The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-03-01 00:00:00

served, the change had been attended wi:h an evil here.
Although the smoggier had been remored (tart the North of
Scotland, he had the sagacity to find his way to the South,
and contrived means to convey spirits over the borders, to the
great deprivation of the morals of the people of this country,
and it introduced here an evil which aid not Wore exist. The
obvious course, therefore, to adopt was, to get rid of the duty
OW spirits, transmitted from Scotland and Ireland to ISSlonsi.
In England the illicit manufacture of spirits was not an evil
to any formidable extent. lam not aware that the people of 1
this country like it. Gin, which was an ardent- spirit, more
generally drank here, went through a variety of hands. Firer, t
there is the making or manufacture of the raw spirit ; it then
goes through the hand of the rectifier, who distils ir, and is
then distributed and sold again. In the change of the law about
to be proposed, it was only intet.ded that the article should be
allowed- to be sold in the same way; that through emaggling
It now found its way into the country. The alteration of
system would only pro to exempt those from the penalty to
which they were before liable, from the introduction of spirits \
from Ireland and Scotland. And I am here harpy to congra-
tulate the lion. Member for Aberdeen, who, on a former aces- 1
,ion, amorgat the smuggled articles which he boasted he pre-
muted, stated that be was never without some excellent Scotch 11
whiskey in his house, he may in future have it without bele;
subject to any apprehension from the penalties of thelsw.(Laughter.;
The repeal of the duty on ardent spirits,which stay be regarded as an
encouragement to the consumption of them may by some he deem-
' eel bad policy. I admit it is bad that ardent spirits should be too
cheap, but this teral is proposed because smuggling has node
them too cheap. This repeal will not have the effect of increasing
the quantity of spirit imported Into this country from Helfand or
elsewhere, but it will, I think, have the effect of bringing whstevtr
a; irit finds its way into it under the observation of the Excise. Al.
though at some future period a greater diminution might take place
than at present proposed, as yet it would not be prudent or politic
to have the rate of duty so low as at present prevails in Ireland ;
there the duty did not exceed 2s. a gallon ; in this country the duty
hitherto had been 10s. 6d. per gallon, which it is proposed to alter
to ss. per gallon from malt and frs. from grain. This my be
deemed as affording a facility to drunkennesa, and the objection ie
not without force; but then there was the greater evil of smuggling,
which aftbrded a still greater facility, and asare are surrounded by
difficulties, it becomes necessary foe us to make choice of the kilt.
Incidental to this part of the subject is the coasidaration of the api. ~
rite imported from our colonies. The present duty on nun ailluof t
is lea. Bd., which I propose to alter to ill. Ido not act unfaia)l V.
wards those interests, in not making that reduction greater; for the
manufacture of spirits Prom sugar was attended with less expense
and less difficulty. owing to the operation of certain restrictions in.
the corn laws of this country, than the manufacture cf 'pints from
malt and grain. One fact is importers fur the colonial distiller,
that be can import it into this country. and by its passing through
the hands of the rectifier, it may be converted into gin. end sold us
such here. As to converting rum into whiskey, that is a consider-
ation on which lam not at present prepared to pronounce—the pre-
sent is an experiment. Let us see how the system works, and
before we embark in the consideration of mode', of re convertirg
one spirit into another, we must be cautious that we do not 'afar a
greater kiss than the revenue an sustain. The following is the
estimated loss to the revenue, by the proposed reductions in the
article of spirits :
British Spirits—From Ws. faL per gallon to Ss. from malt, and
6s. from grain.
Rum—From 10s. 6J. per gallon, to Os. per ditto.
Total—L.76o,ooo.
The next branch of the public revenue to which he solicited the
attention of the (louse, is one small in amount, and though local
in importance, was one that merited isecullar attention. I Allude to
the duty on cider. In the parts of the country where dais article
is manufactured, the present duty is productive of the greatest
mischief. It causes the gaols to be crowded. particularly with
females, and is the source of manifold evils ice the districts where
cider is made. Though this was an evil of a local, and not a
general nature, yet it was not the lees proper on that account to
provide a remedy for it; I shall therefore suggest a specific one—it
is the reduction of duty front 30s. per Itatehead, co lbs. p,r
hogshead. This was a reduction at the rate of SO/. per cent. lied
would amount to a loss to the Revenue of 13.000/.
Mr. HCM E suggested across the table the further redaction of
from ISe. to lOs.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQI:Eft resumed—" I
have no objection that it should be ten, if it meets the wishes of
the Committee. (Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") The reason I
recommend 15s. is, because it is the exact duty which those who ate
affected by it recommend themselves. (Hear, hear.) However,
I an satisfied that it should be 10s.—the less to the Revenue then
will be on this item 20,0001. The measure is one that will certainly
give relief to an industrious portio t of the community, and six
counties will receive great practical benefit from it. The correction
of an abuse-in one department leads naturally to the correction of
any that may exist in another. Thought local, it was important,
for it was the cutting of one unsound branch from an evil root. The
two principles which Government has kept in view in the propssel
`changes are, first, the promotion of those free principles which are
lest calculated to ex:end the commerce of the country, and
secondly, to put down and effectually suppress smuggling, without
which these principles could not have a free and full operation.
In these arrangements the general good of the empire has been
consulted, and to this the partial interests of individuals must
sometimes give way. If, therefore, there were some wishes in the
petition presented that night by his Hon. Friend the Member for
Surrey (Mr. H. Sumner), to which I cannot accede, it is became:
their request is inconsistent with that due regard to the various
gees Interests of the &entry with which theirrirticular interest
is wet pod up, and on which the prosperity of nations depends.
