The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-03 00:00:00

REPEAL OF IHE DUTY ON PAPER.

MEETING AT THE LONDON TAVERN.
Last night a numerously attended meeting was
held at the L ndon Tay. ro, for the purpose of anopting
measures to obtain the abolition of the tax on paper, Mr.
COWAN. M.P., in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said that it was with elms little reluc-
tance he consented to preside at that meeting, hems* It
might naturally be supposed that • person who had a peen-
piety in erect et who was supposed to have such an interest.
had a private interest in the repeal of the tax on paper.
There were these, however, whe thought that they had an
In the maintenance of the tax, and that it would
be injurious to them to have it removed. (No, no.) That was
their opinion not his. But the pecuniary consideration mascot
the only point involved. He himself wished to be feud
from the restrictions imposed on the paper manufacturers,
bat if the trade was a monopoly the sooner it was got rid of
the better for the country at large. (Hear, hear.) He
would leave it to ethers to *adieu them on the injury which
the tax did to literature, and would confine himself to
givlog a few illustrations of the enormous amount of most
useless labour which the manufacturers of paper were celled
on to perform, and tne superfluous waste of time to
which they wore subject from the detention of the
manufactured article in the mill. At the beg!aning of
the century thew were terenty.seven exciseable articles,
of which there remained but six or seven at the present
time. Of these there was bat one article which bore on the
face of it peseta facie evidence of the duty having bean
charged by means of the fesetned on it. That article
was paper. The absence of this label subjected the mann-
facturer to a tax of 101. ; it used to be 1401. There was but
one article subject to detention for a single moment after the
duty bad been charged. That article was paper. Yet one
would think that itshould be the other way, in consequence
of paper hearing the label on the face of it. But the cone
teary was the fact, for the exiles obliged the manufacturer to
keep his paper 24 hours boors he could seed it out;
end this time was calculated from the period when the
officer visited his work. The process of charging the
paper was also a peculior one, for the paper label which was
panted on must be dry before the duty was charged. When
Mae had to be done with r. gard to every description of paper
end on every ream ; and when, moreover, it had to be
weielsed and wrapped up by the officer it imposed an amount
of labour and consumed a quantity of time, which was very
singular in this so called free trade country. If no much
time was uselessly expended in the manufacture of any other
articles—such as gloves for instance—it would not be allowed
to continue a wes k, tor the voice of the country would be
instantly raised ',meanie it. (Hear, beer.) It was because
the met manufacturers were &small body scattered over the
country, and were not coucentra•ed in • par: ivilar
locality like the manufacturers of Birmingham and Sheffield,
that these unfair restrictions ware allowed to continue.
(Hear, hear.) He wished to exhibit to them a specimen of
paper which had been manufactured some time ego in the
county of Gloucester. The cost of the raw article was 2s. a
cwt. or 21. • ton. It was made in fact from wheat straw, a
fact for which he could vouch. But hear it—all agricultural
protectionists and squires—the duty was 14.. 91 on an article
which cost in its raw state but 2a. (Hear, hear.) The
article which he had shown them was deemed paper by the
excise, because water was mixed up in its preparation. It
was reduced in bulk and became paper or millbeard. Here
Was another article which was not celled paper, because it
was manufactured in a dry state: it was not formed
into a state of pulp, and, ecuseeqsawly, it superseded the
enormously taxed article which WWI formed with water.
' The duty was 700 or 800 per cent. on the original value of
the article. The duty on cotton wool wan repealed by Sir
R. Peel in consequence of the rrong representations made
by the manufacturers of England, although the duty was
only Eve-rixteenths of • Id. per lb. ; he did ant object to
that, because he thought the tax was unjust. But the raw
materials of their London journals came from the sweep.
logs of the mil!e, and to lead it with a tax of lid. per lb.,
together with the restrictions he before alluded to, was a
stigma on a country that prided itself on ita freedom. (Hear)
One of the *out features of the tax was that it was • t.: on
labour.( Hear.)T hey were in the habit of riaicuting theChineee
beams* they were in the habit of confining the female foot
within the smallest possible limits. But did not they follow
a somewhat similar course la this matter when they culthed
the labour of that clam within the smallest possible boueds ?
He had been told that 30,000 females found employment in
' Peril in the manufacture of paper boxes, and that when
ladies mode purchase. their goods were not handed to them
in whitybrown parcels, hut in tastefully made paper boxes.
These hoses came into this country at an ad valorem duty
of 10 per cent, whilst there was • tax of 1001. or 2001 per
cent. ou the raw material if manufactured at home. (Hear.)
He ko sw that paper of various descriptions came into British
ports, and was mist into British colonies free from duty
to the displacement of that which was manufictured in tt.ie
country, and carrying those beautiful excise hieroglyphics
which made them puss off as a real British article. Ile had
said that 30,000 temaln I. and employment in Paris, in the
manufoeture of paper byes; and in the prts,nt day when
' they read of such and nod deplorable details of female
wretchedoeu in this country, owing to the want of employ-
ment, was it right or itiet to that suffering portion of the
community to decoarage • branch of industry ethical would
give employment to females is the construction of useful
articles, but from which they were now debarred by this vile
and moostrous law. (Hear ) Another elate of sufferees
from t'.is law were the letter ?rem printers. He knew that
