Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-03-19 00:00:00

ANTI-INCOME TAX ASSOCIATION,

The monthly meeting of the committee was held last
evening, Mr. York in the chair. There were also present
Mr. Inman, Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Kerr, Mr. Rigby, Mr.
Lathbury, Mr. Paterson, solicitor, and Mr. Neilson. Mr.
Lathbury, the honorary treasurer, reported that additional
members had been enrolled since their last meeting, and he
was proud to inform them that he had received intelligence
from friends of his, that branch associations would have been
formed both at Manchester and Birmingham, but it was
considered unnecessary, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer
stood pleged to the abolition of the income tax in 1860.
Admitting this to be true, still he would much rather have
witnessed some spirited demonstration on their part. It
would have materially assisted them in the struggle for the
overthrow of this obnoxious tax, and would have given to the
parent institution that support and tone to which it was so
justly entitled. Although the opponents of the present
Government were doing all they could do to persuade the
public that _this vexatious impost would never be repealed,
and that the present Chancellor of the Exchequer never
intended it, he (Mr. Lathbury) differed with the detractors
of that distinguished man, and reposed every confidence in
the sound and anti-democratie administration of which the
Earl of Derby was the talented leader. He would never
doubt their keeping faith with the country on this
impor-
tant question, until the future had revealed to them that
that confidence was destroyed. it was the only true way by
which they could form a just opinion, and the result ere very
hug, flying on electrical wings, would be known throughout
the farthest recesses of the British empire. Of course he
might be mistaken in the exalted opinion which he enter-
tained of the present Chancellor of the Exchequer ; but at
the present moment he could not help feeling that the
descendant of the author of " Curiosities of Literature "
could not be guilty of that faithlessness which had un-
fortunately marked the career of so many public men with
- • and disgrace. The annually irritating annoyance
ignominy
of this obnoxious tax, with its marked injustice, had long
been felt by the overworked and heavily-taxed people
of England ; and he cherished the hope that it was
reserved for the present Government to extinguish
it for ever, and prove to their fellow countrymen
that their integrity was, as it ever had been,
unimpeachable. They could have no better proof of
the Government's desire to exercise a wise economy in the
distribution of those vast sums entrusted to their care than
was to be found in the naval estimates which have been
submitted to the country by the Right Hon. Sir J. Paking-
ton. It was to that arm of the service that England must
direct all her mighty energies, and let them look to the very
moderate sum asked for the ensuing year, £9,813,181, being
only £961,860 in excess of the former year, and he would
ask them whether they had a truly Conservative administra-
tion or otherwise ? The First Lord of the Admiralty
bad wisely told them their true position, that the
continental powers knew well the strength and bearing of
the British navy, and that no better system could have
been devised by the wit of man tobring our naval supremacy
into contempt than was exhibited in the tardy manning of
our fleets—some vessels of war lying 130 days, and others
110 days before they could receive their complement of
men. Was there not a great moral in this sad picture ?
He (Mr. Lathbury) thought there was, and a fearfully
grove one to contemplate. But, he would ask,
could it be wondered at on reflection ? Warriors, like
themselves, were but men ; and when they read from
a Parliamentary paper that in the year 1857, there were
1,087 men flogged in the royal navy, and the number of
lashes inflicted 35,847, and in the five years ending 1857
there were 5,823 men and boys flogged in her Majesty's
ships, on whom 187,779 lashes were inflicted, could they
feel astonished at the deep-rooted disgust which the brave
and hardy tar had naturally felt for a system so brutal ? Or
was it to be wondered at that their ships could
not be manned by those daring sons of Neptune ?
Certainly not. Well, indeed, might it be remarked by a
London journal—" That when such, facts fall under
our notice, we are surprised, not that the fleet does not
get men, but that the men do not desert in a
Wdy, as they had done before. " Instead of
treating these brave fellows like dogs—men on whom old
England must depend in her hour of peril---let their ocean
home be made much happier, let the degrading lash be
abolished, their pay augmented, and all useless expenditure
and extravagance at home be curtailed to meet the just re-
quirements of those on whom the country's safety so much
depended---their world-renowned sailors and soldiers. Mr.
Lathbury concluded by giving them the most heart-stirring
and justly-merited compliment that he had ever heard paid
to the British tar. It was from the touching pen of
that classic historian, Sir Archibald Alison. It was,
indeed, affectingly true, Sir Archibald says : " The world
had never seen such a body of seamen as those of Eng-
land during the: revolutionary war. Dauntless to their
enemies, yet submissive to their chiefs ; brave in action, yet
cool in danger ; impetuous in assault, yet patient in defence ;
capable of the utmost efforts of patriotic devotion, yet
