The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-11 00:00:00

MR. STONOR'S CASE.

Mr. SOTHEItOY moved that Mr. Moore be appointed
to serve o❑ the committee in this case ; at the same time,
he thought it but fair there should be a member from the
other side to watch the case for Mr. Stoner, to examine
witnesses, but without the power of voting.
Mr. FRENCH thought a statement ought to be made as
to who the other member should be. He entirely disap-
proved of the committee itself.
Sir G. GREY said, in appointing the committee the
General Committee of Elections acted on the suggestion of 11
the house to appoint five impartial members. With re-
spect to the present motion, he thought it would tie only
fair that the Under Secretary for the Colonies (Mr. Peel)
should have the nomination of the other member.

Mr. PEEL said, if it was the wish of the house that Mr.
Moore should have a seat on the committee, ho had not
the slightest objection; but both he and the Duke of
Newcastle declined to name any member on his own part.
The Duke of Newcastle and himself would give every in-
formation in their power to the committee. (Hear, hear.)
After a few remarks from Mr. MILES and Mr. HumE,
Mr. BRIGHT said he thought it absolutely necessary
that in cases where no counsel appeared before a commit-
tee, the member who brought the charge ought to be on
the committee. If he were not, he (Mr. Bright) thought
he ought to withdraw from the inquiry altogether.
Mr. DISRAELI thought it would bo more satisfactory
to the house if two nominees were appointed—one from
each side—to conduct the inquiry.
Mr. LIDDELL concurred in the nomination of the mem-
ber for Mayo.
Mr. BOUVERIE thought if there was to be a nominee
at all, it ought to be one acquainted with Mr. Stonor's
affairs personally. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. DEEDES thought the committee could not get at
the facts of the case without having some one to conduct it,
it was almost impossible for any member of the committee,
sitting judiciously, to cross-examine witnesses satisfac-
torily. He hoped, therefore, the Under-Secretary for the
Colonies would reconsider his decision and agree to name
One member, and that Mr. Moore should be another.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said there
could be no objection on the part of the Government to
Mr. Moore being a nominee on the committee, as that
seemed to be the wish of the house.
The motion, as regarded Mr. Moore, was then put and
agreed to.

SOLDIERS' WIVES.
Colonel HARCOURT asked the President of the Poor-
law Board, whether there is anything in the law as it now
stands, or in the orders of the Poor Law Commissioners, to
prevent the guardians of the poor from giving, if they
think fit, out-door relief to the destitute wife and child of
any soldier, sailor, or marine in her Majesty's service.
Mr. BAINES replied that there was nothing in the law,
as it now stands in the order of the Poor Law Board to
prevent any Board of Guardians in England in Wales
giving out-door relief to the destitute wives and families
of soldiers, sailors, and marines, and he might state that
the same authority was applicable to the destitute wife
and children of militia men.
Mr. FLOYER asked if the authority applied to desti-
tute wives without children.

Mr. BAINES replied in the affirmative.
Colonel HARCOURT ached whether six women per
company „,
beinm the number who, with their families, are
by the regulation of the army permitted to embark with
their husbands on foreign service, the Government will
object to grant to those of that number, who have been
prevented from going out on the present occasion by the
exigencies of the service, the same allowance of half rations
for the women, and quarter rations for the children, which
they would have had if they had gone ont.
Mr- S. HERBERT said, in the case of every application
that had been made to him' he had caused an arrangement
to be made for the issue of rations, but he had not issued
Iny general circular on the subject, because in most cases
1%
tterrmequired the discretion of the commanding officer to de-
ment ine whether the women should accompany the regi-

