The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-13 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

ROUSE OF CO 'MONS, May 12.

,Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
ABOLITION OF TUE PAPER DUTY.
ADJOURNED DEBATE.

On the order of the thy being read for resuming the
asiourned debate on this subject,
Lord DUNCAN presented three petitions from
R-ehester and other places in favour of the repeal of the
taxes on knowledge.
Mr. COWAN said he had been engaged for about
thirty years in the manufacture of paper, and for the
het twenty years he had done all in his power to induce
various Administrations to consider the propriety of re-
moving the restrictions imposed upon that manufacture.
He found, however, that though on all occasions a very
civil reception was given in Downing•street to the depu-
tations, no progress whatever was made towards the
abolition of those restrictions. Of late years a very
considerable reduction had been made in the number of
exciseable articles, and paper was, he believed, the only
article which could properly be termed a manufacture
still subjected to an excise duty. A very large num-
ber of individuals was employed in the manufacture of
paper, which seemed to have been specially selected as
the subject of harassing and vexatious restrictions. Not
only were manufacturers cf lever compelled to submit
to a protracted survey, but it was required that every
parcel of paper should bear upon it a label describing
the weight, the name of the supervisor, the place
of manufacture, and a variety of other de-
tails ; and this process of labelling consumed a
great deal of valuable time. He complained also of the
delay which teoli pisco before paper could be removed
after the ietspectioa of the Exei.,e effiaer. Formerly
paper was allowed to be removed in twenty-four hours
after the time at which the Excise officer commenced his
survey, but an order was issued some twenty years
ago providing that twenty-four hours should elapse after
the officer had completed his survey before paper was
allowed to be removed from the place of manufacture.
Ihe effect of this regulation was that a delay of
two days took place before paper could be removed. He
was bound to Bay, however, that within the last year
the Board of Excise had considerably diminished the '
period of delay. To show the vexatious nature of the
restrictions on the manufacture of paper, he might men-
tion that some five or six years ago a very extensive
mill was established in Gloucestershire for the purpose
of Manufacturing paper or pasteboard from straw. The
proprietors accepted a contract to supply a large quan-
tity of pasteboard, but objections were made by the
Board of Excise to their obtaining a supply of a finer
description of paper necessary for the completion of
their manufacture from other mills. [So we understood
the Honourable Gentleman, who throughout the greater
portion of his speech turned his back to the reporters'
gallery.] A delay of eleven months took place be-
fore the difficulties raised by the Board of Excise were
adjusted, and the consequence was that the proprietors
of the mill were unable to fulfil their contract, and were
subjected to a lose of some thousands of pounds. The
tendency of the present law was to prevent all improve-
ment. Before the year 1836 every pacemaker was
obliged to make up his manufactured goods in parcels
containing certain quantities. He might mention, as an
instance of the inconvenience of this regulation, that he
was applied to some years ago to send a quantity of
paper to South America, made up in a particular
manner to suit that market, but three weeks elapsed be-
fore he could obtain permission from the Board of Ex-
cise to make up the parcels in that parcilar form, and
then the permission was limited to the particular case.
To show the effect of the existing restrictions he might
mentina that straw had been very successfully applied
to the manufacture of cards for loom-weavers. Now, for
every pattern worked at the Jacquard loom he believed
shout 100,000 cards were requisite, and the amount of
duty upon that number of cards was nearly 23/. He
I&,,ew there was an establishment at Paisley at which
it was found necessary to keep 1,000,000 cards in
stock, and the proprietors were obliged upon that
number to pay a duty of about 2301. A very large
qaantity of sewing thread was exported from this
country to the United States, packed in small paper-
boxes, each containing a certain number of balls. The
paper required for each box weighed 11 oz. There was
an establishment in Glasgow which used weekly three
tons of paper for the manufacture of theca boxes. Now
upon that paper a duty of 14 guineas a ton was imposed,
so that this one firm raid upwards of 40 guineas a week
as duty upon paper alone. The duty also pressed with
great hardship upon the manufacturers of hardware,
cu lery, and other articles which were wrapped in paper
for exportation; and he knew that some manufacturers
paid as much as 300/. or 400/. a year merely in duty
upon paper used for such purposes. The expense of
collecting this excise duty upon paper was not less than
6 per cent.; he believed it to be much larger; and the
labour of writing sad labelling each parcel of goods
threw at least the same expense upon the manufacturer.
The effect of these restrictions was to confine the trade
within the narrowest possible limits, and to render it es.
spatially a home trade. He held in his hand a book con-
taining some most valuable and interesting statistics on
the subject of the manufacture of paper, which was
printed so long ago as the year 1300, upon paper manu-
factured solely from straw; and, but for the crushing
effect of the excise duty, that manufacture would by this
time have extended probably throughout the whole
country, because paper manufactured from straw might
be applied to many most useful purposes. Straw could
be brought generally at 2/. a ton, and he was told it
could be obtained by the proprietors of the establish.
went to which he had before referred in Gloucestershire
at 30s. a ton. But, before a paper-maker could make an
