The National Register.
London, England, 1816-04-01 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL 'DISTRESS.

Mr. WErtERN moved, that the Howe should resolve itself
into a Couuittee, to consider the state of the agriculture•uf the
United Kiegdoin.
Mr. WEsTansi then rose, anti deseribed the general dis-
tresses of the agriculturists, which he declared were of a
nature unparalle ed. It now became the Committee to ex-
amine into the canse of these distresses. It had arisen, in the
-first place, from a fall in the price of the products of the land,
and a large surplus of these products. The fall of the pro-
ducts had received a superaddition by the• nominal value of
the real currency; and the circulation of a• paper one in as
rctead, had contributed greatly to increase the fall. [triad the
effect of altering entirely the distribution of property ; aud
:bat alteration had doubled the taxes, and consetriently
et...axed the distresses of the country; while the circulating
medium increased thus aggorgirtely the evils. To remove the
e WI, he suggested the propriety of pros Ming a market for the
surplus, by encouraging exportation, and by reducing the
duties on spirits. Ile would not venture to urge this measure,
if he thought the revenue would derive any behait from con-
tinuin4 those duties ; hut, in his opinion, the consumption
would be greatly increased. The duties on barley were ten
millmns per annum, exceeding the whole amount of the othcr
duties of customs. 'l•he Hon. Gentleman then read his tirst
resolution, ►etting forth the pressure on the country.
Lord CVITWEREIGI4 thought that the very going into a
Committee admitted this abstract resolution. It would be
much better to proceed at once to some resolution that would
produce a practical result. •
. . .

Mr. U r:.r►:Rn then read the fourth rer,olntion: "Thu• ►he
consumptatut of barley, awl ennacquently the ,s; ol is,
-were vtry wateriahy reduced. by the exces,ive d ...1 ,-h

it was :•uhjecliti, acid that Iliusidaties ought ti he II( pfdit

Mr. BRAND thought ill,• whole the plop)) 41' his
Hon. Friend were so simple, tit it na areuutaatii were nt cessary
to elucidate them. The only -subject for the ronSideration at
the Conimitte( would be the raid to he atfo,sbni. He hail
before stated, tam the ti no ivtaill arriv c, when the digress( ;
of the huh w.aild 1111,:iTaSC, and the ptasi..at be depri.-en of ens.
tenanoe from labour. This time had now arrived, dad he had
e Icier Ciotti Cambridge, which proved that e distresses, 1.. t
it stated, that a la 4 out, in the nth poem. of health and
atreneth, could not ie. w obtain more thaa is. Od. per ila r. . t had
been asked how there could be ;tetanal piverty in the amidst
of general plenty: nut while there was such a load of taxes,
the great hiss consisted in the shriaking agricultural capital,
and the land was handed over even to the mortgagee in a very
dett;rioi ated state. The Hun. Gentleman said, the resolutions
pioposed to the Committee bore tw s charaeters; one of them
contemplated the reiieving the land from the charges upon it at
present; the other was, to raise the prices of the prathie• so as
tas.makt: them equal to lIIPCI the charges. on the bind. With
respect to lb,. resolutions wbieh related-to :he charges on land,
the last whkis related to tithes, was the most important. He
understood that Mr. Pitt at one time had in contemptitii..ti
a measure for relieving the tend from the collection of tithes.
lie 'vas of opinion that it would he advantageous if, instead of
tithe being taken as it now was, it should be taken by a corn
rent; or, by a commutation, Milord on a general valuation ci
land. This would prose a eery consiatet able relief to the fanner.
The next subject which pressed on the farmer was theimor rates;
the effect of these rates, it' they went on as therhad done, would
in; to swallow or destroy the whole a.,:ricultitral ham-4 of the
country.. Ihe Hon. Gent. the arts cried to the relief whi,m the
farmer ,r mid derive front the repeal of the Malt TAN.. He
4/observed, that front the most accurate calculation which could
he made, it appeare.l that the duty paid by the man who farm-
ed 409 acres of laud, for the wit front which the bear consikko-
vdi ou that farm was made, was nitre than equal to the Property
Tax paid oo that farm. Aril in this place lie coal& not avoid
asking the Chancelior of the Exchequer to explain his intention
as to. tlw repeal of the War Malt Duty. Did the Right Hon.
Gentleman mean immediately to relieve the Malt on hunt fi
this duty ; Or if that Malt, or any part of it, was brewed into
beer between this anal Joly, would the Right Hon. G,nittennin
allow the same draw. ick on the beer so brewed, as he wool,'
have done on the omit, had it remained in its original state r
Unless this was intended, no one would purchase malt for
brewing between this time and J •Iy, and the malting trade
would tonic to a total stagnation, to the utter rum of many re-
epectable individuals concerned in this trade. Mr. Brand then
touched shortly on the means suggested for Met easing the d•
mend in the market. He recommended a duty immediately on
rape and linseed Imported, and, if it were pos-ible without de-
tritneut to the nuentieturers, a ditty on the importatiou.of fo-
reign woad.

