The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-11 00:00:00

article of which he would more gladly see
consumption of tea might have some influence in
eow-v•••••••••—.7—tchreit:.,hdereno
seam its impaling a duty almost upen any other COMIDO
to supply the deficiency in the spirit duties. (Rear.)
ditY,
H. ben now to ii.le whether the house or the coun-
try was satiefied with the existing trade with China ? China
bed a population of 300,000,000, and ety the trade of Great
Britain with her had never exceeded 2,000,0001. of annual
Why was that ? Was It from the suet of any
exports.
ty on the part of the Chinese—was it from soy want of
cug
oweeeeill mineiple among hem? On the contrary, the
Chinese nation was equally. distinguished for its industry
and the desire to turn that industry to the best account.
Vies it then that the Chinaman having strange notions of
peculiar contempt for the foreign barbarian
civilisation and a
hut raised moms obstacles in the way of intercourse
between the two nations? There load been a day when
apprehensions of that kind bad_ been. seriously entertained,
yew, .go it bad been said that such practices
and fifteen
would prevail, but in 1844 a meaty had been concluded with
them by which British manufactures were imported by them
per cent.—so that the ab-
et duties varying front I to 10
staeles to intercourse had not been created by the uncivilised,
but by the civilised—not by the barbarous but by the re-
geed, By the evidence of the British consul, corroborated
by the Bntisb governor, there tinted but one limit to
the trade between the two nations, and that Want ante from
the amount of duty at which this country admitted Chinese
exports. (Hear, bear,) New though the Chime
were celled an uncivilised people, still they per
Kama great Dignity, and he much feared that dill
country by its commercial policy towards them wee
teaching them a lesson which they would be quick to learn.
(gm. hoer.) From recent accounts it appeared they had
become apt on the subject of reciptual protection, and that
altbotuth they were bound by treaty from charging higher
rates of duty than those ha had stated at any port of import,
still be believed that the Chinese exporter had been the me-
Cum of communication between the British tariff and his
own government, and that though they could not lay em
British goods any increase of duties at the port of i
they had increased the transit and inland duties, tat
them graiLble to their revenues, and he feared th it if this
state of things long continued the uncivilised Chinaman
would be found to be an apt scholar in the school of pro-
hibitory duties, and that a hostile tariff would be esta-
blished in China which this country would have no
power to meet. (Hear, hear.) He had to thank
the house for the kindness with which, at that late hour,
it had 'Meisel to his observidions, whit* he bad compressed
Into the smallest possible limits. It was not for him to
divine what was intended on this subject by the Right Hen.
tie Chancellor of the Exchequer, but, looking to the near
approach of the financial statement, he (Mr. Cardwell) had
felt it due to the committee and to their chairman (Lord
Bandon, now the Earl of Harrowby), whose mantle bad in
some degree fallen upon him, that the report should not be
permitted to slumber. (Hear, hear.) In conclusion, and
SS s matter of form, he begged to more fora return of the
reports and correspondence received on the 'object of duties
from the governor and the consul in China. (Rear, hear.)
Mr. EWART seconded the motion, and sail he waited
with anxiety to learn what course her,Mejesty's government
intended to adopt beth with the tea and the tobacco duties.
He was, therefore, anxious to support the motion of his hon.
friend. The time was come when these duties must be con-
sidered, and when a comprehensive view ought to be taken
of the excise duties. There should be a general revision of
our whole taxation. (Hear) He was prepared to throw a
larger burden on accumulated property, but not on incomes.
(Hear, hear.) The result of this would be a considerable
relief to the trading and manufacturing interests, and the
springs of industry would thus be strengthened. (Hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that no
apology was necessary from the hon. gentleman opposite,
for introducing this subject. At the samo time he ought
not to argue too strongly on the present depressed state
of the trade with China; for his own statements
sufficiently accounted for it. On the opening of
the trade, the merchants had eagerly engaged in it,
and after can ying it on for a short time had found it a very
losing concern. 1 hat was almost universally the case on the
opening of any new trade. It had be. II notoriously the case
on trio opening of the trade with the states of South
America. The whole mercantile world at once engaged in
it, and the South American markets were consequently
glutted. The same had occurred with China. Many mer-
chants had cousequently found the trade a toeing concern,
and had given it up. In the same way the manufacturers
had suffered, and bad been deterred from sending more of
their fabrics to that market. The fact was, the Chinese
markets had been glutted in the first instance with
the quantity of manufactured goods sent from this
country; and however lamentable might be the check which
the trade had suffered, it was the natural result of the exces-
sive exports in the tint instance. He considered that more
stress had been laid on the diminution of the importations of
Chins in one particular year than was right, looking at the
permanent state of the trade in that country. In 1943, there
was an addition of about half a million to the imports, which
had increased from a million sterling in the preceding year,
to aboat a million and a half. In 1844, they increased to
2,300,0001.; and, in Pict, to nearly 2,400,0001. ;—more than
double the amount of 1812. It was hardly likely that all
this would be taken elf at once; and if, in the subsequent
year, there had been a considerable falling off under this
Lead, it was only what might have been expected from
previousexperience. With regard to the general trade, he con-
curred in almost every position which We hon. member for
Liverpool had laid down. (Hear, hear.) lie had not the
least douht that, by diminishing the duty on tea, the
con-
sumption would be greatly extended, and that, in course of
time, the revenue lost by lowering the duty would be made
up. Again, he Lad not the least doubt that the quantity of
goods sent to China must entirely depend on the returns
which could be obtained from that country, and that, by ad-
mitting tea at a low rate of duty, our exports to China
would be considerably extended, to the =Wiest benefit of
the consumers, muufacturers, and ship-owuers of this
country: also, that though considerable Ms. might be
entailed on the revenue, it would in the end be
made up by an increased consumption of tea. (Hear,
hear.) This warn not only true of tea, but of other
articles; the same argument had been applied to wine,
and also to tobacco ; and it was true of all articles
on which a high duty was imposed. As to the increased
consumption of tea diminishing the consumption of spirits,
he was not prepared to offer en opinion ; but he must gay
the consumption reduced than of spirits, provided the re-
veuue was made up from other sources ; and probably an in-
n. that respect. But he feared that if any such reduction were
' • made freah taxes must or necessity be imposed to make up
the immediate deficiency; for if, in the article of
sugar, for instance, the increased consumption were set
I off against the reduction of duty, be feared there would
be, for some years, a considerable loss. The hon. gentle.
