The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-28 00:00:00

NEWS FROM THE CRIMEA.

Mr. WARNER wished to know whether by means of
the telegraph there had been received any news from the
Crimea in the course of that day or the day before. If
there were ne news at that moment, he should feel inclined
to move that the house meet at 12 to-morrow (this day), in
order that such news might be communicated.
Sir C. WOOD said that the Government were not in
possession of any news.

LOAN BILL.
The house then resolved itself into committee on the
Loan Bill.
On clause 1,

Mr. JOHN-MACGREGOR said he considered the'right
hon. gentleman had fallen into a great error in proposing
a loan according to the terms of the bill. The right hon.
gentleman might have raised a loan of twenty millions at
par, for an annual rate of interest not greatly exceeding
that now proposed to be•given. He would propose now
to substitute in the bill the words "twenty millions," in-
stead of " sixteen millions."

The CHAIRMAN of COMMITTEES (Mr. Fitzroy)
ruled that no motion could be made in that way.
Mr. MACGREGOR would move in that case that the
chairman report progress and ask leave to sit again.
Mr. FITZ ttOY said the hon. member was not in order
in making that motion.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER regretted
that the hon. gentleman could not, consistently with the
forms of the house, make the motion he wished to make,
and carry it with the consent of the house. The only
practical difficulty which occurred to him in the way of
giving effect to such a resolution was, that it was not
improbable that the contractors for the loan would
makesome objection to paying the Government 20,000,00()1.
when they had only contracted to give interest for
16,000,000/. (A laugh.) He hoped the hon. member,
having recorded his protest, would not further oppose the
motion.

Mr. MACGREGOR withdrew his motion.
/dr. WILKINSON remarked that a Chancellor of the
Exchequer very often could only do what it was in his
power to do, and not what it would be most advisable to do.

Mr. GLADSTONE said that undoubtedly the main ob-
jects of free trade had been accomplished, and the duties
most adverse to free trade got rid of. He entirely agreed
with what had often bees said, that it was not unreasonable
that all high duties upon articles of import into the country
should be likewise got rid of. But, besides the matter of pro-
tective duties, there were various other subjects of great
importance to which the principle of free trade would un-
doubtedly apply—for instance, to a gradual reduction of
the taxes laid upon articles produced at home by way of
Excise. Another description of legislation to which they
had also lately taken with great advantage was the total
abolition of low nominal duties, which were unproductive
in point of fact. Duties had in that way lately been taken
off from 1,000 to 1,300 articles. But he could not altoge-
ther dismiss from his mind the apprehension that should
the burden of the war continue and the existing inconve-
nience be increased (and he had no doubt, for his ownpart,
that it would be increased), Parliament would End itself
—he would not say under the necessity, for he could sot
undertake to say what constituted a political necessity—
but Parliament would, whether reasonably or unreasona-
bly, return to the free imposition of protective duties. He
hoped that the day would not soon arrive ; it would not
be a happy day for the country; but the possibility of its
arrival was a contingency he could not altogether dismiss
from his mind.

Mr. HEYWORTU thought it quite likely the country
would be obliged to return to the imposition of protective
duties.

On clause 7,

Mr. MACGREGOR wished to know why the dividends
were made payable on the Ist day of January, instead of
at a term calculated from the day on which payments
were made to the Government?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it was
customary to pay the dividends on Consols in January and
and as the Loan was contracted for in Consols it had
not been thought advisable to depart from that custom.
On clause 22, relative to the sinking fund,
Sir F. KELLY said it was a very important principle of
the financial administration of the country that the house
or the committee should have an opportunity of determin-
ing the question whether—he would not say in the present
loan, but whether in any future loans that might be ef-
fected for the prosecution of the war the system was to be
adopted of charging posterity for a limited period with the
annual payment of a very large sum. He wished to give
notice that upon the bringing up of the report, or upon the
third reading, he should move the rejection of the clause.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that it
was the intention of the Government to introduce words
into the clause which would bring it more in unison with
the hon. and learnedgentleman's ideas. Those words would
be found in the copy of the bill in the hands of the chair-
man. With respect to the general policy of the clause, he
would go into that question on the occasion of the motion
of which the hon gentleman had given notice.
The bill then passed through committee.
CUSTOMS DUTIES BILL.