- - -
Mr. %. tsistrr titer, in reply to the question put to him by
Mr. respecting the time at which the Malt Deity Was
to cease, said, that he was aware the effect of its repeal must
operate very co niiderably on a stagnation of tr He thought
however. the interest of all parties might be conciliated by
giving a power to allow a fair- draft back on beer brewed from
the beginning of February up to the period %%hen the duty
would cease. -Otis w.mal enable the trade to continue diet.
purchasts, and ttionea some inconvenience might still be felt,
yet it would Ue I,lievcd as much as possible.
Lord LtschuAli thought ihe (Wife of the distresses
consisted in the state of the circulation- of the emilitry. He
was against eneonraging !peculation by, the warehousing 4,0
grain, as well as a.ditty oo tOreign wool. the main points of
tho Malt and Property Tax had in gained, and the others
were of minor. ituportauce.. 'the only actual rchcf.that could

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

be afforded, was to reduce the expenditure, and set all classes
at liberty front that burthen which weighed so heavily on them.
Mr. COIN an differed with his Hon. Friend
,Mr, Western)
•in several parts of his speech and re• ,Intions. He attributed
the ',resew distress not to a surplus produce, but to the with-
drawing of that accommodation which the farmers received
from the country banks, and au increased eirculation. There
was a perfect stagnation in the market, noble!) being willing
, to tiny, became though the price was low, there was all expec-
tation that it would fall still lower. He did not think there
was in the country that quantity of grain, which in ordinary
cases would have produced such an effect on prices. He was
persuaded that this would be felt bethre next harvest. He
anticipated a rise, and lie would hail the event, not because he
wished the people to purchase at a high rate the necessaries of
life, but beta use he V/3% of opinion that the laborious classes
of society would be beisetitted by it. In his opinion a scarcity
will ensue, and bring a remedy to low prices, without putting
an cod to the g. 'send cutbarrassnu•nt or distress.
Mr. Itonisisox believed the general sense of the House to be
nalavourititle both to the plan of aliaitdoning the warehousing
system, and to that of MIA-ding temporary assistance by au
issue tif Exchequer Rills. As to the butterarade, a proliihi-
tion might be imposed; but on that of tallow and hides it would
be impossible; because, by doing so, we oloMd destroy our
trade with Smith America. He was Afraid, that OM the system
of prohibitions, they had already gone too far.
tl Fitax aLASi D Eructs made a very able speech. in which
Ire recommended the growth of tobaceo by repealing the Acts
against its cultivation. He moved two re•olutions—rust, that
it is expedient to export wool Isee of all restrictions and penal-
ties; secondly, that it is expedient to permit the cultivation of
tobacco. These resolutions, however, lie afterwards emiseitted
to withdraw for the present, and the debate was then adjourned
till Tuesday next.—Adjouri.eel.