Mr. T. BARIlsi:
EXe
GstaaalitekEQUEß BONDS.
lett
e theChancelloraraonnt
subscribed othe
forE x
theche Exchequer whether he would
Ex-
chequer-bonds described as Bond A, payable at par on the
Bth May? 1858, up to
tinguishing the amount of
sll°'tek on the Bth instant, dis-
soription payable in money,
and that payable in Exchequer-bills • and whether the
deposit of ten per cent,
on the Bth instant on the whole amount
two o'clock
b
and if not, what was the extent so subscribed,
the deficiency
Also, whether any subscriptions have been
so,
oantt for the Bond
the Bond B, ending on Bth May, 1859, been accepted for
extent
C, ending on Bth May, 1860 ; and, if
for each description ? The house was awarewthaatt the re-1
solution passed on Monday only ratified the bonds ant,.
scribed for up to 2 o'clock on the gth inst.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER declinedwasau
to
answer the question in detail, but stated that he
to lay a return on the table which would give every tinfor-
mation on the subject of these Boards, the deposits had
not been restricted to the particular hour mentioned, but
the contracts were kept open until the latest hour for
carrying on banking business, and soma deposits were
received on the Tuesday morning from parties who
had given notice the day previously of their intention to
subscribe. Tlie hon. member was not quite correct in
stating that the vote of Monday night did not go to sane-
tLen the whole amount of the bonds, although it was dis-
tinctly understood between him and the honourable
Menther that no new contract would be made beyond that
o(3lgnda without tae sanction of the house.
Ur: BARING asked the right hon. gentleman if he
could stii"te.generally the nature of the return.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied that
it would show that the amount subscribed for on the 2d of
May waisbont 1,600,000/., but on the Bth of May the re-
m:nth:o4oo,oooi. was made up. He repeated that no new
contract would be entered into until the seas° of Parlia-
ment had been taken upon the question.
REVORMATORY SCHOOLS.
• Mr. MILES asked the Secretary of State for the Home
• Department when it is
hisintention to introduce his bill

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.)
WAYS AND MEANS.—SUGAR DUTIES.
The house then went into committee of ways and
means.

