The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-27 00:00:00

VZ-0
TAXES ON KNO WLE
(From the Herald.)
As the motion of Mr. Milder Gibson for repealing the
ditty on paper will probably be revived at no great in-
terval, we think it necessary that the country should
understand the tendency of that motion, and how its
interests and our own, as publishers, are likely to be
affected by it. We could have wished that for the pre-
sent the Member for Manchester had confined himself
to one of the three grievances to which he referred. Had
he not aimed at too much at once, he would probably
have succeeded in his laudable exertions, and rendered
signal service by removing some portion of those im-
posts which weigh so heavily on authors and publishers,
and not least, upon the public.
The excise upon paper reaches unquestionably to a
greater extent than is generally imagined.. It is not
merely the printer, or the stationer but the artist, the
paper-stainer and paper-hanger who feel its effect; the
parlour of the mechanic and wall of the cottage, as
well cis the library of the student acid the table of the
general reader, surfer from the tax. The reduction, there-
fore, of this class of duties would cot grtally benefit the
puhisiter or earthen rihey are derived from so many
small items, thee pria:er era: atelior would acareely draw
any advantago from tee repeal; tiro public none—or,
at least, not won as i:ould be perceptible. An ordinary
octavo, which now sells for his., and of which 500 copies
are printed, would nut be reduced in cost 2d. by abo-
lishing the stamp upon paper. No benefit whatever
would accrue to the atithor, es Mr. Milner Gibion sup-
posed. It would not put a couple of guineas more in
his pueket. To tli heoks eller and newspaper proprietor
the advantage would be trifling; the gains of the paper-
maker only would be extended, Led that not so much,
perhaps, by irsereasing the etestitity of paper required
for printing, as by enabling him to manufacture and
export to a inuce greater extent. As a considerable le-
venue, therefore, is d' rived from this item of the Excise,
we consider that the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
though not altogether unfavourable to Mr. Gibson's mo-
tion, was perfectly justified in refusing his fuller assent,
until after the production of the Budget.
The third division of the Right don. Member's mo-
tion (to the second we shall revert presently) aimed
at the abolition of the stamp duty on newspapers. He
showed that it had been the original design of that act
to discourage immoral and seditious publications ; and
that in this it had signally failed. The entire weight of
the restriction had fallen entire more respectable portion
of the daily and weekly journals. In proportion to the
wish of the proprietors to render the press of this cotm-
try a great moral and political organ were the subject to
inconvenience and annoyance,, which the libeller or the
No one can feel proreetnxious than
obicene atitiriet Mitt-aged easily to ;evade
ourselves to ex-
press our gratitude to Mr. Milner Gibson,senable o an.
d
f
portance of the press, are anxious to .ttoheotihm.
other
men of character and influence, who
relieve it from un-
necessary
burdens, and extend its
usefulness. Though
we may appear to speak in our case, dso far to be
it
partial, yet we fear not to assert that is h
to overrate the influence of the dally pressardly possible
like our own. It is, therefore, incumbent
in a country
Government to adopt such measures as el
sevearyt wise
so important a body the greatest facilities in th-e-6 exer-
cise of their important and responsible functions.We
43
are furthermore convinced that that respectability is in-
creased as its influence is widened by the increase and
widening of the circulation. In proportion as a jour-
nal rises above a small clique, and wins its
way among a greater number of readers,
it has a tendency to widen its sympathies, extend its
views, and purify its aims and intentions. The history
of the daily and weekly press of this country bears con-
' tinual testimony to the truth of these assertions. It is
manifested at the present moment in our cheap litera-
ture. And if the newspaper press of this country is im-
measurably superior in its moral tone, it its decorum, in
its ability, to the Grub-street flying-sheets of a former
century, that improvement is owing, not merely to the
visible improvement of the people at large, in which the
daily press'llas bad no small share, but also to the vast
increase of the circulation of our journals, and to an in-
creasing desire on the part of the conductors and pro-
prietors of these journals to render them more worthy of
the position they occupy and the part which they have
to perform.
But it must not be forgotten that whilst a visible im-
provement may he observed in this class of literature,
very much of that improvement is due to the great lead-
ing journals of the day. The example set by them, and
the tone by which they are pervaded, are quite as influ-
ential on the minor publications, as the information
collected by them at vast expense, and the reports fur-
nished with such cost and activity, both of domestic and
foreign events, are beneficial to the humbler classes of
periodicals, which are mainly fed by their streams.
Their interest, therefore, is in a great measure the in-
terest of the nation at large; and therefore it would not
be desirable that their interest should be diminished or
their influence contracted.
Yet that such would be the result of the abolition of
the stamp upon newspapers is unquestionable. That
abolition would not benefit them in the least; the price
of the newspapers would be reduced exactly the amount
of the duty; that is, from sd. to 4d., too small a reduc-
tion to affect the circulation. Bat the abolition of the
stamp would be followed by a result positively injurious,
the abolition of free transmission by post. This would
be a serious disadvantage, as is very ably shown by
Mr. M'Culloch:—" It has been propofed (he says)
" to repeal the stamp duty on newspapers, and to
pote in its 'need a charge of ld. on all newspapers
sent by post. Its obvious tendettey would be to confine
thet of newspapers to the tdatrieta within
which they ore puldiahee, is tea as ell to be de-
sired. Were the procosee plan adopted, the charge for
postage being eddied Lu the price of the metropulitan
journals would make them decidedly dearer than the
local papers, and people in very many, or rather perhaps
in the great majority of instances, would be disposed to
prefer the cheaper, though inferior. journal published at
their door, to the superior, but dearer, journal of the
capital." The revenue, inceed, would not suffer by the
repeal. The difference would be made up by the in-
creased postage; but as the same newspaper is fre-
quently sent by different ports, the redaction of the
stamp duty would rather act us a tax upon the public,
and would have an undeniable tendency of limiting their
free circulation.
No such objection, however, can be urged .against the
other division of Mr. Milner Gibson's motion—the re-
peal, that is, of the duty 'on advertisements. The whole
of that duty does not amount to more than 160,6004
per annum, and is really so insignificant that we wonder
any objection can be made to its abolition. Previously
to the year 1833 that duty was levied at 3s. 6d. In that
to Is 6d. on all advertisements, long
year it was reduced •
or short, affecting a large or small amount of property.
The servant advertising for a place, or the tutor, or the
poor tradesman, or the loser of a note, is subjected to the
same tax as the merchant, the nobleman, or the auc-
tioneer.
This is an inequality falling with great injus-
tice on the poorer and more industrious classes. But this
is not the only inequality; tiro tax weighs heavily on
the newspapers, while advertising vans, omnibuses, and
the thousand placards which disfigure our walls, are
permitted to go free.
It would, therefore, 3"
be but • t
that this tax should be abolished altogether. But if the
Chancellor of the Exchequer considers the entire aboli-
tion of it too great a sacrifice, a reduction from ls. 6d. to
6d. would be of no inconsiderable service to the public
and to the daily papers. Nor would the revenue incur
loss by the reduction. Indeed,any we are
thoroughly convinced that it would be increased
to a degree of which no other seduction,
except
that
of the penny postage, would furnish a parallel.
The diminution of the duty wt,uld lower not
merely to an equal amount the price of a
advertisements,
bat newspaper proprietors would be enabled to insert
them at a less cost, beyond that
proportion which is
effected by the duty. Advertisers who now make use of
one vehicle for the purpose of
publication
would extend
their views to others, and the increasel in the number of
advertisements would soon
sup-
ply, any deficiency caused by thean" reduction.y,andmore
than
Already
the revenue from the red
uceu duty of Is. 6d. has risen to
nearly the same
amount
as when that duty was 3s. 6d.;
and a further reduction iswarranted
past experience as well , therefore., by
as by considerations of justice.