attentive to the most minute parts of naval discipline
submissive to orders equally when facing the muzzles of
an enemy's broadside, or .braving the storms of the northern
ocean ; capable of enduring alike the vertical rays of
the torrid zone or the frozen severity of an arctic
winter ; cherishing amidst the irregularities of naval life
the warmth of domestic affection ; and nursing amidst the
solitude of the waves the ennobling sentiments of re-
ligions duly. By such virtues, not a transient, but
an enduring fabric is formed. It is by such fortitude
that a lasting impression on human affairs is produced."
Mr. Neilson reported that since the last meeting he had
been kindly furnished by our respected member, T. B.
Horsfall, Esq., M.P., with copies of the evidence before the
committee of the House of Commons in 1852 on the mode
of assessing and collecting the property and income tax, and
whether any other mode of levying the same, so as to
render the tax more equitable, can be adopted. These blue
books were now valuable as a source of reference,
and as affording abundant evident of the hopeless-
ness of the task of ever placing the principle on an
equitable basis, so as to affect equally all classes of the
community. With regard to Mr. Kerr's case, as reported
last month, their solicitors had promptly brought that
question to a satisfactory conclusion, from which the pub-
lic would see the advantage the members enjoyed in having
their rights protected against the present law system ; and
in this 'instance it was well that the saddle was put on the
right horse, so that the collectors would be more alive
to their duty for the future. The apology is as follows :
" Liverpool, Feb. 16, 1859.—Mr. Kerr,—Sir, in respect of
the distress made by me upon yonr house in Upper Stanhope-
street for income tax, I beg, as a condition on settling the
matter between us, to state that I am sorry that in exercise
of my duty I should have given you so much just cause of
complaint. I beg to state that the difference and annoyance
was created by my not having been informed by Mr.
Collector Owens that you had paid the amount. Had I
been informed by him of this circumstance the
distress should never have been made ; but to avoid
any, proceedings I am willing to pay to you £5 14s 6d
for repayment of the amount distrained, with
the expenses incurred by
you.—JOHN LONGWORTH!'
ft might not be out of place (continued Mr. Neilson), to
show that the carrying out of free trade measures under the
late Sir Robert Peel's act of 1842 has tended far more to
the benefit of commerce and manufacture than to the class
who are dependent upon fixed incomes for their support.
In proof of this it may be stated that when Sir Robert
reimposed the tax he laid down these threefold propositions,
viz.:—First, Of meeting the existing deficiency in the
revenue, and of restoring the finances. Second, With
a view to the relief of commerce. Third, With a view
to cheapen the cost of subsistence, as some com-
pensation for the new tax which he imposed.
During the nine years from 1842 to 1850, the entire amount
of taxes remitted was £10,251,294, which are thus devis-
able: - Custom duties, £8,218,958; excise duties, chiefly
glass and bricks, 1, 431,280 ; stamps, £598.056 ; total,
£10,251,294. Now, in reviewing the list of articles reduced
or repealed altogether, so as to ascertain what amount of
compensation has been afforded to the most numerous con-
tributors to the income and property taxes by way of
cheapeninng the cost of their subsistence, or as a quid pro
quo for their share of bearing this inequitable imposition, it
may be stated that from this source of information sugar,
butter, and cheese are enumerated as the items which enter
alone into the cost of living, whilst bread, until the com-
mercial revulsion in 1857, was kept up at a price every way
against the consumer ; and butcher's meat, which was
to be obtained for something like 4d. per pound, has all
along raaged at nearly double that amount ;
and, consequently, the commercial and manufacture,
along with the wholesale dealers in every branch of
trade, have derived from the act of 1842 colossal fortunes,
whilst the o: her classes are in a much worse position, finan-
cialy considered, by the operation of the same act. The
question may again 1)3 retorted by parties with fixed incomes
against the class who are now most clamerous for financial
borne
reforms, that as a body they have not an equal
portion of the burden during the last 17 vears.
whilst the
evidence taken before the committee of the House
Com-
mons only shows that all kinds of evasions have beenorf to with a view to shirk their responsibility. esAnotherred
example worth noticing turned up, in the House of
Commons on Friday evening, when the question of
compensation to the late proctors of the ecclesiastical
courts, • `V under review. This amount last year was
1.3
estimated at £250,000 a year, and yet, when the
claims were looked into, it was found that the proctors
had estimated their incomes on a different principle
to_ that which they had returned as in income tax,
and, consequently, the amount stands now at £130,000
year ; and vet it was stated by Mr. Salisbury that Mr.
Raikes was se much surprised at the largeness of the sum
awarded him, that he appropriated £l,lOO a year to pur-
poses of charity connected with the Church of England
in the diocese of Chester; a sum of £B,OOO a year
had also been allowed to Mr. Moore, the registrar. So
much, then, for the kind of questionable