(Hear, hear.) 51y Honourble Friend has stated that petition to
cone from persons of rank and station in the parish of New-
listen. 1 am disrosed to believe that they are as he has
represented them to he, but they owe it to themselves and to the
country to consider how far an acquiescence to their desires la com-
patible lath what the general interests and wants of tLe country re-
quire. For my part, I should blush for mrsons of high rank and
station (of which I am myself an unworthy member) which would
permit partial views to weigh for a moment in the balance against
the principles I advocate, extending benefit equally to aU classes of
the community—
" Inciptt ipsorum, comra te. stare parentuot
Nobilitas : clersenque farm prier/ere pudeodls.
In looking to that part of the United Kingdom which, from the
proposed alterations, and the encouragement they were designed to
give to commerce and manufacture's. Ireland is. I think and hove.
likely to reap great advantages,. It was not, however, an easy office,
nor was it one of a day, to eradicate all the evils with which that
poor country had long been afflicted. But much of late had been
' done for her. Much more may be done for her. (Hear, hear.)
And one means of effecting that desirable object, was by promo-
ting and extending its freedom of intercourse with all i ans of the
world. Sbe was extending her intercourse, and advancing in pros.
perky-eller do I know of any country at this moment better
adapted fur a useful and profitable application of capital. If there
be one peculiar boon which she asks, and we cannot conscien-
tiously grant, we are doubly bound by the refusal of that boon,
to increased generosity in extending to her every advantage, and
other boons that we can confer. (Cheers.) By sympathy in her
fortunes, and aiding her by all the means in our power we may raise
her in the scale of nations--we seat her by our side, and she will
becomes par; of our greatness and our strength. In that country,
comprising a population of seven millions of persons, the revenue
does not exceed three millions and a half. 'What is the cause of
this? It Is owing to her unhappy CO7 (Hon. (Loud ales of hear.)
But I think I perceive symptoms of improvement, and by our
taking every opportunity to promote her growing prosperity, we
may fairly caret to co that revenue doubled. We have taken a
course which it would be mischievous not to pursue; aye, mote
1 mischievous even than if we had never entered upon it. (Hear,
hear.) 'With respect to one important topic which had been ad-
reread to in the petition presented by my Hon. Friend, namely,
the assessed taxes, from the resources of the empire, and front the
general prosperity that prevail, and that promises still tnore to pre-
vail, I am enabled to suggest some measures of relief. (Loud
cries of bear, hear.) That relief was rot perhaps as extensive as some
may desire or expect, and is nut of that description which enables
me to h ild out any participation in it to the wealthier classes, or to
the middling classes, butt to the poorer classes there are some items
of taxation that may be remitted, as as effectually to save and re-
lieve them. I particularly advert to those duties, the collection ue
levying of which may be regarded as a taxation. All duties were,
to be sure, more or less vexations, but where the burden pressed
with moat inconvenience and severity—where the sore place was,
there was the most need of the applitatititt of a remedy. The items
.areas is even instances, apyrently Metal, and may, from this
small amount, excite srmietimes a smile—they male ups long cats.
e, whiall. as they will be asbmintel in the shape of resolutions
aler, it may be well to postpone. or if it be the pleasure of the
rouse
I will proceed to read them row. (Loud cries of read. read.)
The lest was the remission of the tax on small four-wheeled car-
riages. drawn by ponies ; this would be a loss of about 857/. to the
revenue. (Laughter.) This was certainly not a large sum, but before
I conclude I thali submit some of large- amount. The next is a
duty that is seldom paid ; it is one arising from a class of persons
known by the name of occasional waiters. The loss to the revenue
by abandoning this duty will be 1,3481. The next tax I propose
to *hike off is the coachmakere licences. In various parts of the
country there are mules employed in care toy ore, cooks kc.; this a vexatious ditty, and ought rot to be continued. The neat
item relates to pawns quitting hooves after the commencement of
the year. As the law at present stands, if a person enters into
pttwessian commencement of a house after the commment of the fear, be
is liable for the assessed taxes of the whole; but it is 1—... nonneeil,.-
to alter the law so as to render him liable only for that portion of
, the year he occupies the house. The next neat exempts Isonsts
left in care of a person. There was also an important one, a hien
exempted farm-houses occupied by labourers : this law pressed
with great severity on those Ludlords who had farm-houses thrown
upon their hands. Hitherto it ass necessary fur him to build a
house or tenement apart from the farm-house, whielt,when the
farm-house was let to a tenant, he wan obliged to throw down
again. Farmers letting husbandry horses should also be exempted
from the tax ; It was but fair that a fernier who might have his
horse idle for a few days, after doing the business of his far, should
let him foe purposes of 'm
husbandry, without paying a duty. I beg
next to call the attention of the Committee to the houses which it is
proposed to exempt. The number of houses paying assessed tries
is 627.40. Of that number the houses rated at the rent of 101,
a year, and trans that (lowa to six pounds. paying a tax of Is. etd.
in the pound, sere 132,141. They yielded a sum which en an
average might be estimat,d a' 62,0002. This, owing to the ma.
nagement which he resented to in order to bring minions who paid
101. or 111. within the benefit of it. ni.gfit tie regarded's WINO!. ;
thus a 10111 to that amount would be experienced to the revenu.,