RAILWAY ' 111ARKETS.
GR.BRISTOL
SH
rhee, a 3 it
r wApralLue 26.
or
nothing
the share market to-day The only sale reported does
was L
STOCK EXCIIANIS
Great Western, 913/•
LIVERPOOL, Arai'. 2s.
STOCK EXCIIANOZ.—We had a very flat market to-day,
with a downward tendency in prices, but we close with rather
a better feeling. The transactions were as follow :—Black-
burn (late B C. and W. Y.), Preference, six per cent., 20—
Chester and Holyhead, Preference, guaranteed 5 1 per cent.,
173i4—Eastern Counties, sq—East Lancashire, Preference,
Fifths, 51/4—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Fifths (West Riding
Union), 41i dis.—London and North-Western, 124—Ditto,„,
New Quarters, 5 p.—Malton and Driffield, 534—Man-
cheater, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 341/4—Ditto, 61. Nay
Preference, 13.16 p.—Midland, 677/B—North Union (A),
guaranteed by London and North-Western and Lancashire
and Yorkshire, 253—South-Eastern and Dover, 2274—York
and North Midland, 251/4—Newry and Enniskillen, 54 die.
NAN CHESTER, APRIL 26,
&root ExctlANGE.—The business to-day was rather li--
mited, and prices had & downward tendency. The transac-.
tions were as follow :—Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston, and.
East Junction, 11/4 dis.—Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Che-.
shire Junction, 12 1-16 die.—Caledonian, 201/4 —Lancashire
and Yorkshire. 781/4—latlock, 2 9-16—South-Eastern and
Dover, 21 s.l6—Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 34
—West Riding Union, 41/4 die.
BII4IIII24GEIAM, Arun. 26.
STOCK" Excrtaxca.—The transactions to-day were 64
follow :_Great Western, 921/4—Shrewsbury and Birming"
ham (A), 71. 6s. 31—South Staffordshire, 1% dis.

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It appears to be determined that the separate
sittings of the Lord Chancellor and of the Lords Justices arcs
to be continued, and that it has been found expedient too
Lord
seriou%
postpone if not to abandon the sittings of a Court of Chau..
cery composed of the Lord Chancellor and the Lotdrs
Justices. Workmen are now employed in preparing 1
portion of the old Hall of Lincoln's Inn, for the reception of
the Lord Justices in the sittings after Term. The courts or
the Lord Chancellor aud ot the Lerds Justices will thus bat
more conveniently connected with those of the Vice- eh •
complaint from
cellors, and the dlstarbunce created by using the Hall an-.
promenade put an end to. This disturbance wa3 5 g'S Oh
Leonardo, and we have no doubt it influenced i St..
sure the resolution to set a part a portion of the ri, some moa•.
as to ferrn a constant ground of
Lords Justices,
:.pace for that
Tug RECIMT ELECIIOS roR -.1
petition which has been preeeuted b , ; ONMOUTII.—The
the return of Dlr. Crawbliay Bailey y I.rir. Lindsay, against;
come on before the Committee ' for these boroughs, wilL
law of evidence will in future 111 a few days, and as the new
be submitted to an examinaf permit both the candidates to.
an unusual amount of 1",
the
proceedings will
P°111.114
petitioner are Mr. Edwin interest. James, The counsel retained for 4
another learned gentleman.
"leis'
Mr.
Sergeant
KiDglake'
We (Saunders'
Maar', Esq., of T 3 NetvB Letter) hear that John
435.44wii; tillyraTark, is shortly to be married tg
with a Walla of uo,oooi.