morality which pervades all classes where con-
science is the only rule by which a test can be obtained ;
whilst, as regards the class of taxpayers with fixed incomes,
the stern necessity of the act imposes upon all corporate
and public bodies the obligation of deducting the full pound
of flesh from each income as it falls due, and in many
an instance this has actually deprived the parties of the
means of supporting their families. Some conversation
followed, during which Mr. Lathbury stated that he had
received a letter from Butler Cole, Esq., of Kirkland Hall,
Lancashire, stating that he intended presentinc, the society
with a donation the next time he visited' Liverpool,
and which he' (Mr. Lathbury) acknowledged with much
pleasure. The question, of urging the objects of the
association more prominently on the attention of the pub-
lic was also brought under consideration, and it was
resolved that this should be done by advertising extensively
in the local papers. The treasurer and secretary were
instructed to take the necessary measures for carrying out
the views of the meeting. Thanks were voted to the
chairman, and also to the solicitor, Mr. Paterson, after
which the meeting separated.—Mercury, March 15.

MODEL LODGING-HOUSES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
Sir,—From the impartial character of your paper,
I take the liberty of requesting the insertion of this
letter on the system of some model lodging-houses in
this kingdom.
As these houses are established by some persons of
religious character and great influence, and pro-
fessedly to better the condition of the working classes
they may be looked on with a greater degree of
liberty in the inquiry, particularly as they are public
institutions, and the subject may be safely handled,
as no individual house is marked out in the body of
this letter.

