The Express.
London, England, 1848-07-08 00:00:00

gift% marl
Byarmds •

1,0111016

Dout?le

Single reliwd
Hrowaclttyed,oreqoaltbo

'Prom July 3, 1848,
to 1
~ly 1.04.

el 1 9
I 4
1 I 7
• IS II
• • lt

Muscovido

July 3,1334.

Ramo rake as
Britil/ Plantation.

His object was to continue the duties at nearly th, it present
rate for a period of six seam, and thus arrest the progress of
the bill of 1846 for that term. The only change he proposed
to make in the present arrangement was in the standard
sample by means of which tho duty was levied. Instead of
white c'ayed and brown cloyed, he proposed to have only
one class for all elayed sugars, and this would give the Iltitieh
producer an average protection of fie. per cwt. for six yearn.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. said that,
emit was the duty on muscovado sugar which was under the
consideration of the committee, the first dividon tin-•t lie
taken on the qucetion whether that duty should he 13.. or
14s. as promised in the scheme of the hon. member.
The bon. member propo.ed, in the first place, to
raise the duty en foreign brown el eyed sugar to
11. in. 7e1., instead of leaving it at 20a., as proposed
by the government. He proposed to ennintasu that
duty for six years, and to maintain British muscovado at 14s.
for the same period, instead of adowitig it to fall gradually.
But be did not confine hen foreign duty to brown cloyed,
for he added in his schedule "or equa. thereto." The hon.
member contended th it the process of claedfication wou:o
be rerdered more simple, but he (the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer) contended the'. nothing could be plainer than the
mode adopted at present. The elf ct of the first part ef the
hon. tuenthei's resolution would lie to raise the price of sugar
Is. 7d. per cwt. to the consumer, and would give less protec-
tion to the producer than the government proposition. Next
the hon. member proposed that his duties 'Mould continue
for my. •std then ilr,p alt at once. Barely the effect
on trade would be greater by such a promising than if the
committee adopted the plan of government. The third objee •
tion was, that the duty on colonial sugars would be 14s. instead
of lac as proposed by government; and this, while from
every island complaints were coining that the high duty
was one of the greatest evils of which the colonists cm-
plaMed. (The right hon. gentleman here read an extract
from a Jamaica memorial in proof of his assertion.) They
(the government) propmeil to give to the consumer security
for permanent cludtication and gradual reduction he price,
while, as they conceived, the colonists would have greater
virtual protection. This would involve a loss to the revenue
of 240,0001. in the first instance, coil the question was
whether it would be ultimately mile up by increased con-
sumption.
The beneficial i.ctien of the low prim on the revenue
would not be confined to the year in which t e reduction
took place, but would be permanent, ina.much as the habit
of consuming sugar would be promoted by the power of the
people to consume. Taking the. average consumption now
at 35111. per bead, and giving credit for re reasonahle increase
consequent upon i repro red trade and add iti. nal e niploymentof
which there was every prospect, he saw no reason why the total
ooneumption should not amount to 305,000 or 310,000 tone
in the next year ; and should that the case, and if the
chief increase should be in colonial sugar, the hos to the
revenue would be much lees than had been calculated.
Perhaps there would be no loss at all. At all events, at the
end of the six years, he had every reason to believe the
increased consumption would fully make up for the total
reduction proposed. But an int rease of duty, while it would
iollict an injury on the consumer, would in the end OIC•111011
a lOU to the producer. He did not think that a 14s. duty
would give to the colonial grower espial advantages'
to those which he would dr rivet from the government
plan; and belicylne that that plan would, without ultimate
risk to the revenue, benefit both dm 0011611021 r and the pro-
ducer, he Inuit oppose the proposition of the hon. gentleman.
Mr. OLAD:4TONE observed that the proposition before
the house was whether this duty on colemiel muscovado sugar
should be 13s. or 145.? and so far as that was concerned
many might give their vete s —as lie should do—in favour of
it, without feeling bound to support the ulterior stages of the
resolution in recant to the differential duty. He had
already stated that it appeared to him more was due to
our West India colonies Wei could conveniently be given
to them—in the form of a protective duty. (lime, hear.)
lie had referred to s_veral modes by which, as by giving
them more central over their receipts and expenditure, the
expenses; of their government might be dimini-bed. (Hear,
hear) If justice could be done to the West Indies in such
form, he should prefer it to any increase in the rate of differ.
antial duty now existiuz, siz , Ge. ; and he should in that
L ease have preferr, tl the rate of duty to be fixed permanently.
But as the government hal said nothing to show that they
were contemplating the extension of relief to the West In-
dies
is any of these forms he should hold himself free to
Wahine with his hon. friend iu the ulterior stages of his
propo.ition, and vote for a differential duty higher than he
should otherwise prefer—not that he thought that the best
mode of proceeding, hut because if was the only one by
which it appeared relief could be riven. But the immediate
question was as to tLe proposition of the 14s. duty. lie
must say that the Weet holies had a claim on the govern-
ment on account not only of considerations of general policy,
but of the extraordinary circ'amstancei connec:ed with the
admission of the large quantity of foreign sugar released
from bond yesterday at toe low duty, and of still further
quantities entitled to be released, besides the cargoes amount-
ing, as he wall informed, to 20,000 or 30.000 tons which