man who had seconded this motion was in favour of an
ad valorem duty on tea ; but the committee had recom-
, mended a uniform duty of a shilling a pound; and he be-
lieved the advantages were decidedly on the side of a fixed
uniform duty. (Hear, hear, and " Very low.") But it
was quite impossible to reduce the duty to anything like
the amount recommended by the committee, without risk-
ing some two millions of revenue; end that was a risk not
very likely to be incurred just now. The hon. member n r
Liverpool had said that, on a former occasion, the distressed
state of the country bad been nude the ground for a con-
siderable reduction of taxation ; but he should remember
I that that reduction had been accompanied by the imposition
of the income tax. In like Runner, if they were now
to repeal the window duty, from which 1,700,0001. was
derived, or any other tax which brought in a considerable
revenue, it could only be done by the imposition of some
other tax, which would yield at least as great an amount ;
and whether the gentlemen who advocated these reductions
would cheerfully submit to an addition to the income tax or
to the property tax he very mnch doubt, d. (Ilea, and a
laugh.) On this subject it would be most improper in him
to anticipate the statement which the noble lord at the head
of the government would give in ten days' time respecting
the general finances of the country. He should therefore
best discharge his duty by not saying another wor ood the
part of this question which related to revenue. To the
motion of the hon. gentleman he had not the slightest objec-
tion. (Hear.)
Lord O. HENTINCK said the house had had some little
experience in the mode now proposed of improving the reve-
sue, namely, by " removing the burdens from the springs
of industry.' In 1838 the postage had been reduced to a
penny ; and now, a:ter a lapse of ten years, the revenue
from the post-office, then 1,800,0001., was but half that
amount. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member for Liverpool and
his friends had taken off the duties from timber, cotton, corn,
silk, and brandy, thereby nutting • present of so much of 1
our revenue to foreign nations. (Hear, hear.) He (Lord
0. Beatinck) had recommended, two years ago, that our
relations with China should be cultivated. In the United
States, with their 20,000,000 of inhabitants, only
19,900,000 lbs. of tea were annually consumed, aFI
though it was subject to no duty ; and the hon.
member for Liverpool was therefore a little un-
guine in calculating the increased consumption of tea,
with a reduction of ls. 2d. per lb. in the duty, at 22,000,000 of
pounds. Two years ago, when everybody appeared to be
free-trade mad, Mr. Olyr, and the directors of the North
Western Railway Company were induced to try the experi-
ment
of reducing their tariff; and the consequence was a
reduction in the shareholders' dividends from 10 to 8 per
cent. ; while the hen. gentleman near him (Mr. Hudson)
had strongly resisted the innovation on the Midland line, 1
I and their dividends were still undiminished. (Hear, hear.)
• He could not support the hon. member for Liverpool. 1
Mr. MOFFATT thanked the hon. gentleman the mem-
ber for Liverpool for the able and lucid manner in which he
introduced this subject. He did not think the noble lord
who had just spoken had succeeded in showing that a loss at
revenue must necessarily follow from a reduction of duty. ,
The Post-office revenue was within 5 per sent. of what it was
before the reduction took place, great as that reduction was.
bHinearn , hear.)
ese, an or
eeithomhctythtaotwasalm:iitieter ofitussitice.
itithute 1
tion of the duties on tea ought to be made. He did not
think with the right hon. gentleman (the Chancellor of the
Exchequer) that there would be anything like a loss of
2,000,0001. in the revenue. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. W. BROWN said that he had investigated the ques-
tion of the reduction of duties since 1667, and he found
that DP to the present time a reduction of duty had
been followed by increased consumption.
Mr. MASTERMAN thought that great credit was due
to the hon. member for Liverpool for bneging this question
under the notice of the house and the country.
Mr. BROTIIERTON thought there could be only one
opinion as to the propriety of reducing the duty, provided
the poor were to get the benefit of such a reduction. In the
year 1815 the consumption of tea in this country was
19,000,0001 M., which cost 3,500,0001.; in 1846, the con-
sumption was 46,000,000165. which cost 3,000,0001., that was
to sty they gave 500,0001. less for 40,000,0001 be, of tea in
1846 than they gave for 19,000,0001 M. in 1815. That
showed d a very great increase of consumption ; and,
if
eduty was reduced Is., he thought it reasonable
to "Mt that the consumption would be doubled.