Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-09 00:00:00

land unequal system. We pride ourselves upon
1 the supremacy of our mercantile marine. It is
the boast of the United Kingdom to know that
there is not a sea or navigable river on the face
of the earth where our ships, great or small,
are not to be found pursuing the peaceful and
civilising art of commerce. Among the Parians
of the Celestial Empire, in India, on the Russian
waters, in the. Mediterranean, all over the
American continent—in, around everywhere, and
in every clime, do the trade connections and
pursuits of Great Britain and Ireland. extend.
Nevertheless, we cannot import timber for the
purpose of building or repairing our ships from
our own colonial possession, without paying a
duty, which we. kindly remit to the foreigner.
As a matter of course, our "Aberdeen clippers"
—those vessels famed for the swift passages
which they make—have to be constructed at a
greater cost, from the tax placed upon the raw
material, than other countries more favoured
can produce them at. Liverpool, Glasgow, and
Belfast, besides other places of minor note, have
made ship-building a great feature of their ports.
Our timber duties stare them in the face, and
they are obliged to compete with Brother
JONATHAN and other foreign ports, thereby
losing—or at least running- the risk of doing so
—their fair name, as builders of fast sailing and
strongly constructed vessels. This is followed
by a loss to such parties, and the shipbuilders
themselves are deprived of employment, and
either betake them to other pursuits, or seek in
foreign climes labour and a living which they
cannot find in their native land.

Independent of the above considerations,
there are others equally objectionable, because
their consequences are equally destructive to the
prosperity of the country. From the fact that
ships cannot be constructed or repaired in this
country on equal terms with those built in
countries which do not tax ship-building woods,
the shipowner is, as a matter of course, unable
to charter his vessels at the same rate as the
foreign shipowner. This throws much of our
carrying trade into the hands of other countries,
and, as many foreign vessels can, by the nature
of the commercial treaties existing between
their country and Great Britain, clear out duty
free, the revenues of the country lose thereby.
Enough has been said to show that, view the
matter as we may, it is one on which are
broadly stamped, injustice and partiality—that
discourages the trade of this country, gives
foreigners an advantage over our artisan popu-
lation, and must ultimately tell against us, a
ship-building people. Lord STANLEY, or his
coadjutor, Mr. LOWE, could not employ their
time to better advantage than to do away with
the anomalies, the inconsistencies, and the
restrictions to which we have alluded. The
exercise of their talents in this cause, will confer
greater benefit upon the people than the concoc-
tion of a dozen bills for the abolition of local
dues on shipping. In the one case, a truly
national benefit will be conferred; in the other,
the grasping purpose of jealous clique can only
be promoted. Should they fail to do so, it is
not too much to expect that Lord PALMERSTON
" will give the matter his personal attention."
The question is one which cannot remain
Unadjusted. The whole community have too
great a stake in it to permit any government to
overlook it for any length of time.

THE COTTON SUPPLY.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

A PUBLIC Meeting has been called for Friday next, to
consider the subject of a larger supply of Cotton. We are
pleased to notice that the Secretary of the Association for
depriving Liverpool of her lawful Town Dues has found
better employment, as Secretary to the Association for
obtaining an increased supply of Cotton Wool.

Doubtless a great deal may be said on this subject—and
patriotic and praiseworthy it is beyond all doubt—but we
question ♦ery much if one single individual attending tha
meeting dreams of the object being attained by the efforts
of this Association. Let us inquire, for a moment, what
is the great aim in view ? In plain terms, it is " cheap
Cotton." Whether it will remunerate the planters to grow

it cheap, is not worth attention to a cotton spinner but
the Association may be sure that planters will study that
part of the argument ac well as the patriotic view of the
subject.

At the prices now current it will pay handsomely to
grow Cotton ; and if those prices be maintained, it
will be grown to the heart's content of all Lancashire.
But let us warn the trade. Are not the means
n..w set in motion to obtain cheap Cotton, the very
means to open the eyes of the grower, and prevent him
over-planting ? We strongly prognostigate that the
planters in the United States will look upon it in this
light, and will say, " No, gentlemen, we see what you
want, you want us to grow double crops, to reduce prices
or your benefit and our ruin," and the end will be that
they will mako no effort to plant more, but go on in their
old plan of growing the acreage they have negroes to
cultivate, with ease and comfort to themselves.
It is very fine to talk of India—spinners know well
enough it is not East India Cotton they want—they want
the fibre, and colour, and cleanliness of the Cotton grown
in the Southern States of America, and this the East
Indies have never, and never will produce.

Brazil, Egypt, and the West Indies, produce long-
stapled Cotton, and that is not wanted—there is enough of
it now, and no one grumbles at its price, as the profits
realised by spinners of this class of Cotton for years back,
and at the present time, are handsome, almost to the
term of " coining." Every one knows that the cultivation
of Cotton can be increased to a great extent in these three
quarters, but growers know well that they will " sup
sorrow" if they do.
We do not wish for one moment to disparage or throw
any obstaele in the way of this new Association. We say—
"go on and prosper ;" but we do think that the old story of
"Love's LabourLost" may be applied to these gentlemen,
for they, and we, nod every one in the trade know well
that the cure is now in course of application—price. It
may be a blister for the moment, but it will be a strengthen-
ing plaster in the end.

Before concluding, we would ask one question : Has
not the price of Cotton, for an average of years, been too
low ? It has : it could not be grown, at the prices

averaging of late, to leave a sufficient remuneration to the