The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-23 00:00:00

there is a prospect &bee MI beg the reductirn in the duty
will be aanee *lli male up by the increased imports.
(Ham) Iblibeyel Obi= aireumatancee into consideration,
and after esthmthelleideg with the Board of Customs, I
believe I abet be =bard to assume that the pro-
bable looms Am the customs next year will
be '20,000,000/. (Cheers.) It, as I hope, the trade
of the country shoed go on, even without any ma-
terial improvement, it may be higher, but I believe I ant
fully je.e.itied in assuming it at that. I have said, that up to
the present tires, since the beginning of the quarter, both
the eu.toms and excise have increased. The increase in the
customs duties during the six weiles from the sth of Jan.,
has been no less than 215,0001, I come now to the excise.
The produce of these duties to the sth of January in the
present year was 13,988,0001. Nothing can be more
remarkable than the extraordinary increase in the excise du-
ties during the lot 3 or 4 years, especially the duties paid on
article.i which enter largely into consumption as malt
and hops. I do not know whether we may expect this
increase to continue; but the revenue arising from the el-
ides duties may be regarded u a far more certain income, in
many respects, than the customs. On many articles the exact
charge is known before it is received, sad we are enabled,
thereeire, to a certain extent, to state exactly what the in-
come is. From this source, after consulting with the chair-
man of the excise board, I put down 13,705,003 i. as the
income fir the next year; but in this case else there is
an increase since the beginning of the quarter of not
less than 106,0001. ' • and it is not a little rfmark-
able, that even in Ireland the excise duties have in-
creased, and not to an inconsiderable amount, during the
last year. The stamps produced, ferthe year ending Jan. 4, '
7,505,0001. I assume that it will be the same for the next
year, or 7,500,0001. The land and assessed taxes produced
ut the same period 4,272,0001. I know no reason why they,
should not be the atone in the next year; but say 4,270,0001.
The property tax produced 5,390,0001. There has been a
surplus in this, arising from some extraordinary payments,
and in consequence there is an increase in this stem of
159,0001. since. the 18th of January, beyond the correspond-
ing period of last year. I will assume the revenue from
this source to be 5,300,0001. for the next year. The Pe st-
ofilee revenue I will take at the same amount as last rear,
viz., 840,0001., which is 5,0001. leader what the late Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer calculated it Rt. Crown lands, I
assume, will produce the same amount,l2o,eue/. The ratios,
miscellaneous items of revenue produced lip to the sth of
January, 427,0001. The calculation of the right hon. gen-
tleman (Mr. Goulbuni) was 300,000/, but subsequent to that
calculation being mode, there were paid in the surplus fees I
of this house, which will perhaps not be so large
in amount this year, but I think we may safely calculate on
30,00,21. from this source. I therefore take the miscellaneous
revenue 41 330,0001. This will make the ordinary revenue
for the financial year 1847-1819, 52,065 000/. I now come
to the expenditure. The Interest of the debt funded
and un'onded is 28,015,0001; the estimate of the
charger. -et the consolidated fund, excluding Ireland, are
2,522,0001., to which must lot added the charge ex-
plained by the right honourable gentleman last year, of
175,000/. for the expens, of the Irish constabulary
which previously had been paid by the Irish government,
making in all 2,700,0001., the amount of the national debt
and consolidated fund charges being altogether 30,745,0001.
The estirn des for the various service., except the miscella-
neous, are already on the table of the house; I will only refer
to them, therefore. shortly. The army vote is 6,275,0741.,
the militia 16.5,0001., the commissariat 410,0001., the
charge for the whole army 6,840,0711. Though there is an
increase in the army vote, there would be a decrease but for
the charge for deferred estimates for the War-office, for
one-third of the year, amounting to 192,000/.; but for this
there would ho a decrease of 3.3,0001. in the army vote.
For the navy the,vote is 7,061,87.11., being an increase over
the vote of last year of 77,0001. The estimate of the two
last years has been below the expenditure. I shall have, at
a later period of the evening, to state a vote to cover the ex- I
cess of expmditore for the year ending April last, and I am
afraid, from the arrangements which were made early in I
the year, that there will probably he an excess of expendi-
tore in the present year; but a considerable portion of this
increase is owing to the necessity of bringing up the esti-
mate to the expenditure. We have also had to increase the
marine force to the amount of 1,600 men, but my noble II
friend will more particularly explain this part of the vote
when introducing the naval estimates. The ordnance vote I
is 2,679.1271. This is an increase over last year's vote of
13.5,558!., but of that increase 67,2991 is due to
certain services, explained last year, for the par- I
pose of bringing the ordnance into proper order.
