The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-08-18 00:00:00

itAPQRr
rnom THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE LAW
-RELATINO TO THE EXPORT OF TOOLS AND
MACHINERY.
'Concluded from the British Press of yeverslay.l
The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the state of the
Law and its consequences respecting the exportation of tools and
Machinery ; and who were empowered to report the 31inutes of
• the Evidence taken before them :—havc, pursuant to the Order
of the House. examined the matters to them referred, and hate;
aereed upon the following Report.
The evidence taken by the Committee in the last Ses- I
lion was such' as to induce them at that tittle to decline
recommending any measure to the House beyond that of a,
renewal of the inquiry in the present Session ; and in tits
der to make this inquiry as complete as possible, the Chair-
man of your Committee caused a notice (inserted in the
Appendix) to be sent to the principal municipal officer and
chambers of commerce in many of the great manufacturing
towns of the United Kingdom, some of whom, it appears,
caused it to be inserted in several of the provincial news-
papers.
It is necessary to observe, that notwithstanding this
public notice, no person from any of the manufacturing
districts has requested to be examined before your Commit-
tee • and, that only two answers to his circular were re-
ceived by the Chairman ; one from the Chamber of Com-
merce in Birmingham, er.closing a copy of the resolution of
that Chamber, of the 12th of March, 1924, which ob-
jected both to the emigration of artisans and to the ex-
portation of machinery ; and as the evidence of the wit-
nesses deputed by that Chamber at that time will be found
In the Minutes of die Committee of last year, it is pre-
sumed that they had no additional evidence to offer ; the
other from the master cotton spinners of the county of
Renfrew, appointing Mr. Dunlop (whose evidence on the
subject will be found in the minutes of last year), to op-
Kat any bill for permitting the exportation of machinery.
As no person therefore came forward from the country to
lifer evidence to your Committee, it was necessary more
particularly to revert to the evidence taken by the Commit-
tee in the last Session, for the purpose of more fully show-
ing its tendency.
Almost all the principal engineers whose factories are
situated in the metropolis were examined. Their evi-
dence tends to show the injurious consequences of the
laws which prohibit the exportation of' tools and machines,
and all of diem concurred in recommending their repeal.
Several machine makers resident in the country were also
examined before the Committee, all of whom agreed in
recommending a revision of the laws, or that particular
kinds of machinery might still be legally exported, while
other kinds might be prohibited. They also concurred in
opinion that much of the machinery at present prohibited
might be advantageously exportt d; but gave it as their
opinion that other kinds of machinery, and particularly
those used in the manufacture of cotton goods, should not
be permitted to be exported. This opinton was grounded
on an apprehension that foreigners might in time be able to
manufacture such goods, not only for their own use, but
also for exportation, cheaper than we could, and might
thus suierseele us in the foreign market. They were also
apprehensive that the orders which might be received from
abroad for tools and machines would raise their price at
home, and prevent our own manufacturers from being sup-
plied with the machinery they wanted; and several manu-
facturers concurred in these opinions.
The objections made by the machine makers and menu-
reenters were thus reduced to two, viz.,-
Ist, That in consequence of the large foreign orders
which would probably he sent from abroad, the price of
the tools and machines, if the free exportation were per-
mitted, would be considerably and permanently raised at
home.

2d, That it was to be feared, that in a abort time after
the repeal of those laws, foreigners would be able to under-
sell us in cotton goods, in lace made in frames, and in some
other branches of manufacture.
To these two principal objections your Committee more
particularly turned their attention ; and in the evidence of
all the London engineers it is distinctly stated, that they
do not believe that anv considerable rise of price would,
for any length of time, 'follow the repeal of the prohibiting
laws. On this subject, however, your Committee submit
to the consideration of the House an extract from the evi-
dence of Mr. Alexander Galloway.
" Do you then think that we should secure a very considerable
and profitable branch of permanent manufacture, without injuring
,our borne ruanuflactutea; If Is law was repealed ass decidedly
of opinion we should improve our condition ; and if I was a con-
siderable machine user in any of our principal manufactures, I
should say I should be very much benefited by taking off the pro-
hibiting laws, as it would ultimately lessen the price of machinery.
Do you mean by the increased competition and skill that would
be brought into action ?—Vex; and that will all end in making
machines cheaper. At first it may Mammy the price with certain
individuals, but not with the manufacturers generally ; and
ultimately It will increase the means by which machinery is pro-
duced."