Mr. WILSON said the committee would be aware that
in passing the sugar resolutions the other evening impos-
ing a scale of duties, there was one duty which had not
been fixed, and that was a duty upon sugars used in
breweries, corresponding to that which had been imposed
on other descriptions of sugar. He had now, therefore,
to propose a resolution to that effect. He had also to
propose a resolution applying to the article of molasses
the same increase that had taken place in sugars. He
might state that the duties bad been collected in the
meantime on the higher scale, but it was thought better,
to prevent mistake, that the present resolution should
be passed.
Mr. HUME said they had passed an act of Parliament
declaring that the duties ou sugar should remain the
same till July, 1354, and he did not think they were
justified in altering the scale of duties. They ought to
be very cautious in altering laws that had gone forth to
the colonies, and led them to believe that no alteration
would take place before the given day.
Mr. WILSON would endeavour to explain in a few
words the distinction which it was proposed to make in
the new scale of duties. His hon. friend and the house
were aware that the chief, almost the only, complaint at
the present time, with respect to the operation of the
sugar law, was that the scale of duties did not operate
fairly with regard to the various kinds of sugar. The
producers of low yellow sugars complained that, though
nominally they paid the same amount of duty, they paid
actually a higher amount of duty than the producers of
the finer qualities, seeing their sugars did not produce
the same quantity of saccharine matter. This was an
observation in which he entirely agreed. He admitted
that the low qualities of sugar did not yield the same
amount of saccharine matter, and did not produce the
same amount of refined sugar as the white clayed sugars.
To meet this apparent discrepancy, it had been pressed
on the Government—and they had given the closest at-
tention to the subject— to allow refining in bond. It
had appeared to the Government that, so far, there was
much objection to that system ; and they had resolved,
in the first place, to try to attempt to equalise the duties
by another plan, and the plan was this :—There were at
present three scales of duties applicable to West India
and colonial sugars—the common duty of 10s. fur the
lowest class ; lls. Bd. on sugars of the quality of brown
and white clayed ; and 13s. 4d. for refined sugars. The
act of 1843 provided for four scales :—For a quality
below brown clayed, for a quality equal to brown clayed
and below white, for white clayed and below refined, and
lastly, for refined. These classes had never been applicable
to colonial sugar. It was proposed now to fix 12s. as the
duty on the great bulk of yellow and the best qualities of
brown sugar, and a duty of 11s. on the lowest quality of
colonial sugar. This would admit a distinction that had
not yet existed with regard to colonial sugars, and by
that means they hoped to meet the objection that was
raised. With regard to the highest quality of sugar,
they proposed to modify the standard hitherto in use.
With regard to the lowest quality, on which they would
charge lls., he had to say that the standard which had
hitherto been used was that which placed the quality
not equal to brown clayed, and it was that low stan-
dard that had yielded a small amount of refined sugar ;
but in order to give greater effect to the variations of qua-
lity, they proposed to raise that standard considerably,
so as to let in a very considerable portion of sugars not
let in by the present standard. Therefore, the chief ob-
ject of the alteration would be to modify the duties in
such a way as that each quality of sugar should, as
nearly as possible, pay a duty proportional to the
amount of saccharine matter that it contained. (Hear.)
After a few words from Mr. GREGSON,
Mr. DUNLOP said, he thought some scale of differ-
ential drawbacks should be allowed, and hoped the mat-
' ter would receive the consideration of the Government.
As to the resolution affecting molasses, he objected to
the retrospective operation of the measure. The resolu-
tion agreed to the other evening had been published,
and might have been acted on ; but now the hon. gentle-
man came down and proposed that the increased duty
he had now submitted to the committee should take
effect from the Bth of May. Why not collect the duty
from the date on which the resolution passed ?
Mr. HUME also deprecated this attempt at retro-
spective legislation. The Government brought forward
the resolution on the 10th, and they could not take the
duty for the Bth. Supposing an individual had in the
meantime taken out 100 puncheons of molasses, was he
to be called on to pay this increased duty ? The idea
was monstrous.
Mr. KINNAIRD considered this retrogressive pro-
posal to be unfair in principle and dangerous as a
precedent.
Mr. WILSON begged to say, that though he had
used the precaution of bringing in this resolution, yet
he did not consider it absolutely necessary to do so, be-
cause the resolution passed the other night with respect
to the duties on sugar could be held to include molasses.
All the acts or. this subject were styled acts relating to
sugar, and no distinction was ever made betwixt
molasses and sugar. All the Customs' commissioners,
too, had held that they were justified yesterday morning
under the order of the house, in including molasses
under the head of sugar. They held, indeed, that mo-
lasses was a description of sugar. He proposed this
resolution only that there might be no mistake on the
subject. The omission of the word " molasses" in the
first resolution was a mere clerical error, and the com-
mittee in these circumstances could not_ feel any difficulty
in passing the resolution.
Mr. HENLEY thought that a fair test of the neces-
sity of the resolution would be this—could the Govern.
ment, without this resolution, introduce a bill that
would include molasses ?
Mr. WILSON wished to observe, that the general
term " sugar" included molasses, and there could be
no doubt that molasses would be introduced into the
act of Parliament. With regard to the drawbacks
referred to by the hon. member for Greenock
(Mr. Dunlop), he might state that export draw-
backs had hitherto been confined to two qualities
—refined, or loaf sugar, and common brown sugar. But
it had been the practice lately to manufacture various in-
termediate qualities, and, though these intermediate
qualities had not yet been exported, it was not unlikely
that an export trade might arise for them. The subject
had received the consideration of the Government, and
he would be glad, in communication with the refining
trade, to endeavour to fix intermediate drawbacks, or to
take power by an order in Council, or an order by the
Treasury, to fix various intermediate duties from time to
me
time. (Rear.)
Mr,
. band
we
would haflelltsatisfied
lIANKEY approved the proposition of Govern-
assures that
thewith t e
r‘eVs
oelsot
tli
onod India
proposed merchants
He thought that the proposal to levy one uniform duty.
was unjust, and, in h
the duty ought to be
levied in proportion to sthe opinion,
amount of saccharine
smeeatttheer contained in the article.He should
Go3vierr.nsmAeNntDfiAx
Ra standard,swisbd eto know whether duty was to
be levied on all stocks alike, and whether there would
be any reduction as to screening ?
Mr. WILSON said, that the duty would be levied
on
all stocks without exception, but with respect to
scre
a small allowance would be made. The Govern-
ment intended to have a clause inserted in the bill by
which factors would be called on to state on oath what
stock they held at the date of the present resolution.
Mr. HASTIE (Glasgow) had no doubt that the deoi.
go of the Government on Mon* 140 014 gragdy