On the motion that the house should go into committee
on this bill,

Mr. MACGREGOR said he thought he should fail in his
dutyif he did not oppose the intended increase of the duties
upon tea, coffee, and sugar. Considering the high duties to
which those
articles were already subjected, he looked with
alarm on the consequences of the measure proposed. Had
the right hon. gentleman raised 20 millions on terminable
annuities and three millions on Exchequer-bills, there
would have been no necessity for increasing the duties upon
articles of daily and universal consumption. Had 14s.
been put upon Muscovado sugar, the desired object would
have been attained ; but as they had made the maximum
duty 10s., and now altered that amount, everything was
disarranged, to the great inconvenience of commerce and
of the public generally. Then as to coffee, there was no
trade that had been in a more suffering condition. He
concluded by moving that the house resolve itself into
committee ou that bill this day six months.
Mr. -DAVIES thought that the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer had exercised a wise discretion in so equally dividing
the burdens of taxation. Although he felt the greatest
sympathy for the lower classes, still he thought it was not
fair to exempt one class from direct taxation and throw all
the burden of that taxation upon another.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY wished to ask the hon. member
for Glasgow, who, as he understood, proposed to raise
twenty millione by terminable annuities, how he proposed
to pay the interest upon them. Any gentleman who could
solve that problem would be justly considered a financial
minister. He found that the objections in the house to
any sort of taxation were so inconsistent that they an-
swered one another ; but if they were acted up to, there
would be no revenue at all. He wished also to ask the
Chancellor of the Exchequer for some information with
respect to the increase which was made in the malt tax
last year. The late Chancellor of the Exchequer estimated
that by a certain increase of the malt duty there would be
an addition to the revenue of 1,600,0001. He wished to
, know if that estimate had been realised. He did not like
1 duties on articles of general consumption, but he could
not conceive how Government could propose a tax of
150,0001. on coffee whilst at the same time they were
taking off 190,0001. on newspapers. He did not see the
necessity for taking off this amount. Nobody complained
,
c 1
of the impost ; and, for his part, he confessed thought this d he
the luxury of a good newspaper, and n
he e
was a direct violation of the principles which had pre-
vailed of late. He wished to ask the Chancellor of the
Exchequer also if he was aware that large quantities of
tea had been recently taken out of bond ? He could not
agree that a tax levied for general purposes should be
turned to private advantage, to the injury of public com-
petition. He did not know whether this was true, but it
bad been recently reported. He, however, trusted
that the
right hon. baronet would be able to contradict it. i
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
the right hon. gentleman tho member for Oxford had last
session proposed additional duties upon sugar, malt, and
Spirits. With respect to sugar and spirits, there had been
an increased consumption notwithstanding the additional
had ‘St; but with respect to malt, the result at present
The ue.ees n, as far as he was able to state, less favour ible.
possible nuts
atpresent were in that state that it was ilia-
tainly a ascertain the result with accuracy, but it cer- .
mate. tPeared that it was less favourable than the esti-
of barl© l'ai-eeeilso of that undoubtedly was the high price
the estimateeo t3,Vast harvest. However that might be,
taxation had heenie tight honourable friend of the year's
million sterling. exceeded by the produce by about a
Mr. HEYWORTR 5,1,1 •
formed on the subject of tliet the People had been lwould have preferred the i,"ese changes, he was sure they
He protested against a systeTan'o; tax to indirect taxation.
thr•xation which not only
deprived the poorer ?leases of
, nislied the sinurces fnim which theiThrerneingi'' but dimi-
k fib ible. He objected to the injustib—r was made pro-
ce of this tax aa an