The principal difficulty which seemed to your Com-
mittee like!y sto occur, from any considerable increased
demand for machines from abroad, was the number of
hands which could in a comparatively short space of time
be procured to meet the demand.
It has always hitherto happened, and on general prin-
ciples it may safely be affirmed, that it will always happen,
that where a commodity can be supplied in unlimited
quantities (which machinery may be in this country) a
large increase in the demand never fails, after a very short'
pe. iod, to reduce the price ; but the necessity of instruct-
ing men in machine-making seemed to oppose an obstacle
which it would require much time to overcome; and it
was apprehended that in the mean time the price of ma-
chines might be considerably increased. The opinion,
however, of the London engineers was, that no difficulty
whatever would exist as to the procuring of hands capable
of constructing machinery in any quantity which could be
required ; and that, too, greatly to the advantage of a large
number of persons.
Messrs. Martineau, I3ramah, Mandalay, and Galloway,
all of them eminent in their profession as engineers, affirm
that men and boys in almost any number may be readily
instructed in the making of machines, and that the' great
improvement of the tools used for making machines, and
for the abridgement of labour in many important parts of
the buinesa, (which enables them to employ common
labourers, who may rapidly become skilful workmen) fur-
nish reasons for bdieving that the price of machinery is
much more likely to be reduced, and that in a short time,
tban increased by any considerable extension of the busi-
ness of machine-making. Your Committee would, how-
ever, call the attention of the house to the evidence of
Messrs. Ewart, Kennedy, and other witnesses from the
country, who hare expressed a contrary opinion, in order
that a correct judgment may be formed on the subject.
With respect to the second objection, the apprehension
of being under-sold in the foreign market, the evidence of
;hose witnesses in whom this apprehension is most pre-
' talent, eontains much, which seems to incline in a con-;
, trary direction to the inferences drawn by them. It is
admitted by them that we possess many facilities which
foreigners do not, and may not for ages possess. Our
minerals are generally in immediate neighbourhood,
whence, from the proximity of rail-roads, canals, and
rivers, they may be conveyed with great facility to all parts
of the kingdom, either for home manufacture or exporta-
tion. Almost all our great manufacturing towns, and
establishments for the construction of machines, enjoy
similar facilities; and thus, with the continual improve-
inent of machinery, enable us to keep down the cost of
production.

Upon this subject your Committee; beg to refer to the
fullowiug extracts from the evidence of .Mr. M.Culloch,
which, in their opinion, deserves the meet serious con-
sideration. -

" Do you conceive that the laws rather assist the French. than
otherwise, in being able to establish manufactories of machinery
of their own ?-1 should think our preventing the exportation of
machinery to France has a tendency to force the French to become
machine-makers themselves, and to rival us in a branch of indus-
try, into which, if they could get machines from England, they
would have no motive to come into competition.
" Those law. make it more a matter of necessity on the part of
the French to induce our machine-maker. to go to France. to in.,
striae thym in the art of making machines ?—Unquestionably. '
" Do you conceive that if the French were to acquire equally
good machinery with ourselves, that it would be injurious to our
manufactures P—No, I do not think it would.

'6 Ely their obtaining our machinery. so as to be able to meet us
in the market ter cotton and other Roach, will not that he iujut ions
tons?-1 do not think the circumstance of 'getting our machinery
would enable then) to meet us in the marks with cottons, or any
other gouda,. with advantage.
Will you state what it is that would give England the advan-
tage in that ease over the furcign manufactUrers !_ln the first
place. the French mandfacturer would not have the same degree of
security that the English manufacturer has ; in the next place, you
have the advantage or better communication■ throughout the
country, the advantage of trained workinen, habituated to all in.

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