The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-03 00:00:00

Mr. Childers, M.P,, and his Constituents.

On Thursday evening Mr Childers addressed his
constituents in the Session House at Pontefract.
The room was crowded, and the chair was taken
by Mr Alderman Moxon.
Mr. CHILDERS said he should take the oppor-
tunity of speaking on what he might term the act
had
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wouldf representingespecially hisap pc
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and process of Parliament dur ng the five years he
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as
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probably the present Parliament would have died
before he next addressed them. The present Parlia-
ment would be remembered in history for its finan-
cial character and its financial results. If there
had been any subject that occupied the attention
of men of all parties since 1859, it had been the
endeavour to improve the financial condition of
England, to place taxes on a more satisfactory
footing, and the expenditure under a more efficient
control. if that had been the aspiration of the pre-
sent Parliament, it might be proper to consider how
far it had succeeded in what our descendants would
say its work and mission had consisted. This was
not the calmest period to improve the financial con•
dition of the country. He did not suppose that,
during the last five years, there had been less stir-
ring events, especially effecting the financial condi-
tion of the country, than in almost every other five
years of our history. We had had a China war, the
naval expenditure of which (he had not tho esti.
mates for the army) had cost three and a half
millions of money, which was in addition to the
ordiuery expenditure of the country. We had
bad the Americ to rebellion causing unparal-
leled distress to one part of the country, which
had been borne with the greatest fortitude, and
met •by the most masterly policy on the part
of those who had guided the unfortunate people
who had suffered. That rebellion had cost indi-
rectly enormous sums, both to the country generally
and to financial administration: At the beginning
of Parliament the wrecks of the Indian mutiny
were on the beach, so to speak, visible to all. We
had had two great European conferences, first, for
the reconstruction of Italy and settling the affairs
of the South of Europe; and, second, in respect to
the disintegration of Denmark, in which two great
Powers had, with magnanimity unparalleled, over-
come a very small weak one. And, more extensive
than any of these causes, in a financial point of
view, we had had during the present Parliament to
carry out the entire adaptation of our offensive and
defensive weapons to a new state of things. Our
fleet in 1859 had just been reconstructed, and in
1860 its reconstruction was begun again. What
our men-of-war were in 1859 to those of 1853,
before the Crimean war, such were the ships of
1864 to the ships of 1859. We therefore had a
most expensive process of reconstruction carried on
during the last five years: With respect to the
army there had been the introduction of new guns
and new materials of war, and the time of the pre.
sent Parliament had been distinguished by causes of
expenses which had been unparalleled except in
time of war. There had also been such an equality
of parties in the house that great strokes of finan-
cial policy could not be easily ventured on. Under
these circumstances they would be surprised at the
results. Since 1859 no taxes of consequence had
been increased, but, on the other hand, there had
been a great reduction. The income tax had been
been lowered from. 9d to 6d. The hop and paper
duties had been removed, and the insurance duties
had been greatly reduced. (Applause.) With re•
gard to customs, the tea duty had been so far re•
dated as to relieve the public to the extent of
Z 1,650,000 per annum, the sugar duty to the evtent
of £1,150,000, and the wine duty to the extent of
£1,030,000 per annum. (Hear, hear.) Other
duties on sundry articles of food had also
relieved taxation to the extent of £50,000 per
annum, and there had also been reductions
in articles (not articles of food) relieving the
public taxation to the amount of £1,014,000 per
annum. The general result during the five years
had been that taxation had increased to the extent
of £3,100,000 per annum, and during the same
period taxes to the amount of £14,450,000 per annum
had been repealed, the net result being an excess of
remission of taxation of £11,350,000 per annum.
(Applause.) Surely that would entitle Parliament
to expect the gratitude of the country. But they
might ask whether much more might not have been
done ? Was there not still need for great economy ?
Of course it would be impossible for him to say what
economies were at present in contemplation, and it
would be unreasonable for his hearers to expect criti-
cism on the acts of his colleagues, or of others in the
House. He would, however, show how, in certain
respects, the expenditure had been affected during
the
and leave to his hearers to judge how those causes
past five years, and the causes of those changes,
might be removed. lie would first take the departs
ment with which he was connected, and show what
had been the navy expenditure during the last five
or six years, from what causes it had increased, and
how it stood at the present time. Since 1857 the
navy had been fully reconstructed. In 1857-9 the
average naval expenditure was £8,350,000, in ad.
dition to certain charges which still remained on
account of the Russian war. In 1859 it rose to
£11,650,000; in the following year it was
£11,570,000, besides £1,550,000 on account of the
China war. In 1861.2 it was £12,420,000 besides,
something more than another million on account of
the China war. In 1862.3 it was £11,420,000; and
in 1863-4 it was £10.540,000. Between 1858, an
average year, when £8,350,000 was the amount of