Circumstances and position have enabled me to
glean much information on this subject, and the con-
clusion that I have arrived at is, that where the
charge or rent is higher or even equal to that
charged by industrious rent paying inhabitants,
that it is not a fair competition to use charitably
subscribed funds to lesson the lawful calling of
humbler persons who have large families to support,
and in large towns, large taxes to pay.
These Models, in several places, charge as high as
2s. 6d per week, a sum which the artizan can pro-
cure lodgings and attendance even in Liverpool,
where house rent is so very high, and I have got this
moment before me a Liverpool paper where two
lodgers are offered lodgings and attendance at 2s
each per week.
Again, if these " Models" charge less than the
average rents of lodgings, they do a decided injury
to the struggling householder, who have to face the
landlord's, collector, and the tax gatherer's call.
Now, sir, I should be glad should some abler pen
take up this sullied ; but, until such time as this
may take place, I will venture my own opinion and
experience in and on the subject.
The founders of some " Models " express most
charitable intentions : supply a couple of cheap news-
papers, and a few books for the reading-room
generally attached, and their establishments are
extensively published, to induce the unsettled to a
" Bachelor's home." Thither flock many persons
previously indebted—no questions are asked—the
out-cast, the unemployed, and the thread-bare
artist, and though last not least, the poor
and aged scholar and gentleman, a heterogenious
mass ; these are all fellow companions in one
position, all breathing the same atmosphere, and
under a superintendent who lords it with arbitrary
sway, and enforcing obedience to rules, printed only
in his dictatorial imagination. I have known an
instance of one of these lodgers who was ordered to
bed as he leant his head on a table to sleep : this
man was caught from behind, and when he said he
would do as he liked, he and the chair were dragged
to the ground towards the door, when the superin-
tendent used every effort to pitch him headlong
down a flight of stone-steps into the street. The
man was one of the quietest in the establishment.
I shall not go further into the petty tyranny of-these
superintendents, whose children are generally left as
an annoyance to the inmates.
I have known two persons in this town who lodged
in a private house, at- 2s. each per week ; they had
feather beds, clean white towels every morning, gas,
and attendance, white table linen, books in abun-
dance, the young lady of the house accomplished,
speaking French and playing on the piano. These
lodgers had sofas in the back and front parlours, and
agreeable society.
Now for a parallel page. I have also known them'
two to go to a "model" where they considered they
were treated on prison discipline, locked up on
entering their dormitories, snubbed like children,
washing in common in a back kitchen with some
coarse towels, sent to bed at eleven o'clock precisely,
routed up at nine a.m., sleeping on cotton mattresses
and iron bedsteads, eating from unclothed tables,
and cooking for themselves, &c.
These parallel pages speak for themselves ; who
would hesitate on a choice ?

There is no credit given in these houses ; no, not a
single night's lodging, though you paid pounds
before, and to such a stringency has this been
adopted that the death of one man has been
attributed to his being turned out of bed
of a frosty night, and thrown on the streets.
Now, in the private lodging-house you meet with
female kindness, the old lady commisserates at times
youi critical position, and indulges you for a time ;
but the Ftrict rule of the " Model" steward, not to
give credit or to lend money is held in rigid tenison,
though I have known a house steward to borrow
money of his lodgers,
I find I have digressed from my subject, and,
perhaps, have taken an uncharitable view ; for I
have heard that in many models the inmate is
allowed his Sunday bed free—this is the case at
Leeds, where the low sum of is 6d per week is
only charged, and where there is every comfort—
baths, &c.

If there were such a thing as charity in such
institutions, I would suggest it should be a
" Model " for females, and if anything like
the practice of locking up dormitories be tolerable,
the custom might be tolerated in their case. Suck
an institution would be a blessing indeed ; and the
establishment of such a one as that in Carrick-street,
Glasgow, at the low charge of is per week, is, and
indeed must prove, a blessing.
Sir, should the reception of this unpolished pro-
duction be acknowledged in your really independent
journal, you will much oblige your obedient servant,
117 Bedford-street, Toxteth-park. GEo. HILL.

BRIGHT ! AND " THE " BUTTERNIAN !

(Air—" Villikins and his Dinah.")

Oh ! 'tis of a famed merchant who in Liverpool does dwell,
Who supply folks with Butter who want it to sell ;
His name it is Kelly, you scarce need be told,
Whose Butter is worth all your silver and gold.
Singin'—Butter-li—Butter-li—Butter-li-day.

As Kelly was weighing out Butter one day,
In walks REFORM BRIGHT, and to him did say,
Come leave }out shop Kelly, and with me away,
And I'll find you a place with no work and good pay.
Singin'—Butter-li—Butter-li—Butter-li-day.

Oh ! no, my brave BRIGHT, that wont suit my mind,
" For to" cut my " old place" I do not feel inclined,
So to you the good pay I will gladly make o'er,
To serve England with Butter a year or two more.
Singin'—Butter-h—Butter-li—Butter-11-day

That's a good noble Kelly - then John Bright replied,
You're a " Brick," my "old buck," and not to be bribed;
So, in order your Butter to put to the test,
Send me weekly, henceforward a ton of your best.
Siughf—Butter-li—Butter-li—Butter-li-day,