The Express.
London, England, 1848-06-20 00:00:00

Were he the rseeeure of 1846, th the resent ma-
of the house abandoned theat principple of per-
jot sty
raiment protection. He thought the hon, baronet
bad somewhat overstated the ere r to the increased
import of slaves as attributable to the act of 1848.
He believed it would be found that the number of slaves
exported from the GOOFS of Aries in 1811 scarcely ex-
ceeded the number in 1848, and that the increment
export during the last t .o or three pen was owing rather
to the act of 1814 than to that of 1816. (Hear, hear.) But
the only way to put down the slave trails was to beat stare
lab 'us 10 °pea conipetition by the superior cheapness of free
labour production. They had tried all other means and
failed ; and a war no argument against the e terse they were
Low taking—the only course left, as he believed, fur effecting
the object—that the number of slaves exported had increased
under the operatiou of the act of 1846—even if it were a'.
With regard to the amount of protection, he found that the
committee on the coffee and fiver I lansations recommended
a differmitist duty of 113 s. tor six years; butt if the hon.
baronet's facts and a-gumeuts went to: anything, they went
to show that there Wall a cost of 15s. 90. between
the coat of slave labour sugar and free-lateen sugar,
and that nothing short of a permanent protective duty
to that amount se-void have the required effect of enabling
the West India colonists to compete with slave labour
countries. If that was the view of the hon. brow, he
could understand why he was no 1 roger prepared to abide
by the recommendations of the committee of which he wee a
member. But the committee went further, and agreed
with his (the Cheeei nor of the Eechequera) view, that
the ultimate pro-parity of the British West India pes-
sessions must depeud on their means of cares scully com-
peting with the foreign prairie rather than on any per-
manent protection—(Oear, hear)—and unless they were to
enabled to coicpete, were was but little hops of their
being restored to p. manta prosperity. If it was still the
opinion el parliament that sooner or later the British West
Indies must compete with the slave-growing colonic',
the question was how that competition could be
brought about in the beet and safest way. Front the evi-
dence taken before the committee it was shown that greet
reductions in the expenee et managing might he effected
without any loss in the amount of production. In one cse
the cost of management had been reduced from 2.3001. in
1813, to I,tiool. in 1846; and in another from 2.3001. in
1843, to 1.3001. in 1846. The evidence of Mr. B key, Mr.
loon, Mr. Greene sod others, also went so show that if pro-
tection were unly combatted fur a short time, and arrange.
ments were made fur • small Additional supply of labourer*
—a few thousands in a continuer stream—the rate of wages
might be considerably reduced withffut any real injury to
the labourers who, in consequence of the very high
rate of wages which they now received, enjoyed 'runes
to which lemons in a much h,gher station iu life in thin
country were stranger.. Iho loon. baronet had not stated
what ho recommend. el in lieu of the government plsn in re-
gard to the emigration of lab curers to the Wet Indies, but
he had eluded to contracts and had urg, d that permission
should be givers to enter into contracts fur labour for three
years. lie believed that the right hon. path man (Mr.
Gladstone) had permitted such contracts to be entered Into.
Mr. G LADSTONE—Hut excluding natives et Africa and
the Went
The CH ANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would not
enter into the detail.,but believed ti et it depended on the cola
laid le./Wirer, theinse.ves whether such contracts for labour
should be intend into, and his noble friend (Lord Grey)
since he bad Mee in office had nut refused his sanction to
any act of the colonial legislature tor that purpose. But it
was not quits certain that the contract system would act.
Mr. Tollemaehe, in his evidence, stated that it had been
tried in Antigua, ut he was not hiclined to think that it
anoweted. Toe object of the contract was to compel
the labourer to work for less than the oolinury
rate et wages. (No, no.) To that the re was no
objection, provided the labourer refusing to carry
out such • coetraet was not treated as a felon.
With regard to squatting, he heard no means srgested by
which it could oe effectually orevented. There were plenty
of laws on :he subject, but the difficulty was to enforce them;
and he must say, that the wont kind of squatting was pro-
&teed by the proprietors themselves, who drove the negroes
t.s a dishmice from their o states. The great difficulty was
admitted on all hands to he the want of labourers, but the
proposal they made of advancing money, or guaranteeing
the interest of a loan, it the colonial; m sal it themselves,
would enable them to meet that difficulty. But neither the
intrudaction of labourer, nor the other measures prep:wed,
would avail, utile ss they extendel to tee West India plantar
further time than was centemplated by the act of 1846. In
FO extending the tar, bow, see, he did not resider that
there was any depart ur, front the principle of that act. (Hear.)
It was stated as a matter of complaint, that, nwine to the
present clarification of sugars, the colonists did not get that
amount of protection which it was intendee they should
have, tecause the whole et the colored sugars was exposed to
competition with the best foreign sugar. That was stated
very clearly in the eviite ace of Mr Green. To remove this
ground of complaiut they pioposed to introit:me a new
elaseification of foreign muscovado sugar, and to divide that
which was now introdue,d under one denomination into two
clews, to he called brown clayed and muscovado. The lion.
gentli nom add that this plan w. uld be defeated, bee_use the
line sugar would come in as ineocovaeo. Everything de-
pended on the puha at which they fixed the standard, and,
after consulted. n that day with tae officers of the Bred of
Trade aid Customs, they were of opinion—but they would
not pledge themselves ateolutely to it—the the description co
urger which was now 35e. 61. long price in the market
sliould be the standard ut brown elayed sugar, and that all
below that should be entered at the muscovado rate. It
the present law remained uuchanged the West India
planters would only have a protection of 64. By the plan
which the goverion• sit propoied they would have a protec-
tion of 7s. ter the first y tar, Gs 6d. fur the second year, and
6s. fur the third year. But that was not all, for they pro-
posed to reduce the differential duty on rum, with respect
to which he was curet, i•ed that no mention had been made in
the recommendations of the committee. (Hear, hear.)
