The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-07 00:00:00

LONDON,

FRIDAY

number of men to be raised in the first year with " fifty
thousand;" o:lerwise he could see no reason why they
should not p ,se the clause then.
Sir E. COLEB4OOKE said he objected to the "flay
thon,,a,A," and intended to oppose it.
The motion for reporting progress was then agreed to,
and the Chairman obtained Leave to sit again to-morrow
(this day).
The Stock-in-Trade Bill was read a third time and
passed.
The Stamp Deities (Ireland) Continuance Bill was
read a second time, and ordered to he, committed.
PROPERTY_AND INCOME-TAX BILL.

Colonel SIBTHORP protested against the renewal of
this oppressive and unElual tax, which he regarded as
almost a breach cf faith on the part of the Govern-
ment. So strongly did he disapprove of this Bill, that
if an opportunity offered he would, take the sense of
the House against it. He trusted the Government
would be Lb le to hold out some prospect that this tax
would not be renewed at the expiration of the ensuing
year.

Mr. HEYWORTH, on tho contrary, thought the
Bill ought to be extended to almost every income in
the country, with a view to the removal of indirect
taxation.

Colonel TIIOIIPSON hoped that there was no more
chance of repealing the income-tax than of the restora-
tion of the corn-laws. 'lie wished to see the income-
tlx levied in perpetuity as a means of raising t'ce re-
venue of the country.

