The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-06-18 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

of duty, would he, on a moderate calculation, at least four or five
hundred thousand pounds. Ile begged in the next instance to call
the attention of the (louse to a duty which affected the shipping
interest. At presort there was a duty of fifty pet cent. on all
foreign vessels broken up and sold in this country, which was, he
supposed, the reason that the large ship (we presume the Colum-
bus) was not broken up and sold in this country. ft would be
well perhaps to du away with this duty altogether, and when he
saw the spirit of combination that prevailed amongst the ship-
weights of this country, it would be the best way perhaps to defeat
that spirit of combination not by penal law, but by destroying
what might seem the monopolies they possessed, and by placing
English vessels on a more equal footing with those of other countries.
lie would say to the artizans of England, beware of the designing
men who are misleading you. The country will not submit to your
dictation. Parliament will continue to remove the restraints upon
trade and manufactures, and if you refuse to consent to a fair com-
petition—for a fair competition is all that is asked--the country
will not stand still. We shall open our doors, or open our ports,
and let in the productions of foreign industry. These deluded
men would be taught that they must accord with regulations whirli
the state of this country and the world has rendered necessary. We
must hare freedom of trade—there was no freedom at present. and
if our own artizans and manufacturers did not give us the fruit of
their labour upon fair terms, se must depend in a great measure
upon foreign competition. Time was one other article to which he
hail forgotten to advert—the duty on pepper. he presert duty
amounted to 500 per cent., and he had no doubt that this excessive
duty diminished the consumption whilst it encouraged the smug-
gler. The quantity imported, which paid duty, only amounted
annually to 1,200,000 pounds weight. Now this would only give
an allowance of an ounce and a quarter to each individual. The
quantity imported, therefore, must be increased either by adulter-
ation or smuggling. The price of the article now was sd. per lb.,
the duty 2s. ral., and his proposal was to reduce the duty from 2s.
6d. to Is. per lb. (Hear, hear.)
- - -

Sir 11. PARNELL said he did not consider that the Right
Hon. Gentleman meant to make the proposed schedule a rule of
permanent regulation. lie or any other Hon. Gentleman should
therefore be at liberty to propose any further reduction at a fu-
ture period. (Hear.) Though we) were endeavouring to get rid
of the prohibitory system, we had not got rid of it altogether.
Many of the protecting duties now proposed to be continued by
the Right Honourable Gentleman were prohibitory. The Right
Honourable Gentleman's speech detailed the evils of protect-
ing duties so distinctly, that every rational man must agree
with him. Ile had given the true character of protecting
duties; but the regulations proposed by him did not entirely
abolish protecting duties, and were therefore incomplete. Too
ready an ear he feared was given to representations detailing cases
of particular injury ; the House mutt legislate for the country, and
not for particular interests. A great omission was made by those
who did not remember that before we were able to bring the goods
of others we must dispose of our own productions or manufactures.
By a more liberal system the demand for our own manufactures
would be augmented, and as to what are called protecting duties,
they were only taxes, which did not find their way into the Ex-
chequer. lie hoped the subject would be renewed with additional
advantages next Session. Having such a powerful command over
machinery, England need never fear competition, if perfect freedom
was given to trade and manufacture. Ile (Sir H. Parnell) would
not have objected to lower the duties on woollens still more than
was proposed in the schedule. England had an advantage over
foreign countries in this article. Linen was made a most important
part of this subject, and most properly. The Right Honourable
Gentlemansfirst proposed 25 per cent, and afterwards, from repre-
sentations made to him, he considered that duty too low. We had
no hope of seeing the benefits of competition extended to this ma.
nufacture. Eight years must pass before the duty was reduced to
the original sum proposed. With respect to coarse linens, at pre.
setts they may be made cheaper abroad ; hut in the course of eight
years Ireland might improve in the manufacture of linens. It was
absurd to makes redaction of duty on trifling articles, they should
have been struck oat altogether. Duties were tanrinued too upon
many articles in which no other country could 'compete with Eng-
land. This system would induct other countries to retaliate, to the
manifest disadvantage of our trade, whilst the protecting duties were
of no possible service. He was inclined to give the Right Hon.
Gentleman great credit for what he proposed respecting the raw
material—it would take off a great burthen from the public.
Going back, hewever, to his tomer opinion, he confessed he
wished there bad been no duty at all upon linen, leather,
and shipping. These three articles should have been left free.
Many of the articles which were now subject to duties were such
as could not produce a revenue, and it seemed as If somebody had
invented the schedule for the purpose only of annoying the public.
There was another part of the schedule to which he particularly tb..
jetted. He alluded to that part where various articles of food,
such as butter, bacon, and so on, were lialrle to duty. Looking %t
this subject under the circumstances of the presentrimes—for they
knew very little about these matters some few years/ ago—but see-
ing the operation whin these duties had had in raising the prices on
articles of food, then raising the wages, and which naturally in.
creased the rental, it was now well 'known that nothing was so
impolitic as that system which tended to raise the prices of any
thing whatever which appertained to the necessaries of life. The
House should properly follow up the system which had been begun,
by which great benefits would be conferred on the country. Look.
ing, however, through the whole schedule, he perceived that
the principles of the Right Honourable Gentleman were carried
into effect by it, except on cottons. There would still be on every
other snick swetecting duty. All these duties were particularly
injurious. With regard to smuggling, why, he would ask, was
the House to pass a Bill with such clauses as were to prevent
smuggling ? There was one clause in particular in that Bill,
which was as bad and as obimxiuus as the Irish Insurrection Act
itself. lie alluded to the clause which subjected vessels to be
boarded that were lurking about the coast after sunset. If
this schedule of duties had been put upon a right footing. there
would have been no necessity for that Act. The schedule now be.
fore the House created the necessity of the Bill to prevent smuggle.
ing. He trusted the House would some time or other act upon
the great principle which the Right Honourable Gentleman ha 4
introduced, and that they should in a short time get rid of all
restrictive enactments, which, under the pretence of protection
of trade, worked a serious injury to the public.

