The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-17 00:00:00

ing four years, from 1856 to 1859. Up to 1859 we have the

consolation of believing that the state of Ireland was one of

steady and even of remarkable progress. In 1859 that pro-
gress was materially checked, but still the four years I take
as r presenting what I may call the normal or average con-
dition of Irish agricultural wealth are from 1856 to 1860.
The mode of estimating has been this : the three principal

crops are taken—the oats, wheat, and potato crops—and
then an attempt is made to estimate the value of the residue
of the principal agricultural products of the ground by as-
certaining the number of the head of stock, valuing them
at the prices which are known to have ruled during the
period, and assuming that one-third of the total value of the
stock of the country represented the annual return of stook.
That may be perfectly correct or slightly incorrect, but at
any rate it seems quite sufficient for the purpose of compari-
son. Now the amount of these four items—the oats, wheat,
potato crop, and one-third of the annual value of the live I
stock—in this country was, from 1856 to 1860, on an ave-
rage, £39,437,000 per annum. In 1860-61 it fell t0£34,893,000,
a decrease of £4,550,000. In 1861-62 it fell to £29,077,000, a
decrease of £10,360 000. In 1862. 63, low as was the previous
point, it descended yet lower, and fell to £27,327,000 from
an average of £39,437,000, showing a decrease of some-
what above £12,000,000, nearly one-third of the total
value of the estimated agricultural products on the prin-
cipal items or constituents of agricultural wealth, and
not very far short of the full amount of the
established annual valuation of the country, which is
£13,400,000. Now, that was a very remarkable state
of circumstances in Ireland, and I may mention, as a fact,
in all cases the first effect of pressure on the labouring
classes is to tell on the consumption of strong liquors. It
was no wonder that under these circumstances the consump-
tion of spirits, which in Ireland was in 1861-62 2,463,000
gallons, fell in 1862 63 to 2,292,000 gallons, a decrease of
171,000 gallons. Now, the operation of these two special
cases, the one in Lancashire and the other in Ireland, must
certainly be to deprive the revenue of the country of a very
large amount which under other circumstances it would
have received, It is not for me to estimate that amount ;
but it is quite essential that we should bear circumstances of
so unusual a character in mind when we form our judgment
on the actual revenue tend expenditure of the country dur-
ing the year just expired. The expenditure during
the year that expired on the 31st of March last was es-
timated at, and the amount for which provision was made
by Parliament was, £70,040,000; it was afterwards raised
to £70,108,000. The actual expenditure was £69,302,000
—less than the estimated expenditure by £806,000. There
is very little to call for observe' ion here. lam happy to
say there were no supplementary estimates. There was an
excess on the army estimates of about £200,000, but that is
very likely to disappear on the final settlement of accounts.
The miscellaneous estimates, again, show an augmentation
of something like the same amount—about 00,000-1 be-
lieve entirely due to the change of system that took effect
on the 31st of March last, when, for the first time in our
financial history, all the services were required to surrender
the balances found to their credit ; and I presume it is na-
tural, both with individuals and departments, when there is
a certain date on which they must surrender a balance, to
take care that that balance shall not be larger than they
can help. (A. laugh.) The amount of expenditure in former
years is matter of considerable interest, and in stating the
figures I shall compare the expenditure with former years,
not as standing on the account of the 31st of March, but as
it stood in the final account, when all charges were brought
home. The expenditure of 1852-63 was £69,302,000, and that
of the immediately preceding years £70,830,000, showing a
decrease of £1,500,000, and, as compared with that of 1860-
61, which was £72,504,000, of £3,200,000. As compared
with 1859-60, which was £70,017,000, there was still a de-
crease of £1,700,000. But, in point of fact, the decrease was
still greater, because in 1862-63 there was brought to ac-
count as expenditure and revenue a sum of about L 1,125,000
which had not appeared at all in the account of former
years, and after rectifying the account by the addition of
this sum the real diminution in the expenditure of last year
was, as compared with 1860-61, £2,061,000 ; as compared
with 1861-62, £4,327,000 ; and as compared with 1859.60,
£1,840,000. The expenditure of the financial year just ex-
pired is £69,302,000. The revenue as known to the com-
mittee, having been already published in the journals, is
£70,603,000, showing a surplus of £1,301,000. (Hear, hear,)
Then with regard to what is always matter of considerable
interest—namely, the comparison of the actual outturn of
the revenue, as compared with the estimate formed of it be-
fore. I estimated on the 3d of April, 1862, the probable
outturn of the revenue at £70,190,000 ; but, as part of the
general reie rve I made with regard to the cotton district, I
likewise stated that a sum would have to be deducted from
that account, intercepted on its way to the Exchequer, in
respect to the drawback on hops, if the house adopted the
proposition I made for the remission of duty, both as to
stocks on hand and for export. I took the two at £140,000,
so that the estimated revenue of the country as corrected
was £70,050,000, and the actual revenue was £70,603,000,
showing an excess of £553,000—n0t a very large excess, it
we consider it absolutely, but a very large excess if we con-
sider it with reference to the actual circumstances of depres-
sion to which I have adverted. Now with regard to the
particular branches of the revenue. The Customs exhieit an