they suffered great private ma at times both in Ella
I burgh and in London, and that they bore their I
trial. with unexampled patience. (Hear, hear.) Bat
he hoped the day was not far distant Wart the press Of
this country would be made really free, and liberated from
those trammels which now confined it. (Cheers) They
bad great encouragement. 17p to 1839 the government had
the monopoly of printing the Holy Scriptures in Seorlend.
But after the monopoly was abolished, there was an mew.
mous demand for the Holy Scriptures, and they sold to
three times the extent they did put ot.ly. (Hear, bear.)
rhe monopoly still existed in England, and although they
professed to make it free from any tax. individuals were
enabled to acquire spacious demesnes, in consequence of the
monopoly being kept up. (Him, bear.) The time for this
movement was well chosen. A half century of groat
chonge end ex raordinary progress had just closed,
and he rtjeiced that the commencement of the present half
century was marked by a movement for the repeal of the
texts on knowledge. (Hear, hear.) The peony postage—a
work which retitled Mr. Rowland Hill to be considered one
of the b. octet ors of the world—(cheer.)—come into opera-
tion in the last half century. The design of the beauti ul
palace in Hyde Park had been conceived, and all honour was
due to the illustrious prince who originated it. ("Hear, beer,"
"No, ao," end t•issis.) Redid not wish to excite diecuesiou
en that point. Ha would only say that the continuance of
the tax on paper was unjust, and he rejoiced that it woi,ll
be no longer necessary for them to go to prime minister. or
shancellors of the exchequer, from whom they might get hut
• shilling reception, but to the people. (Hear, hear.) HP
was gl•d the venue was changed from Downiog street to
the House of Commons, and he hoped his hon. friead, Mr.
GiMon, would renew u'xt union his motion for the moan-
eipation of the country from the trammels by which it was
so unjustly crippled. (Cheers.)
The SECRETARY read the following letters from Mr.
Hume, M.P.:
" Burnley Hall, Norfolk, Dec 26, 1860.
" Sir,—l have this day received your letter requesting
that I will allow my name to be on the committee of the
Amteiation fir the Total Repeal of the Excise Doty on
Paper; and I request you will assure the committee that I
comet entirely in the policy of that repeal, and am reedy
to afford every emirates in my power toward. that meet
important object. Before the receipt of your letter, I had
written privately to Sir Charles Whd, calling his attention
to the window tax and the tax on raper, as the two hest
tales that ought to be removed ; but I have not had any
answer hots biro as yet. In addition to the remota assigned
in the resolutions of the 21st inst., for the repeal of the
paper tax, i have sated to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
thou importance of the repeal to the cause of education end
anti-And instruction, towards which the total repeal of ex .is
laws oe paper auuld be moat important. Whilst the
onus' deem of the weill-iaformed persons in the country
is now directed to remove ignorance, to Irwin crone,
end to raise the moral and social condition of the
masses of the people, by edgesti fa • and whilst the
parliament is voting annuary 300,00d1. from the taxes
towards the education and improvement of the people, it is
an error and inconsistency, quite unpardonahle, to retain
upon paper the heavy too now levieri, and thus to counteract
the very object which the wisest policy of parliament has
declared it necessary for tits public welfare, dc., to be f
lowed. That reason alone ought to induce the House of
Commons to repeal the tax upon paper; but, when all the
other reasons stated in your resolutions, and also in a
pamphlet this day published by Charles Knight, entitled the
Case of the Authors as regards the Paper Duty,' are brought
forward, lam sanguine of summa. If the committee shall
be of opinion that my name as • committeeman would be
useful to forward the obja t, I very willingly agree to their
request; but as I cannot attend to the proceediegs of the
committee, I do not with to incur coy responsibility as to
expenses. I shall not be in London till the first week la
February; but, when in London, shell cadially cooperate
with the committee for the total repeal.
" I remain, your obedient servant,
JOSEPH Erma.
"Yr. George Hu/gait, Secretary, rite."
"Darnley Hall, Norfolk, Mb December, IMO.
ft Sir,—l request you will state my regret that engage-
meets preclude my being in London to attend the meeting
on Thuredey neat but that I entirely concur in the pro•
pricy, the policy, and justice, of removing the excise duly
tram paper, and giving that branch of nernulacture, and ell
the others that are affected by the tax, the chance of fair
competitition with the world. The entire repeal must be
chit ined ; and the necessary publicity must be given to the
eviis resulting to society from the tax, to assist as in prin.
meat la demanding the repeal.
"I remain, your obedient servant,
" Jotting iirsta.

"Mr. George Haggett, Beere:ary, ac.,"
Mr. .1. CLSSELL moved the first resolution, as follows :
" That in the opinion of this meeting the duty on pacer le
emphatically a Mx upon skill and industry, as it itICIWell
the cost of so article of general consumption, and limits the
field of production, thus interfering with the employment of
the capital and labour engaged in a great va•isty of trades
and occupations, slid affecting ler directly but most inju-
riously the interests of the public at large ; and that in its
effects it is vexatious and netqual, necessarily creating de-
lays and difficulties is the way, both of the mannfarurer and
the consumer." The object they bad in view was identified
not only wilt the commercial plesperity of the country, bat
with its moral and intellectual welfare, and as such was de
•erei•3g of the co-operation of all who were Mereited in the
maimed weal. (Rear, bear.) Ile n an en
tract in a Birmingham paper in which it was stated that
30,00)1. lied been paid in duty in eienulacturicv what
oust only %COO! , and that one merchant alone paid 6001. fn
the peps: Jo which the goods which he sent out to Jamie