_
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY considered the income-tax es-
sentially unequal. He knew many persons who by
means of its operation were paying
12 or 14 per cent.
on their income. He feared, however there was no al-
ternative between either renewing this tax for a year
or witnissing a great deficiency in the Exchequer. He
believed that abroad some miscenception existed upon
the Chancellor of the Exchequer's speech on
the budget, an opinion prevailing that the Right
Hon. Gentleman was opposed to direct taxation and
favourable to Customs' duties as a means of raising
revenue. He wished . to' call the attention of the
Government to the lax way in which the documents
connected with the income-tax were preserved. In one
town the returns bad been sold to grocers, and the ac-
counts of the chief tradesmen were sold with the articles
vended in those shops. If the tax were preserved some
means should be taken to preserve those returns. If a
landlord let a farm upon a lease at, say, 3001. a-year,
and made a reduction of 10 per cent, to the tenant, he
was bound to pay three per cent. on the 3001. a-year,
and not upon the 270/. This was an injustice upon those
landlords who to meet the pressure of the times had
made reductions in their rents. He thought that were
a bond fide reduction bad been made the income-tax
ought to be paid 'upon the income actually received, and
not upon the nominal income.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I hope
my Hon. and Gallant Friend the Member for Lincoln
does not mean to accuse the present Government of any,
breach of faith because we have proposed the re-impo-
sition of the income-tax for a limited period. In the
position in which we find ourselves I do not know that we
could have pursued any other course than that which we
have taken. I have no fear that when the country
generally gives an unpassioned consideration to the present
state of affairs, it will condemn us for the inevitable course
which we have pursued.—(Hear, hear.) My Hon.
Friend the Member for Evesham has touched upon an-
other point, which at this hour I would not have ven-
tured to obtrude on the attention of the House; but
which, hinting been alluded to, it would not become me
to pass unnoticed. When I brought forward my finan-
cial statement it was my intention—and I believe I ful-
filled that intention—to express no opinion on any sub-
ject whatever. I confined myself to bringing before the
House what I believed to be a complete view of our
financial condition.—(Hear.) I confined myself to that
duty because it was necessary for me to terminate my
observations by making a proposition which, abstractedly
as a measure of finance, Ido not approve of. I wished
the country to comprehend clearly our financial posi-
tion, and the inevitable necessity the Government was
under of submitting that proposition. I also wished
that the country should take advantage of the interval
which must elapse before another financial statement
can be made by a Chancellor of the Exchequer—
whoever may fill that important office—to arrive
at some conclusion as to the principles on which
the revenue of the country ought to be raised. With
these views:l most studiously guarded myself against
giving any opinion either for or against the policy which
has been pursued with respect to the reduction and te-
pee( of the Customs' duties.—(Hear.) I believe I was
equally guarded in any observations I made with respect
to the other modes by which the public revenue is
raised. I felt it my duty to place before the House,
without any colouring and in a calm spirit, the conse-
quences of recent reductions of the Customs' duties and
their effect on the finance of the country. My observa-
tions were limited. strictly to the influence of those
measure on finance. I avoided all commercial eon-
troversy—l entered into no discussion as to whether the
policy of our predecessors was tainted by injustice—l
avoided all topics of that nature, because I thought them
unnecessary and not germane to the question under dis-
cussion. It appeared to me that my sole duty was to
place a clear view of our finances before the House, and
to abstain from proposing any alteration in the mode of
raising the revenue. Finding that to be my only duty,
I certainly made no particular reference to those classes
of the community who are, in my mind, greatly suffer-
ing, and to whose sufferings it is, according to my opi-
nion, the duty of Parliament to apply some remedy.—
(Cheers.) I certainly communicated to the House the
important fact, that in estimating the revenue of the
country it was necessary to make great allowances for
reductions of rental and farming profits.—(Hear, hear.)
In the position in which the Government, the House, and
the country are placed, it would have been indiscreet in
me en that occasion to have obtruded the opinions which
the Government may entertain with respect to the re-
medial measures such a state of affairs may require.
Alter it has been publicly announced, and after that an-
nouncement has been accepted by the country, that on
an occasion which is now not only not distant but im-
minent, the opinion of the constituent body will be taken
with respect to that subject especially, it would have
been most improper in me, in making the financial state-
ment, to have troubled the Rouse in detail with any
schemes or measures that had reference to the alleviation
of the sufferings of the agricultural classes.—(Hear,
hear.) In taking that course, I think I acted in unison
with the feelings of the ;
wthority of this House and of
the country; but, after
Member the observations of my Hon.
Friend thefor Ehveershmaamje,
sltyhsahvaell no hesita-
tion in saying thatwhen
have re-
curred to the sense of her people, her Majesty's Go-
vernment are prepared to introduce, in due season, those
remedial measures which they believe are required by
justice, and by regard to the permanent interests of the
country.—(Cheers.) I think there can be no misunder-
standing in this House or in the country on that subject.
We are prepared to fulfil, as far as lies in our power,
that policy with regard to the agricultural interest which
we advocated on the other side of the House.—Cheers.)
Strong, however, as may be our determination, and firm
as may be our convictions, I still believe that on the
occasion of making the financial statement it would have
been a most uncalled-for Proceeding to obtrude an ex-
planation of ourommons,—(Chepeolirs.)c
C y on the attention of the House of
After a few words from Mr. ANSTEY and Mr. Wenn,
Mr. PACKE expressed his warm thanks to the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer for the statement he had made
with respect to the most suffering class in the country.
The statement could not fail to give satisfaction to the
agriculturist..—(Hear, hear.)
Sir G. GREY was not surprised at the alarm which
seemed to have taken possession of Hon. Gentleman oß-
posite in consequence of the able and satisfactory state-
ment delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
in introducing his budget_
---e Cheers.) It was evictent,
from the scene which had been enacted that night,
that Hon.
Gentlemen
were anxious to extort from the
Right Hon. Gentleman some declaration on which
they might found a distant hope that the members of
the Government, in their Ministerial--
career, would act
on the opinions which they maintained on the other side
of the House when they led what used to be called
the Protectionist party...ens
et-eaar, hear.) The Right Hon.
Gentleman had now declared, in, tangelo
,t) similar to that
employed by him on former occasions, that the Govern-
ment would first appeal to the country, and then bring
forward the measures Which they deemed necessary.
But he had given them no distinct idea as to what those
measures were likely to be; nor did he (Sir G. Grey)
think it was very material to know.--(aear, hear.) lie
did not think it at all necessary that they should cross-
examine the Right Hon. Gentlean in
the way some of
his supporters had done, in order' to get at the opinions
of the Government.—(Hear, and 1
a "'ugh.) The Right
Hon. Gentleman told them that he had not on Friday
' anything whatever with
evening said respect to our
commercial policy. He had been equally discreet to-
ll
to-
night. But it was not, after
naot ' a matter of very great
consequence. They relied
which
the opinions of the
the facts the R-
Government, but on
d.—(Ch ht 114 Hon. Gen-
tleman had brought forwarf
Cheers,) They were
Gen-
well aware of those facts be ore. (Pr
--% -.ear, hear.) They
had been stated over and over
_again in speeches in
that
House, and in pamphlets out ofaduldrs.. "
The accuracy of
those statements had beeni
CProgwn c ,but now they had
one of the Ministers of the conning forward and
irre?
declaring that those facts
werepower and reel el
asee, and illus-
trating them with
a -(llear, hear.) oence seldom
equalled in that House.Thoseh facts had
country; and, go t
been appreciated by
the
would find, it on otht e country
when they might, theyl
or
remodel the policyB hustings
they proposed to repea
adopted, that the 134100 which o
late years had been would re-
spondhad derived that they
important
with one voice
benefits from that new policy, and that they were not
disposed to give it up.—(Cheers.)asked,if benefit had been
Mr. W. MILES conferred
policy, what benefit on the consumers by
°liar, Look at the state of the
had ac-
crued to the producers?
le time of the mone agricul-
tural classes, and at the sa
was
prosperous? Rate4grtet.
Did that show that tradeed on, it had been withu-ve very
largo trade had been cartreatest confidence in the Rightr
small profits. He had the g
ll r of the Exch
Chance o eqeur. He
Hon. Gentleman the 6
swerved from the principles he
had never, since 184 ,
might depend upon it that the prin-
ciplesadvocated; and they .
opposition he would, as est• • a Minis-
ter, he supported in _
(Hear, hear.)
ter, honestly act upon.
The Bill was then read a second time.
The Grand Juries
(Metropolitan District) Bill was
read a second time and seat to Select Committee.
of, and the House
disposed
The other orders were
'
adjourned at a Quarter to Two o clock.
.he--.---------eeia—eees-a--_

: •
Mr. Bullock had an interview yesterday with Sir John
Pakington, et 030 Colonial-office.
Dispatches were received 'at the Colonial-office yester-
day from the Governors of Bong-Kong and Ceylon.
Dispatches were also received from the Governor of the
Mauritius. Dispatches were sent yesterday to the Go-
vernor of Gibraltar.