The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-01 00:00:00

THURSDAY

TAXES ON NEWSPAPERS, AND THEIR
INJUSTICE.
(From the Expositor.)
Newspapers—the pioneers of knowledge, the public
instructors in political matters, the medium through
useful, scientific,
and literary information is con-
veyed to the public, the heralds of the news of the day;
equally needtul to all classes, from the noble to the
mechanic—have been by every Government, whether
Fury, Conservative, or Whig (Protectionist not yet
tried), treated not only unfairly, but unjustly. Railroad
proprietors are now in possession of a privilege not
enjoyed by the press, with all its allowed superior
advautege to mankind. We think we hear our readers
say, can this be possible? We say it is possible, and we
will state the grievance in as small a compass as theim-
portance of the subject merits.
It is pretty well known to those conversant with the
subject (and to those who learn it for the first time from
this statement, we appeal to join the band already
formed to get rid of these unjust taxes on knowledge)
that the newspaper proprietor pays on the article he
produces no less thin three direct and distinct taxes: the
paper pays a direct tax per pound before it receives the
impres.ton of the type; a tax of Id. per sheet is paid to
the Commi=eioners of Inland Revenue for the privilege
of having a blot of red on the corner of their paper in the
shape of a distinctive die stamp; end they are again
called on to pay
Is. 6.1. in the shape of duty for every
advertisement that appears iu their paper. The first
tax on injurious, as not allowing papers and
paper is
periodicals to be published at a cheaper rate, or at all
events proventinf
the proprietors of the cheaper
class of publics ions from paying men of talent as
they should be paid, consequently not producing so
healthy and wholesome a pennyworth of knowledge as
the public would obtain, supposing this obnoxious im-
post to be abolished. The only argument, it it can be
so called, in favour of the stamp duty of Id. on each
newspaper is, that for this odious tax the Government
convey newspapers to all parts of England gratis. This
is true, to a certain extent; but why tax the inhabitants
of large towns for the sake of those who wish the ad-
vantage of the post?
It is well known that the largo
towns throughout England,
aye, and small ones as well,are not supplied through the post with the morning
papers.*
.They are sent by railway, and paid as parcels
to the railway companies by either the London or
country newspaper agent. This is not confined to the
morning papers; the weekly papers are conveyed to
country towns in the same parcel on Saturday morning
in most cases. If not, they send them by mid-day
trains. So, to say the least, this is an unequal, cense•
quently an unfair, tax.
Of the third tax, to which we particularly wish to
address ourselves, we
po can only hope ewe observations
may have the same effect on the minds of our readers
that we have long felt, and with us consider this as one
of the most unfair, unjust, and unequal taxes that ever
entered into the mind of name to impose in a civilized
country.land;to t a
yet
anyet
man who simply announces
the announcement may in a newspaper he either wants to purchase a house, or
to sell
ap-
pear on bills posted on the walls, or exhibited on
boards by the roadside,
a acre Unfa
ol f r
Unjust to the poor ser-
vant who makes public in three lines that she
wants a situation, and charges no more to the peer
who requires a mansion, pleasure grounds, and ten
thousand acres of ground. Unequal in the case of a
poor decayed widow, who, in a very few lines, relates
her tale of woo ; for which the Government amerce
her in the shape of ls. 6d., and charge the wealthy
public companies, who occupy a column in seeking ad-
venturers in the Californian or Australian gold specu-
lation, no more. Let this pass, bad as it is. But what
do we find the Government allow? Highly as we have
shown the newspaper proprietor is taxed, we have the
extraordinary anomaly of the Government allowing
these railway carriages to
be converted into newspapers,
and the walls of the stations into the mediums of pub-
licity, as far as advertising is concerned, without paying
one farthing in the shape of advertisement duty to the
revenue. Quite apart frees the monstrous injustice of
this system, that, allows railway proprietors to possess
the advantage of making known the wants and wishes of
advertisers free, while the newspaper proprietor is taxed
to the tune of is. 6d. for every such advertisement,
look at the shortsightedness and stupidity of allowing
this system to continue, in a financial and revenue point
of view. Every advertisement exhibited at a railway
station, or in a railway carriage, is really taken from
some newspaper, consequently is an injury to the news-
paper proprietor, who pays paper and stamp duty, and
is also a loss of Is. 6d. to the revenue which would be
i saved to the Government t inserted in a newspaper, in-
stead of being allowed to appear in a railway carriage,
or exhibited at a station. To those who have had ex-
perience in advertising—whether as booksellers, ge-
neral advertisers, secretaries to public companies, or ad-
vertising agents—this fact will be patent, that a given
sum of money is settled as the amount to be spent on
advertising—of course modified by circumstances,
as the sale of the book, progress of the company,
&c. It is useless to say the money spent on railway
advertising is extra. We appeal to the classes of ad-
vertisers we have named in support of our assertion.
Why then, we ask the Government, is this, that the
newspaper proprietor is to pay ls. 6d. for every ad
vertisement that appears in his columns, while the
railway proprietors pay not a single farthing in
the shape of duty for advertising at their stations
and in their carriages? We especially commend
these last remarks on the injury to the revenue
to the consideration of every Chancellor of the
Exchequer, while this obnoxious impost con-
tinues. But we believe and hope the present
Chancellor of the Exchequer will take a more enlarged
view of the subject, and abolish the duty on advertise-
ments, paper, and stamps, at once. But, if he cannot
spare the trifling sum produced by the advertisement
duty, we urge on him the justice of dealing fairly by all
parties, and not allow the highly-taxed proprietor of
newspaper to be longer subject to the advertisement duty,
while the railway directors are allowed to continue
charging the public for advertisements that pay no duty.
This request is so fair and just, as we believe, that we
are anxious to hear what the advocates of railway mo-
nopoly have to say in reply.