Mr. MAIIERIX considered that the Hon. Baronet who had
just sat down had not argued the question fairly. If the Hon.
Baronet had attended to the opening speech of the Right Hon.
Gent. (the President of the Board of Trade), as to the system he
intended to introduce, he would have found what the measure really
was which was proptised, and which he did not at present appear
clearly to comprehend. The Right Honourable Gentleman came
forward this Session, making certain propositions to the House
The first was as to the alteration of the Colonial Laws. This
branch of his intended system was fully entered into on a postponed
day, when a full statement was made to the House; and the Right
Hon. Gentleman then made his second proposition, which related
to the expediency of revising the scale of duties on our home ma-
nufactures, and of releasing foreign productions from the protecting
duties. The Right Hon. Gentleman never took this question up
under the strict rule which the Honourable Baronet had stated,
because, if he had, he would have had to ascertain what amount of
duty would properly apply to each particular branch of manu-
facture, which would have been a task too comprehensive and
difficult for one individual to have encountered, and would have
occupied a larger portion of time than this Session would have
afforded. But the lion. Baronet had argued on tie one hand
against all protecting duties ; yet when he came to the coosideratio'
of the trade and manufactures of his own country, he then admitted
an exception to the rule. Linen, said the Hon. Baronet, might be
protected at a duty of 25 per cent. (' no !" from Sir Henry
Parnell.) He understood the lion. Baronet to say so. The
whole question, after all, was a question of expediency, and of time
as to when these protecting •du ties should be reduced. When the'
Right Hon. Gentleman (the President of the Board of Trade) set.
out in his statement, the various rates of duties to be from ICI) to
200 per cent. down to 10 and 21) per cent, the only principle which'
he (Mr. 31aberly) understood him to lay down was this, that he
would regulate those duties so far that none of them should ex-
ceed 30 per cent. But hunt had he deviated in that of linen ? He
had only done so in point of time. How it was possible for the
Right Honourable Gentleman to have gore throug'i such a
schedule, and to has deviated so triflingly, was remarkable. lie was
perfectly sure that no. Minister had ever been so beset—that so
man had had such difficulties to encounter, and no man was
more entitled to the thanks of this country than the Right
Honourable Gentleman Po the whole of his conduct, in his great
condescension to persons who had occasion to consult him, and
for the 'efforts he made in coming, upon all questions relating
to the commerce of the country, to the soundest conclusions.
The cotton trade did nut require the same protection as the
linen trade ; to the former the whole attention of the country had
been directed, and we compete with all Europe, but it was not so
with the linen trade. But, by protecting this trade for seven or
eight years mere, and by the improved aid of machinery, they
would be able to furnish the articles of this particular branch of
our manufacture from 20 to 30 per cent. cheaper than they were
now supplied, and when they had arrived at that point this country
could put all competition at defiance. The Right Hon. Gentle-
man was bound to give those persons who were interested in this
trade time to accommodate themselves to the change which the re-
duction of the duties would necessarily cause ; and he had done
wisely to relieve the importunities of those parties whose property
was so much involved in the question. He had no hesitation in
stating, that In eight yearn time, with a gradual reduction of the
duties, the consumer would get his linen much cheaper titan if they
had altered the rate of duties altogether. With regard to the Board
of Trade, he thought it ought to form a distinct department under
Government; that the person to superintend that department should
devote the whble of his time to the interests of the trade and com.
merce of the country. and that an ample salary should be given
him. But at present the President of the Board of Trade had bests
considered almost a secondary office. Up to this hour there was
no salary, affixed to the principal of this department, so that the
Right Hon. Gentleman was doing the duty of it gratuitously.
He hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer) would take this subject into consideration. The country
was highly indebted to the Secretary of the Treasury for the ability
and labour which he had used in the compilation of this schedule,
which was a consolidation of all the laws relating to that diffused
branch, the Customs. The difficulty must hate been immense.
It was one of those great improvements in legislation which modem
days were beginning to see accomplished, and he hoped the country
wrld well reward the individuals whose labours were thus so ably
devoted to their service. There was another person who was not
backward in giving assistance in this work—he meant Mr. Hume;
and he was quite sure, whenever there should be a measure
brought forward to to reward this Gentleman, the House would
most readily accede to it. lie mentioned these things because lie
was generally opposed to rants of the public money; bet he