were either now on their way to this country or had been
ordered, anti on which the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would find it difficult to exact the 20e. duty after the sugar
in bond was admitted at the reduced rate. 10,000 or 12,000
tons of that sugar, in respect to which the West Indies
were promised a protection of 20,., were admitted yesterday
at lee. hid., and much more might have to be admitted on
the same terms. If se, it was obvious the boon of the addi-
tional protection of la. 6,1. a ton would have been effectually
destroy ed,so far as the purpose for which it was proposed—viz.,
that of giving immediate relief to the colonies was concerned.
This was an additional reason for introducing some modifica-
tions in the government plan. Undoubtedly the plan of hie
hon. friend would raise the price to the consumer by Is. 74.,
or nearly so, per cwt., and, therefore, was not so attractive at
first sight as the ministerial measure. But if that measure
was one—as he contended it was—which involved a risk of
loss to the revenue without providing the means of restoring
it, it was vain to talk of advantage to the consumer, because,
in the end, the consumer would be called upon to make good
whatever deficit might result. (Hear.) The house had
gained something by these discussions as to what the effect
of the government plan on the revenue would be. To-night
the Chancellor of the Exchequer told them th .t 240,0001. was
the sum which would be given to the West Indies by his
plan in the next year. The lons was no longer put down at
from 10,0001 to 40,0001., hut 210.0001. (Hear, hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—If not
made up by increased consumption. (Hear.)
Mr. CILA.DSTONE would come to that presently. But
in addition to this 240,100/., the foreign sugar admitted con-
trary to the intention of government at the 18s. Gd. duty
instead of the 20s. duty, would occasion a thither loss of
50,0001., thus making the total loss to the revenue 300,0001.
in the first year as resulting from the scheme of the govern-
ment. (Hear, bear.) Then so far as the first year was can-
cerned the hon. member for Westbury had admitted that
there was no reproductive power in the plan, but that the
whole would be sneer 1064 to the revenue, inasmuch as there
would be no such reduction in price as would be likely to
occasion increased consumption. And as to the plan gene
rally they had, he thought, heard much more of this ref re-
ductive power than it deserved, for though a reduction
of some 10e. or 150, a cwt. at one time might have a con-
siderable effect in stimulating consumption by reducing
price, they could scarcely expect that a reduction of Is. one
year, 2s. in the next, 3s. in the third, or 4s. in the fourth, I
would have any material influence. The Chancellor of the
Exchequer talked of the experience of former reductions at
duty in this respect, but all experience was against him.
Taking the figures which had teen quoted by ministers
themselves, they could not calculate, even under the most
favourable circumstances, for an increase of more than
2,000 to 3,000 tons for every le. of reduction in price, which
would be altogether insufficient to replace '240,0001. in the
first year, 480,0001. in the second, 720,0001. in the third,
and 960,0001. in the fourth year, the amount which would be
taken from the revenue.. After the four years the repro-
ductive power resulting from the reduction of the differ-
ential duty would come into play, and then they might be
entitled to expect that the loss to the revenue would be in
a great degree replaced by increased consumption, but daring
these four years it would come very feebly into play, and is
the first year not At all. It was said that there would be an
increase of consumption is the first year—his objection, how-
ever, was not confined to the effect on the first year; but he
objected to the 'principle of appropriating beforehand the
revenue of future years, and on that ground also he pre-
ferred the plan of his hon. friend to that of the government.
(Rear.) lie knew not what ground the right hon.
gentleman had for expecting an increase of 15,000
or '20,000 tons in the first year, but if there should
be such as increase the right hon. gentleman hail no right
to appropriate one farthing. of the revenue thus accruing as
a set oil' for the loss occasioned by his plan ; for he must
have taken that into account when ho made up his revenue
for the year in February last. But what ground was there
for supposing that :here would be say such increase 1 The
first five months of the year which, if the Chancellor of
the Exchequer was correct in his calculation, should show
en increase of 6,000 or 7,000, showed, if anything, a (le-
crease as compared with the first five months of 1847.
The consutnption in the first five months of 1847 was
2,473,000 cwta , while in the first five months of 1848 it
had been 2,455,000 cwts. (Hear, hear.) But in the
fifth month of 1848, as compared with the fifth
month of 1847, there was • more decided dee:ewe;
the amount in May 1847 being 55,4,000 cwts., while in May
1813 it was only all,ooo mete. (Hear.) The right hon.
gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer had argot d that
because there had been en increase in consumption without
any marked decrease in neje:, in 1846, they might calculate
on the same result in 1348—but the right hon. gentleman
must remember that 1846 was a year of great trade, and
when the commercial energies of a. country were in full ac-
tion there was always a corresponding expenditure and in-
creased revenue ; but when, as at the present time, those
energies were contracted, there was always a contrary effect.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer had made an announce-
ment which was received as music in the commercial world,
when he spoke of the deficiency for the present year being
only half a million instead of 2,000,000. (Hear and a laugh.)
But finding that that announcement had some connexion
with the practice, which he considered co dangerous, of odd.