The remainder of the increase is partly owing to an increase 1
of the artillery to the extent of 1,200 men, and partly to the i
necessity of a change in our mode of maritime warfare— I
adding thereto the use of steam, and the putting into a better
condition many of our porta. (Hear, hear.) The sum to be t
taken for the miscellaneous votes is 3,700,000/. From that I I
have omitted any charge on account of Irish distress, and in
comparing it with the miscellaneous estimates of last rear, I i
must therefore omit for those estimates the sum of 132,0001., 5
which was included in them on account of Ireland by the i
right hon. gentleman opposite. In comparing these the I
miscellaneous estimates of last year, with tho.e of this year, 1
there is an increase of about 397,0001. Of that 171,0001, is
owing to half a-year's expenditure for certain purposes I
connected with the poor-law prosecutions, and the
maintenance of prisoners. Of the remainder a con-
sideyable portion is due to the necessity of provi- I
ding for the maintenance of convicts at home, instead I
of sending them to the colonies. A considerable portion is I
due al-o to increased printing and stationery for the two I
hinges of parliament, and some portion to an unexpected in-
crease in the expense of the new houses of parliament, and I
to other matters which I think had better be deferred until
the miscellaneous estimates are brought forward. (Hear,
hear.) The whole amount of these several estimates is
20,831,0771., making the whole ordivary expenditure I
51,576,0001. Sir, in the statement there made to the I
house, I have purposely omitted all sums required fur the
relief of distress in Ireland, whether by grant or loin, or in I
whatever shape the expenditure is to be provided for, with
the exception of the ordinary establishment of the Board of
Works, and the payment of such officers as would otherwise I
be employed, although for the time being employed in the ;
operation of measures for relieving that distress. I t now becomes I
my duty to state what I think the dlem Inds upon the E xtherier
will be for effecting that object. I must Brit beg of the corn- '
mittee to observe, that what is material for the present pur-
pose is not what may be ultimately charged, and that I am i
now about to speak of what sum will be required for the pre- I
sent season—(hear, hear)—because the system which was
commenced about this time last year, and continued since, is
this—that ail the money required for public relief is, in the I
first instance, advanced by the treasury. Whatever property it I
may ultimately be thrown upon, the landlords of Ireland, as I
regards this burden, have hitherto paid nothing. (Hear,
hear.) They have no doubt paid the poor-rate, which I I
find amounted :for the year 1846 to about 390,0001.; they
have paid their subscriptions to the relief fund and commit-
tees;
and I believe that a large body of them
have employed, to a great extent, the poor and
destitute of their respective localities. (Hear.) But
confining myself to the sums for the relief works, and the i
modes which have hitherto prevailed of administering relief,
I say that whenever and in whatever way the repayment of
them may take place, the whole is advanced front this court- '
try—l should not say front this country—but from the pub- '
lie treasury, and that system I believe it to be indispeembly '
necessary to continue for the present season. It is not easy
to state precisely what the amount of expenditure may be,
depending as it does upon a number of circumstances over
which we have no control, and which we cannot quite fore-
see. It is easy enough to state what the expenditure has
been in various ways up to the present time. As I said a
few nights ago, in answer to my noble friend opposite, the
expenditure on account of works in Ireland fur four weeks
in November has been 380,000/. ; for five weeks in Decem-
ber, to the 2nd of January, 742,0001. ; and Lei four weeks in
Janitary, 776,0001. To the present time the number of
persons relieved by these works has increased with frightful
rapidity. At the end of September the number of persons
employed was 3,000 ; at the end of October 150,000; at the
end of November 285,000; at the end of December 440,000;
and at the end of January 671,000. (Sensation.) The ex-
• of the permanent staff of the Board of Works for
January, including the pay to commissariat officers with.
drawn from other establishments, was 27.6001. The expen-
diture for the purchase of grain up tot:e present time has
been 295,0001.; but of this the or part, indeed
utterly the whole, will of coarse be repaid to the government
when the sales take place from our depots to the relief
committees. The issues from the Exchequer under the
Labour-rate Act to the 20th of February amount to
2,400,0001. Out of that sum there was issued to the Board
of Works and to paymasters of civil forces nearly 2,000,000/..
and in aid et the- relief committee since August to the
present time there has been issued 80,0001. This being so,
I don't think that I should be safe in saying that the ex-
penditure per month will fall very far short of 1,000,000!.
(Sensation.) For the month of January there has been
advanced 800,0001., and that does not include the whole
cap cditure. I have no doubt that this will vary materially
between this and the next harvest. The Treasury will re-
quire a certain diminution in consequence of the labour
which the seed time affords; on the other hand, the 'Emmet
months are notoriously those in which destitution prevails to
the greatest extent in Ireland. The number of persons,
therefore, requiring to be employed in June, July, and
August, will infinitely exceed the number employed at an
earlier period of the year and it was in reference to this
fact that trey right hon. friend stated that upwards d 2,005,000 of persons in Ireland were in a stale of dell-
tution for about three months of the year. Again, I as-
pect that we shall be able to effect no inconsiderable
by the different modes we propose of administering
I think that the assistance given through the medium of
what are called soup kitchens, and the relief committee.
be much cheaper than that afforded through public Muth
(Hear, hear.) On the other hand, looking to the enemas'
in the amount of destitution, and the difficulty of
obtaining food from domestic sources, I think it possible that
the number of persons requiring food may be increased. I
expect, however, that a considerable number of persons will
be taken off the relief works and employed by the landlords
of Ireland under the bill, which I sincerely hope may paw,
teethe improvement of their estates. I believe that that
bill will work well in Ireland, and from all the accounts we
have received on the subject I am sanguine enough to think
it will effect much good. This estimate is framed upon data
to include the relief of distress up to the gathering in of the
next harvest. But even if we entertained the meet san-
_ .
finding both employment and
to suppose that all calls
cease, or that for some
harvest, advances must not be
- up such a gigantic opens-
, in the country. Taking,
e probable demand as is pos.
a, I cannot estimate it at less
sensation)—which, with t',o
' make the total sues re-
peated or lent, for the
period of about a year,

gume expectations of then an ding
food for the people, it is impossible I
upon the public purse can then c
short period at least alter the harvest
made for the purpose of winding ni
Men as is now Ileum carried on in
4!' therefore, as fair a new of the pro
sible under the circumstances, 1 cm
than 8,000,0001.—(moch semiotic
•
2.000,0001, already advanced, will
spired to be expended or advanced,
*Wit distnr is Inland, for the
ss
dit