The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-05-05 00:00:00

establish mpaeenhn,tateli,tft:arwne.(ll7i r
le nhi,lemi government,twasexpenditure
2
exceeded
was 26 rnTii
elusive of the charge for the debts),
11eniiniigi
joinestt.r trnl"2"ea*he
olifontsheareidx only
account
t Oas
depressed
thstaattepoofehhtohne coofmdmheunnieotyi:le latot
millions
bfoer thedi,ided among the 51!
sera
capable of labour, it would be found to be a capitation tax amount
ing beyond all calculation what any person could anomie labour
could bear. The country gentlemen talked loudly for the i 11-
of the revenue ; but he considered that, as far as production ntleer ta
the country gentlemen were perfectly useless. (Loud laughter.)
en
j
He considered that every man who lived on half. pay, on ape 'tieartr''
or every individual receiving a salary, but wl:o did not woraawle,;•
in fact, useless in the production of any portion of tha mink,,,--;
of taxes. (Hear, hear.) It wan the arm that guided the 2
the hand that plied the hammer, and that miwisataa"lll-a
Let htiatonitert
100M-1t was those who were the productive dates in la;
community (loud cheers), ail others were unproductive; the
community
was from the increased number of the latter class of individuals
that that the present difficulties of tl e country load arisen. Gam
hear )
They had now three pensionus for one; three idle nits for one
dustrious one. In such a state of timil:gs, was it to be wond
that distress should b: act the country on ail sides? They
.tund "
blind themselves, as the Cliteneellor of the Exchequer wouldireedi
setonhnisa)k;ebtohte,mn(nbeilaltihoeuledeeeoonnhime
et
ht.:el:tat ternmclaesi t"purer
mince Committee of 1817 was attended to, it was in vainth *
to took
for prosperity. That committee had pointed out several red 'oe
that might be easily adopted. The Right Hon. Gentlentauncleaa
took a review of the circumstances which led to the appointment° f
the committee, and enumerated the different alembers who h
composed it (which Inlet; no other than a repetition of the 11°14 had
Gentleman's observations when sneaking of the Navy Estimates,
'we do not think it necessary to fallow him). The Hon. Gentleman
proceeded to observe, that it had been objected to his going so ter
back as the year 1792, In order to ground his argument.? Why
go so fart melt, raid the, Right Hon. Gentlemen opposite? If
would turn the tables upon them, and ask why, when p
wanted to get a job through the House, they deemed it necessary
to go fartherback than 1792? The Right Hon. Gentleman (31i
Canning), when wishing to et( ct the office of Treasurer of the Navy.
r into a distinct office, had urged, as an argument, that it had M
existed in 1782, and his colleague did not scruple to support him
ion that ground ; lot. notwithstanding their effort, and their pr
d tat of 1782. they had got rid of it, thank God ! Having pre.
mi- so much (a laughk—gtutlernen must excuse bide. but he was
only just coming to the miporiantatut of his subject. (Renewed
laughter.) He really begged pardon of the House (bear, heav)l
but if there were any gentlemen who had not time nor ditty:shim
to understand the mode in which the public accounts were teach
up. hr thought if they would just favour him with their attention
for a little while, t' ey could not be more profitably employed, mg
he thought he should be able to give them 'kind of clue to the laby.
rinths in which these things were involved. The whole of what fie
had yet stated was however but a timbale to what was to follow
The recomn end Ilion of the Finance Committee of 1817 was to
reline the public expenditure as near as tressaible to that of 1793.
The filmic would presently see, by the statements he should
make, that so far from that having been done, their expenses
had gone on increasing yearly front that time, and he knew nos
where they would stop, till sonic great catastrophe happened to
compel them. Ile wodld now read Ws 30th Resolution, whereas'
he stated, " That a reference to the great amount of die Civil List,
to the number of pensioners, sinrcurlits, and highly-pald Im:toccata,
to the unnecessary number and expense of the aftLy,
navy, ord.
nance, and civil establiahments„ wauldsuffieleutly prove hat den
regard had not been raid to the recommendations of that Coen.
mine. It was therefore imperative on this Howie to ennead as
immediate reduction of taxation, in coolormity with that re.
commendation, as the hest means of relieving the country
from its present embarrassments." Such was the remedy
which he (Mr. flume) had strongly urged ou the House at
a time when he was scarcely livened to, the prosperity tif the sun.
try being then the only theme. Now, assertions had been made
that there had been a reduction of ()Malian. It was only the other
day said, by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that dune had been
a diminution of taxes to the extent of twenty-seven millions since
the ter:nioation of the war. Such atatements he would declare Wert
de'usive and fallacious, whether applied to the actual reduction of
the revenue, or to the amount of taxes which were collected. la
order to bear out this deal +ration, lie had obtained a return, width
he now held in his hand, of an account ot the gross receipt of
revenue, after the drawbacks had been deducted, exclusive of all
loans and payments from Ireland. This account waiffrom the year
1015. But in order to give • fair average of receipts, and not togo
by single years. an wae. the deluiire practice of Ministers in that
Ifoate, he had thought it right to extend the comparison of recaipts
to the years 1813, 1814, and 1815, being three years of the greatest
amount, and when the receipts average.l 69,0104271. It would
be recollected that a reduction of the Froperty Tax took place in
11116, which amounted to fourteen millions, and that lour millions
odd of war taxes were also reduced in that yeah—roaking a total
reduction of eighteen mil'ions In 1816. In 1817 and 1818 other
Fedor:dons took place ; but, in 1819, there being three millions of
fresh taxes imposed, the Chancellor of the Exchequer wok credit
only for the actual reduction ot twenty-seven millions. The
Secretary for Foreign Affairs had referred to this statement,
and eaclaimed, " Behold the eel of which we have given to the
people einem the peace !" But he (Mr. Hume) would assert
that there had been no relief at all. There had, he would admit,
been sontething effected, aid far which he was ready to give 51i.
niiters credit. There Ia I been a be:ter disposition in exacting
the taxes. Many taxes. which were unproduettee, had been done
away, anti others bad certainly been rendered less burdensome to
some, and had been spread over a large portion of the community.