And this was not altogether valueless to the West Indian
interest, for a great increase hid taken place
in the quantity of ran entered for home consumption.
In 1846 the number of gallons entered amounted to
2,634,000; in 1847 to 3,330,000. And the quantity en-
tered was still on the iticrease ; for the number of gallons in-
troduced during the four first months of 1841 was 849,000,
whilst for tho four tint months of 1848 no less than
1,010,000 gallons came in. (Hear, hear.) These were the
advantages which they proposed to give the West Indians.'
They proposed to give them a higher protection than they
at present enjoyed, and to extend that protection three years
beyond the time for which it now existed. They proposed
to r•oluce the differential duty on rum, to advance money
to facilitate immigration, and they were prepared to consider
any suggestion for the suppression of vagrancy. Butthey were
not unmindful of the Tote rests of the consumer in this country.
(Hear.) He believed that the ieterests of the producers of
sugar and of the consumers were identical, anti that the pro-
ducers must ultimately look to increased production with
low prices for safety arid prosperity. (Hear, hear.) They
proposed to reduce the duty un colonial sugar is., and to in-
crease the differential duty between foreign and colonial
moor. He did nut think that the price would be thereby
enhances to the consumer for the present or next year, be-
cause in the first place there was a great quantity of sugar in
hand as compared with last year ; and secondly, there was a
tropect of a large production in the pres,ut year; and
thirdly, it was probable, from the state of the con-
tinent that a gnat portion of the sugar in the foreign
warehores would be brought to this country in the I
first instance. The stock in hand in the live chief
ports of the contirat and this country in the present
ear as compared with the quantity held last year was
143,0e0 tons against 103,000 tons, belie a difference cf
40,000 tons in lavour of the present year. He did not, for
these reasons, expect any enhancement of price during
the : resent or folio-sing year. The hon. gen leman said
that the production of the felonies was ens:L.l to the eon-
li
months'. iu this country, and could be even more ; but did
not the hon. gentleman see that if the colonies produced
more than was consumed in this country the surplus must
go into foreign markets, and therefore that the price must
depend on the price in those markets? But if, on the other
band, the colonies only produced fur this country, and tkat
at a high price, it was quite clear that the consumers would
not stand that high price, and that they would demand aa
uilherence to the principles of the eels of 1444 and 1846.
With regard to the effect of this measure oa the revenue,
which it was said this proposal would endanger, he could
only ash, if their proposition was likely to have any, such
effect, what would be the effect of the recommendation of
the committee ? The loss by their proposal would lie le. per
cwt., or 11 per ton, on colouial sugar; and as their con
emotion of colonial sugar, taking it at24o what
0001. it
But il was lasthe t yearre-
,
was 240,000 tone, the loss would be ,
commendation of the committee were adopted, the loss
would be 4s. a cwt., or 41. per ton, and on the whole
consumption of colonial sugar, 960,0001. (Hoar, hear.)
Ile dad riot know that there was any other point on which
it was necessary fi r him to afford further information to the
house. The question was, in what way permanent benefit
to the colonies could be promoted ? He believed that could
only be by a great consumption of sugar, and that that con-
sumption mutt take place in consequence of reduction in

price.
Mr. K. SEYMER said his object was to force upon the
government a reconsideration of this important question.
The right hon. baronet at the head of the late government
always appeared to him to entertain sound and statesmanlike
sic ws en this question. Ile viewed the question as one of
justice. The state of the colonies was awful. People were
every day falling into a lower grids. It was time for free-
traders to retrace their steps. Right as they might be in
their decimals, th-y were proved to be wrong in their mil-
lions. lie should give his decided support to the amend-
ment of the bon. baronet.
Mr. HUME concurred in the opinion that this was not •
question within the category of free trade, which supposed
that the parties acting upon it should be up .0 equal terms.
(Hear, hev.) Mr. Deacon Hume, in his evidence before the
committee, had given his decided judgment that while the
West Indies were placed upon as good terms, in respect to
free trade, as Cuba, Porto Rico, and other foreign colonies,
they could compete with the whole world in the sale of their
commodities; but that since the emancipation, which had
placed them upon an inequality with the slave-labour sugar
countries, they were not in • position to compete, without
something in the shape of protection, until they had secured
an ample supply of cheap labour. The whole annals of legisla-
tion did not present en ezamp.e of such monstrous injustice
as that which the parliament of Great Britain had inflicted
upon the West Indies. Every engagement we had made
with them we had utterly violated, and an intelligent witness
before the committee, Mr. Dines, had distinctly stated that
so gross had been the bail frith of the imperial legislature to-
wards the West Inuies, that the colonies had lost all faith
and confidence in that legislature. (Hear, hear.) As to
81nrtry, there were no means of putting it down but br ren-
uvulas tree labour weeper thins labour; and this was
the object which the free-traders nad always in view when
they advomted emancipation, fully convinced that free
labour, it it had a fair trial, would beat slave labour in