The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-03-21 00:00:00

..

,__~
... ,

relief &it'd Was wholly dirproportioned to the
distress. If nothing more could be done this year,
was there any other measure of relief, ever so inade-
quate, to reduce the distress genersily—even so dis-
taut in the time of operation, of II hich they could
hold out a hope ? If en, the m 4 town of it would
be gratefully felt, end the country might still con-
fume to bias: with fortitude, in hopes that time
wetitebrifq noire effectual relief. If any one could
point out inch a measure, it was his duty to bring it
before shallops*. The relief he asked would cause
noWew burdens to fall on the consumer. He would
not seek fur any advantage for one dam which
would, have the effeet of depressing tiny or all of
the others.' If he could propose a measure of the
kind m far described, the House ought to adopt it.
If at this moment the distress was not coasted to
the landlords, Nursers, and lal erre, but spread
itself over all the cls.ces In any way connected with
them, he appealed to the House if it were not
proper to urge every passible method of relief.—
Ile would appeal to all who heard loins as to the
condition not only of the agriculturists, but of
the inarket-towns to which they resorted. Was
there anything left at the close of she mei ket-day
of that Cheerful content with which they wound up
the business of it ? On the contrary, did they not
hie away homeward, after disposing of their produce
in the moat mow i•factory manner, withwt spend-
ing a tingle farthing in the neighbourhood? The
distress was not confined to them alone—it spread
to the pabiicrns, shopkeepers, and all those among
whom iLe farmers were accustomed to spend their
moi.ey. He did not know where the means of gene-
ral relief were to be found, but any measure of it
ought to he seized with eagerness. He considered
the graziess to be more peculiarly depressed than
the other branches of agriculture. Their meat,
which osed to sell for 10d., had seek to sid. 4d. sod
in some places ed. per lb. These prices were paid
by the consumers. That of the greeter was much
lets, who had, besides, to sink id. for the offal.
What mule it worse we', that the botcher., who
were making Brest profits from the hoses of the
grazier, actually made the low price of the offal
a reavin why they should have the meat at a more
reduced rate : so that the result was, the beat fed
cattle now lit nil si red less price than that driven from
the Highlands of Scotland used to fetch. The ob-
ject of his motion vets to cause a tax to be laid on
tallow imported, which would go at once to raise
the price of the home article before it reached the
consumer, but not is such • degree as to prejudice
him, while it would convey considerable benefit to
egricallture. The imported fat was about one-
half of the whole consumption of the kingdom.
Out of 70,000 tons of fat there wee 95,000 tons
imported. The English tallow was at 31d. per
pound, the Rus-iin at Sid. The English fernier
had to expend 20e. an acre, when the Russian paid
Is. an acre or low. The latter hadindeed ,to expenses
but theme of slaughtering and boiling down the eni-
mal—tio trouble or cost of feeding whatever. This
was trot the only comparison which the Russian
tallow had in its favour—the condition of the po-
pulation was twenty to one in favour of the general
superiority end expensiveness of the English. The
Emperor of Russia himself, when visiting this coun-
try, asked where were the poor people. Could any
thing speak more strongly the difference between
the two people ? He bud a right then to ask for
that accommodation for the English grower which
would start with his me d rent and taxes, and the
superior rank df the labourers compared with other
countries. '.lie duty on foreign tallow was 10/. per
cent. ; that on hemp. which waaaltended with consi-
derable expense in the growth, end whicn never could
become en article of competition with the produce
tions of this country, was 95 per cent. The fo-
reign tallow bore a duty of 31. 3s. 4d. per tole or
10 per cent. on the value. Wus it policy to tax an
article like hemp, of which we could never become
extensive growers, high, and to impose a lower rate
of tax on an article of general growth ? The object
of his proposition was not merely referable to the
present market. but the produce of other countries.
If peace were concluded with South America, we
might expect tallow from those countries. Out of
40,000 tons of imported tallow. Russia supplied
about 35,000 ton% Nor was this all the advantage
she derived ; she put 8 per cent. on the exportation,
and made us pay 80,000/. a year fur the liberty to
bring home her tallow to depress our own agricul-
ture. Were they to continue in a system so con-
trary to wisdom and justice, cud the interests of
English farmers ? There was the experience of
Spain and Holland its favour of a duty on importa-
tions. Spain took off her excessive duties on Eng-
Nth produce as soon as England imposed a trifling
tax on foreign wool. Holland repealed the duties
on the impel: nation of cheese and butter soon
after Englaud imposed them. Russia. in like man-
ner, might be expected to take off some of
the high duties she imposed on English com-
merce, if Russian tallow were vufficiently
taxed. The high duties on cheese had not abated
the consumption of Dutch produce: there were
8,000 evoke more imported from Holland last year
than before. Ireland hed diminished her imports
of butter and cheese in the same proportion. Ire-
land was thus compelled to turn her finest lends
into tillage. and swell the superabundance of
grain, instead of having her lends engaged in the
more proper way of dairy and grazing produce.—
(le proposed a duty of 201. per ton on foreign tat.
low. The effect of this would be to leave, instead
of ltd. for the tallow, only Id. The increased
duty of la would divide itself on the whole quan-
tity consumed. Token on that quantity, about
ninety thousand tons, the increase on all the
tallow, would make the duty about five pounds
per ton. This duty. by raising the valve of
our own tallow, would give the grazier annually
about 300,0001. 'the whole duty on the 350,000
tons of imported tallow would make an amount of
GOO,OOO/. To meet this surplus, the duty might
be remitted olfiahlow candles, which made 300,0001.
collected at sn expense of one-seventh, or about
63.000/. That was a tax of heavy pressure, which
produced little advantage to Government. The
tax ou foreign tallow would place the coesumer
is a south better situation. At present the csii-
dle-merchant required more profits to requite
his elterges. The candles cost scl. u pound fur fat.
sod Id. for manufacturing-6d. The consumer for
the new* inferior carolled paid 9 I. of which ed. was
profit. and Id. went to the Government. The iso-
neediete effect of his measure would secure 4d. a
pseud to the mute • grazier fur whet he raised. .1c