experiment in manufacturing straw into paper, he must
pay a duty of 14 guineas a ton. The same was the case
with regard to flex, which would also be most valuable
is the manufacture of paper. The Right Hon. Member
for Halifax (Sir C. Wood), when he occupied the post of
Chancellor of the Exchequer, ha I repealed the duty on
bricks. He ( \lr. Cowan) might remind the House
Oast a very interesting nation were once required
to make bricks without straw; and he thought the bond-
age in which the paper manufacturers were placed by the
existing law was of a somewhat similar character. He
hoped the present Chancellor of the Exchequer would
complete the work his predecessor had commenced, and
that, as his predecessor had reduced the duty on bricks,
be would reduce the duty on paper; and would thus abo-
lish a tax which was in effect a duty upon straw. He
hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would take the,
proposition of the Right Honourable Member for Man-
chester (Mr. M. Gibson) into his favourable considera-
tion. He (sir. Cowan) was very glad the debate on this
subject had been adjourned, for ho certainly would not
have wished to see any duties repealed this year, even
although the surplus had been much larger than it
really was, because he did not think there would have
been time to do justice to the various claimants.—(Elear,
hear.) The object of the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
Gibson) was to convince the Elouie that those restric-
tions must be viewed both by the friends of native in-
dustry and by the supporters of free trade. as equally
impolitic and mischievous. He found that when the
Right Hon. Member for Manchester brought forward,
two years ago, a motion similar to that now before the
House, the present Chancellor of the Exchequer, re-
ferring to the existence of a surplus, expressed his opi-
nion in these words,—'` Could they, then, do better in
the present state of the revenue, with the resourecs
`Nti,lllol they had at their command, than to assent to
air'eareStdprolrsition of the Right Han. Member for
duty
or ? That was a proposition to repeal the
Disra,,,,,
(paper. The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
.. "4i,idistinued—
beneficial opinion it was a prudent, a politic, and a
from assenttion• Were they to be prevented, then,
staaces, so beug toa resolution so justified by circum-
uineficial in its character and its results, by
the ensan
being con
taetro he of fared uphantom of a revolutionary republic
a ehP before them, or by the possible ca-
p
Detphic sentences Ministry dimly hinted at in
surd that they were
'MTh% House might be safely as•
kind." not near any misfortunes of the
Ho hoped, therefore, that the Chancellor of the Exche-
querbeen told
might give his v,hiabie
au
pport to this motion.
lie (Mr. Cowan) had
he
Was
dotihnat in promoting the
repeal of the paper duty
if what was very
prejudicial to his own interest, ae_c_a_usosger:s
the tax should
be repealed, a great number of
would enter into
ght nboutt,te.ovaelnloiwf thathis
the trade, and increase the competition; Por u
were the ease, he held that he
private interest to sway him 11,04
own his duty to upon a subject of this
was likely o conduce to the welfare
kind, bat that it was
lie would submit
t consider whether the
proposed measure
and advantage of the people at large.
that a case had been made out.
subject
Mr. GLADSTONE said--I will not detain the House
for many minutes, but there is
tekepoartfieownroefmthareks.
upon which lam anxious tom .
As
in ti say I west say 1
regards the duty upon paper - '
shall be heartily glad when the time' comes that it can
be repealed.—(Hear, hear.) No doubt it is very impru-
dent for Members of Parliament, when they are under a
strong impression as to the disadvantages of a particu-
lar tax, to pledge themselves beforehand in favour of its
repeal—(Hear)—we ought to have the whole case---the
state of the revenue before U3—(Hear, hear)—and, for
the present, I hops it is clearly understood and in-
tended by the House that we shall rally round the
Chancellor of the Exchequer upon this occasion, and for
this year, at any rate, steadily set our faces against
any of these proposals for the remission of taxation.—
( Hear, hear.) Bat it seems to me that there are such
a number of interesting circumstances connected with
the op ?ration of the paper duty, and with the consump-
tion of paper in the carious branches of the demand Ihr
it, that this is a question which may usefully occupy the
attention of the House at this moment.—(Hear, hear.)
There is one branch of the paper manufacture, no doubt,
of the utmost importance—where it is employed iu the
packing of manufactured commodities; and, so far es
that is concerned, the question comes before us simply
in the same category with the legislative reforms relat-
ing to commerce which the House has latterly enter-
tained with so much favour. There is another branch
which concerns the consumption of paper, in the pro-
duction of periodicals, whether newspapers or not; and
this must he interesting and nu st isaportant also. But
.t re is a third brunch to which I wish to draw atter,-
LI,, n. end to which I think less attention has been given
—I moan the consumption of paper is the printing of
literary work,_("ear hear.) I hold it of the utmost
importance that we shoul be always on cur guard
against throw
peming it fort g aw"
the public revenue, aeainst dis-
ntvelest d c3mhinations, and I
trust th et, rtoroffico,
p,0pi,,,,,,,,,,........._, oat moment, but at more li
trut*,"7,SU -I 'may be in the power of
the Chanstepoteof •th(; ht '63- I the
a 111.01)03040r the leflacti3O sapear seriously to entertain
~dr,Arhemoval of the paper
titny, he will take PIK- hik,..ytin
connected
with the:4-4"nmst_.,wv-Att f e state of the trades
_paper in that branch
of its consuMpa4,os.
~..h101;
t4144x,
—(Hear, hear)—and
that, so far as :AMA
s+Ph4Q,
e6,tt., _., . . ',operations ratio n'e of the Go-
vernment can ctiOg.ci, o44rasit 'deliberations of this
°a public opinion, and
\Louse can eurci#4liiiinigeir4
•‘. ,
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