But in estimating the amount of taxation, they must not confine
their views to one particular class of persons, but their judgment
should be formed fuom considering how the whole community were
effected. It was delusive to consider the subject otherwise. It was
on this ground he had, in the first day of the Session, objected to
the inierterence with the bank notesystern ; because it would be the
means of depriving the public of a purcon of the capital which was
necessary to give the people employment. The same amount of
money was taken from the people in the shape of taxes as before ;
there was therefore no such thing as a relief afforded in taxation.
Tile alterations had rendered taxes, indeed, less onerous, butstill
the same amount had actually been received. In the calculations
he had made, he took his comparison by showing, that, during the
last three years there had been more money received from the pee.
pie than in the years 11117, 1818, and 1819. In these years the
average amount of taxation was 51,762,3391., while in the years
1112 I, 1824, and 1825, the average amount was 52,430,765/., being
actually an excess of 688,426/. of money paid in the standard value.
So that. as regarded this period, there had not been any reduction
in taxation. By a return n.ade of all the moneys collected in the
year 11420, either by taxes. or on articles exported or imported, be
found that the reduction of receipts on those items in money rake,
at the p esent period, amounted to 1,600,000/. He therefore con-
tended, that there had not been anything like a reduction of 27
millions of taxes. On the contrary, be should show that the amount
of taxation was at the present moment heavier on the people of
England titan in any of those periods he had just referred to. He
had already stated that the average receipt for the years 1813.15
was 89,010,2271., but that being in paper money, not convertible
into gold, the average, if taken in gold, was equal only to
53.741.7141., whilst the average amount of taxation for the years
1823.5 was 52,430 7651., convertible into gold, showing a reduction
only of 1.310,949/. of money of standard value, instead of
27,000,0001. If a comparison were made of the amounts of tax-
ation at these two periods, in labour or products of labour, the
pressure in 18235 would prove to be considerably greater than in
1813.15, as the annual money automat of taxes, on an average of
the three years 1813.15, was only equal to 15,853,926 quarters
of wheat, at 804. 9d. per quarter, the average price of that pe.iod;
whilst the money amount of taxes, on an aYeragc of the three years
1821-5, was equal to 17,134,546 quarters of wheat, at 60s. 2el. per
quarter, the average mice of that period. So that if the Mal
were collected in wheat, the country would have paid nearly tut,
millions of quarters more during the last year than tbey
did during the years of' the greatest possible nominal taxation.
%Would not all this account for the derangement which socie:y had
lately experienced, and did it not go to rebut the assertion, that a
r.lief had been given to tile people to the amount of twenty-seven
millions of taxation ? Instead ut any such relief, there was an in-
crease of 20 per cent. taxes to what they were during the war. It
therefore became the duty of Parliament, before they separated, to
elect something that should remedy this evil. Theaeruning-knde
ought to be instantly applied': and if the country gee en wished
to retain their property, or those who were interested in the public
tunds were anxious to have that interest preserved to them, it was
their duty to exert themselves, in order that some immediate change
might be effected in the present ruinous system. (Hear, hear.)
He begged to refer the House to his next Resolution (beteg No. JO
where lie stated, " That the continued pressure of taxation had
greatly increased the privations and distress of the produc-
tive, industrious, and labouring claws of the community,
as was manifest from the stationary, it' not diminished. who;
auttaption of the taxable, articles Of primary necessity, and t
decreasing sonsumption of malty taxable articms of erjoymert
and luxury, notwithstanding a gnat increase in the !melba-
of 'consumers." Now, on this subject, it was necessary the Haug
should clearly underetand the object he had in view. It would
recollected that • Noble I, ird had, a abort time ago. stated. In
another place, and the Chancellor of the' Exchequer had also made
the same obi.ert ation in • Committee of this Howie, that the ability
of the country to pay the taxes was •i idea', nom theinereaaed
eonsumption in all.excisable articles. It was right that the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer should speak fur himself • he would there;
tare refcrabe Right Hon. Gentleman to the apart:it made by hinl__
1823, -where, after referring to the averaga— al
increased coneunnwlon
of excisable articles, he asked whether that tact was not a 'lntoin
of the lunnoved condiuioq of. the people, and whether it did not
_
afford him a just ground upon which to congratulate the House and
the country ? “Parliatuent (said the Right lima lientlensui
now Contemplate with pride' the high position the country had
attained, while looking around they beheld comfort, content, rota
perity, and order, reigning throughout time land.a It was by such
delusive words as these that the House had been actirgfromlear
to year, led on by the flattering descriptions of the Hight tic"'
Gentleman.i which were given as regularly as hie Budgets. ▪ n
1825 the Right Hon. Gentleman urged time same fact elan incteased,
consumption of excisable articles, as a proof of the prosperity of
the country. On that very occasion, however, he rose in his place.
whilst those about him were congratulatiag the Chancellor of the
' Exchequer and each other at the fine picture that had been drawn,
and stated teat the time was not one for exultation, while e° large
an amount of taxes was still levied on the people. The guts o-
n
which the House ought to consider was not, what was the actual
amount of taxation, but what was the condition of the people, I Ina
how were they able to bear such demands as were made *pen
them. At that very time the agricultural interests were suffer.
log a depression in the greatest degree, and no one could look