservation ; first, it hasant thought rightist
tirely to deprive itself of the power of taken; esesturead
reprisal These measures must always be escalations', 06.,
circumstances may present themselves in which the infeots_
of the commerce of the country or of the state may rented
them necessary. The second reservation concerns the 6*
ports of our colonies. The principles of liberalism and tr.
{amity have net yet received au equal degree et der
ment on this ground. and there are moeives for tee mei!!
, • nice of the privileges of the national fleg in whin tmer
the navigation between :he metropolis and its transitet66
IP *sessions. However the government of Holland Innis
this terrain also make a an p in advance ; it has Pi
it necessary to winch to this freedom the conditiesi
he nation which wishes to &rain it shall remise ape
same footing in its colonies ve,s. Is bi..irieg the Theca Mel
and not wishing on the other hand to route this fear"
the Hag of nations which do not promo; ccloniee, it net!
that these latter sell admit the products Of 111;
Dutch colonies upon the tame fonthl
melamine products of the most favoured Sm..-
In addition, the government does not wish to protect hl st/
differential duty the direct importati,n trom transit:4P?
powessions. The same principle adopted in reference old!
imp 'nations from beyond sea into the motor acre
seccording to the government, beepelied to the cclood
themselves. In ad ring the present project of law tiler'
cenory measures will he immeaiately taken for intredensf
the same system into the colonies. to
The second question which the government has r
itself is : Shout t this perfect reciprocity be obtained b 7 "::
assimilation of the Dutch flag to that of the foreigner, or er,
that of the foreigner to Ihe Dutch flag? The inures% 6
the Treasury do no• permit a single hesitation in this
after the forced reduction of the revenue, i: could n t
question to prescribe a new diminution. Neeertheleee
vowerhment has thought it right to take 'middle onne•hr,
at has guaranteed different articles espe-ially favored e=
preo, nt moment against cry rub. quest augmentitios ehh:
costs of importation. These articles are • ashes, betsPi..,s7tis4
iron, cotton, coal., molasses, *tiger, and salt. Ir• "IT co.
the duties on tool wee, the government has found itee
polled to maintain the difference of origin, in coe
a m
eell7:
. f tho difficulty of extunl describing
between the manufactured and uuwartufactured
The duties upon the ether articles (a arty all of wilt,: rbe
articles of consumption) are flied at the maxiins6;...,of
old duties ; tea alone has been subjected to • medium sna
2011. However, the ridiculer exemplons from the '' el;
due. and the other fevours accorded by the law of der rt.
1822, xchnively to the neienal flag, Par been eq
a"l ye
tended to the flags of fon ign nations es far as e •
two
end whe re the foreign flag could no• particieste
they have been refused te the Dutch fm tile
I.lie government has appended to this expeition the
three tab:es, in welch it indicates w hot will probably De 0
reenter of the mammas which it has just