W e may state, in illustration of our assertion, that one
agent, who supplies the morning papers per railway trains,
informs us that of over 2,300 copies of the Times he dis-
patches daily over 2,000 by early railway trains. He
further complains that on the late editions of The Sun,
though every copy has already paid the ld. stamp, he yet
has to pay a fee of id. on each copy at the Post-office. Such
monstrous injustice is hardly credible. He states that by far
the larger proportion of The Sun consists of the late edi-
tion, that paper having acquired celebrity all over the king-
dom for bringing down the Parliamentary news of the same
evening to the latest moment. Thus the reading-rooms and
commercial chambers in the distant towns are furnished
with The Sun, containing the greater part of the debate
many hOurs before the morning papers of the next day.
[A

.DVERTISEMENT.J—The Royal Exhibition Small
Glass for the waistcoat pocket, at S. and B. Solomons, Opti-
cians, 39, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, opposite the York
Hotel. A valuable, newly invented very small powerful
waistcoat-pocket glass , the size of a walnut, by which
a person can be seen and known 1 miles distant. They
answer every purpose on the race-course, at the Opera-houses ;
country scenery and ships are clearly seen at twelve to four-
teen miles, They are invaluable for shooting, deer stalking,
yachting, to spiztsmen, gentlemen, game keepers, and tourists.
Telescopes, t
e
3i inches, with an extra eye piece, will show distinctly
Jupiter's moons, Saturn's Ring, and the double stars ; with the
same telescope can be seen a person's countenance, 3to miles
Possessing such extraordinary powers that some,
distant, and an object from 16 to 20 miles ; they supersede
every other kind for the waistcoat-pocket, and are of larger,
and all sizes, with increasing powers accordingly. Opera and
race-course glasses with wonderful powers; newly invented in-
valuable
placed before imperfect vision every object appears clear and
preserving Spectacle Lenses, immediately they are
distinct, the most aged defective sight is brought to its youth-
ful, natural, and original state. The invisible Organic
Vibrator, and all kinds of acoustic instruments, for relief of
extreme deafness. 391 Albermarle-street, Piccadilly, opposite
the York Hotel.

FASIIION.—Those of our readers who possessed the
entree last season to the gorgeous and tasteful display of the
results of European and Indian manufacture at Messrs.
Howell and James, will be pleased to learn that extensive
preparations have been for some while in progress for a yet
greater evidence of the ample resources of this house to cull
and Wing together all that is new and recherche from each
quarter of the globe. Although the notion is borrowed from
the Maison diisle during the late reign, where royalty was
wont to mix in unostentatious familiarity with the elite of
Paris, it is generally admitted that for elaborate elegance
and refined judgment the ensemble in Regent-street is, from
the advance since made in manufacturing art, far superior.
The Exposition is to last for two days, those of to-morrow
and Saturday.— Morning paper.

ECK IN THE THAMES.—
BLOWING-UP OF AWI
The blowing-up of the wreck of the Resolution at North-
fleet, on Friday, was conducted very satisfactorily. The
whole body of the hull was shattered, and masses of wood
and beams were thrown into the air, mixed with quantities
of water made quite black by the dispersion of the coals.
When the agitation of the water had subsided, a large quan-
tity of white bait, which was destroyed by the explosion,
floated on the water. There were great numbers of spec-
tators. The Gravesend watermen picked up the fragments
of wood, and many boats went away completely loaded.
The shock of the explosion was felt distinctly on the hill
of Northfleet. The charge was something more than 5001.0.
The galvanic battery used was Smee's. Captain Rowland,
the principal harbour-muter and superintendent of the
river,ul .
had the whole of the arrangements under his super-
UNIVERSITY BOAT-RACE.--This event, appointed
for Saturday afternoon next, is looked forward to with much
anxiety by the lovers of aquatic sports, who may fairly anti-
cipate a very gallant race. Both crews are at Putney in
active training, and in first-rate condition. They are nearly
equal in weight, each man averaging about I.li stone, and it
would indeed be difficult to select a finer set of men. Both
crews are very sanguine of success, and should they come to
the post in the same admirable trim as at present, it will be
no easy matter topredict the probable result of the race.
Bettingis
so evenand on each succeeding pull over the course
both crews improve in pace, and are rowing so remarkably
strong and in so near the same time, making allowance for
ey-bridge to the church at Mortlake, and
wind and tide, that the best judges are not disposed to start
a point in favour of either party. The distance to be con-
testedchartered two of the fastest
conveniencesteam-
boats of gentlemen desirous of accom-
y Others have been also put in requisition
ptbt heesenat eta Messrs.sd
ilif ioa r
gt from
ee thehrmlir Searle
aPc .
for the occasion.
FORTIFICATIONS IN THE 13nisror, CHANNEL.—The
Board of Ordnance have determined upon erecting a battery
of guns in the neighbourhood of Penarth-head, near Cardiff,
and a party of the Royal Engineers have been engaged in
examining and inspecting the head and the adjacent coast,
with the view of ascertaining and reporting upon the best
site for the construction of defences for the better protection
of the Bristol Channel at that part. The battery
at Pater
Fort, Milford Haven, is likewise to be altered, at an expense
of nearly 2 0001., and it is said that additional defences in the
Haven are to be eructed at a cost of 5,0001.
from the York, prison-
and Caob sso
about
c;ros .
on Tuesday. The Stirling Castle is to
establishmentT h e
convicts
adjoining from
Portsmouth
,lhioei
rTptssl,miStirling a
wereo
u Pt h°
Dilremovedo Castle,
cBkll y
a t
dT
lito the new
be fitted for an hospital-ship, and the old York, when cleaned
St, Tirill be placed as A WO OE alto LiKtiltiat.

EVENING, APRIL 1, 1852