increase of £484,000. That was variously affected by an
opinion which had gone abroad of a probable change in the
duties on tea and frugar, and likewise by a bid which I in-
troduced for altering the duties on tobacco. The revenue
was injured to a certain extent by the expectation of some
possible change in the duties on tea and sugar; on the
other hand, the effect of the Tobacco Duties Bill was partly
to injure and partly to benefit the revenue. On the whole
the tendency was to keep the Customs' revenue below what
it might have been, but not, I think, to any material extent.
The income tax produced an excess of £467,000 over the
estimate. That excess was due to a new assessment of the
property of the country, which has never failed, whenever
it has been made, to disclose a very considerble increase in
the amount to be paid upon. (Laughter.) No, I mean an
increase not due to the discovery of malpractices, for I am
not aware that they vary much with time, but an increase
occasioned by the natural growth of the wealth of the coun-
try. The amount of credit taken for payments from China
which I estimated at £170,000, was really £212,000. I might
have taken it at a somewhat greater amount, because we are
morally certain we have received money since the last
amount taken into account which has not reached us, the
last account only coming down to the 13th of last Novera
ber. Still it is safer to adopt that date, only taking credit
for the actual receipt of so much into the Exchequer. Then
comes the head of the Excise. The Excise shows a large
deficiency in comparison with the estimate, and likewise
some deficiency, not considerable, in comparison with the
previous year. The deficiency, as compared with my first
estimate, is not less than £1,185,000 ; from that we have
to deduct the hop drawback, which was about £150,000 or
£160,000;; but still there was a deficiency of somewhat,
over £1,000,000 in the Excise, as compared with the esti-
mate. That deficiency is practically divided between the
two articles of malt and spirits. The malt duty, whi ch
was est:mated at £5,800,000, produced only £5,322,000 in
the financial year, leaving a deficit of £408,000. This de-
ficit was in part owing to the difference of the seasons, the
former having been a very favourable season; but it was
also in part owing to other causes. One of them was that
the season of 1861-62 was a particularly early season. As
it was a particularly early season the malt was brought to
malting at a very early period, and an unusual proportion
of the whole receipt therefore entered into the revenue of
the year. Although there is this large deficiency in the
comparative portion of the matt duty which we have re-
ceived for the present year, yet the portion which has yet
to come will, as is anticipated, show an improvement upon
the revenue of the previous year. Spirits, which were esti-
mated to yield £10,000,000, have yielded only £9,394,000,
showing a deficiency of £606,000 as compared with the esti-
mate. These two items do not precisely, but practically,
dispose of the question as respects the deficiency in the
Excise ; and it is upon those two items that I hope the
Committee will fix their attention. There is a remark that
has been made with regard to malt which affects perma-
nently all the estimates of Excise now and hereafter to be
presented; Under the old system the practice was to give
in round numbers six months' credit to the maltster ; and,
inasmuch as malting only begins in the month of Septem-
ber, and then for the most part but lightly, the consequence
was that nearly the whole of the duty levied upon the malt
of one year entered into the revenue of the next year,
and as the charge is taken at the time when the malt is
malted the amount was ascertained, and the in-coming
malt revenue could, under the old system, be statedt as
OfrOF:enue over and
matter of fact. Now, on the contrary, about a moiueenYtio;
lee
malt revenue is received within the year, and eoa
LBeecistimate
it cannot be made the subject of equallyasccuenr t. This is
at the time of the previous financial i
ontrut
he
er eepi re-
an uncertainty to the extent
not a matter of very vital consequences 130i(i)a,otr000d,uceodr
ott
rr
ee
upon
thep
£400,000 into the estimate
:iv prevailed. But the
weighs upon the labouring
above that which Presvie
truth is that linseaeitn:LlgwoPhiirgcirutse'at
;our surprise in this state of the
pr Theypressure ua
revenue from
sentatives of the distress
of
class. (Hear.) in
casesall them, or comforts, so to if they are so to
those luxuries,
which can be best dispensed with are those be termed,
in takes place. Ido not think which canethe wonder is
that we see some falling off in the receipts of
true wonder is that we do not see much more of
ing decrease in other branches of the revenue. (Hear.)
With respect to the spirit duty, that is, o
of great interest, having regard to the h.f h
course, a matter
the duty has been raisand the confide
ed, g point to which
assertion which
has been made that the revenue expected from it has net
been realised. It is undoubtedly
true that the whole of the
revenue anticipated from the spirit duty as
hnot been rea-
lised, partly, I think, owing to distress in the country.
That, however, may be in some degree a matter of opinion,
but
as a matter of fact it is not true, nor is it anything near
the truth, that no part of that anticipated revenue hes been
realised, for the greater part has been realised. The total
amount expected was £1,400,000—£400,000 upon foreign
and colonial spirits, and £1,000,000 upon British spirit.
The £400,000 upon foreign and colonial spirits has been re-
ceived, and the figures which I am now giving to the com-
mittee with respect to British spirits will show that although
undoubtedly not nearly the whole has been received, yet
some part has been received. lam speaking of a year not
ending in Dec. or in April, but ending at the date nearer
to the time when the new duty was imposed. The new duty
was imposed in July, 1860. I therefore take the 12 months