The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

into a committee of ways and means, Mr. William Patten
presiding.

THE INCOME TAX.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the
resolutions in reference of the income tax intended to carry
out the proposal announced in his budget, to increase the
income tax for the present year by one-half, and to charge
the additional tax upon the first half of the year.
Mr. HUME proposed an amendment imposing an income
tax of sd. in the pound ou all incomes amounting to 601.
and not exceeding 1501. per annum, with the addition of
one moiety for the present year. The hon. member (who
was very indistinctly heard in consequence of the confusion
which prevailed in the house) expressed his opinion that
the exemption now extended to incomes of less amount
than 1001. per annum ought not to continue ; and that
those who were urging the Government, by public meetings
and by addresses, to go to war, ought to be made to con-
tribute their fair proportion of the expense.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was not sure
whether the resolution which his hon. Mend had proposed
would carry into effect the object which he had in view.
As he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) read it, it
would indeed carry down the tax from incomes of 1001. a-
year to incomes of 601. a-year and between 6 1. a year and
1501. a-year it would raise it one-half, or from sd. to Md.;
but he thought it would leave the tax on incomes above
1501. precisely where it was at present, at 7d. in the pound.
So that incomes below 1501. would pay 74d. in the pound,
and incomes above 1501. only 7d. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.)
That, however, was not his hon. friend's meaning. His
intention was fairly to raise the question whether the in-
come tax should be carried down to incomes of 601. a-year,
and whether incomes between 601. and 1001. should be
treated and taxed in the same way as incomes between
1001. and 1501. (Hear, hear.) That was a very important
question—a question upon which he should not like, at
this moment, to give a conclusive opinion ; because, if
we were really to look forward to a war, with respect
to which they all knew that, when it was once begun,
no man could venture to predict anything of its extent
or its duration—he should be reluctant to cut himself
off, or to cut off the house from any source of taxation
not absolutely wrong in itself, however great might be
the difficulties connected with it. (Hear, hear.) At the
same time, he must say he thought it impossible to
overrate the difficulties attending such an extension of the
income tax as was now proposed. (Hear.) It was not
until last year that the income tax, generally speaking,
was levied at all upon persons living upon weekly wages ;
for although there were a few persons in the receipt of
such wages whose incomes exceeded 1501. a-year, they were
most of them lodgers, and if any of them paid, it was only
one here and there. (Hear.) The measure which the Go-
vernment took last year, of carrying down the income tax
from a limit of 1501. a-year to a limit of 1001. a-year, was
a measure of great importance and of great boldness ; but
it was also a measure of no inconsiderable difficulty.

(Hear.) It had made it necessary for the commissioners,
and those who were concerned in the collection of the tax,
to deal rather extensively with the labouring classes, and
he had already said the difficulty of dealing with the la-
bouring classes in a matter of this kind was immense. They
could only be got at through their employers or the occu-
piers of houses. He had no doubt that employers would
generally discharge any duty which the legislature might im-
pose upon them, but this would be a task of so invidious a
character that it would necessarily be unpalatable, and he
should not like to impose it upon them without some
strong necessity. (Hear, hear.) With respect to the occu-
piers of houses they would have great difficulty, and even
where they succeeded, there would be strong objections on
the part of the persons thus got at to pay the tax unless
they could be quite sure it was levied with equality.
(Hear.) It could not be levied with equality, because
where one would pay, five or six would slip through their
fingers. (Hear.) They had not yet collected half a year's
income tax under the altered state of things introduced last
year; let them at least see the effect of that great change
before they ventured upon this. (Hear, hear.) The utmost
they expected from the extension of the tax then deter-
mined on was an addition to the existing resources of
250,0001. a year, and he was satisfied that the measure
now proposed would not produce so much, or nearly
so much as that. He put it to his hon. friend whether
—considering all these circumstances—considering, also,
that persons in receipt of weekly wages were not
those to whom it was most likely to be convenient
to pay a direct tax half-yearly—it was worth their while
to introduce a new inquisition and new machinery, which
would make the law extremely odious and extremely
onerous, and interfere with the liberty and the comforts of
large portions of their fellow-subjects, for the sake of so
small a result. He hoped the amendment would not be
pressed.
Mr. HUME was strongly convinced of the importance of
making the burden which would be caused by this war fell
as far as possible equally. Ho should leave the question
in the hands of the house, but should not be satisfied until
it had declared its opinion by a division.
Mr. DISRAELI rose amid loud cries of "Divide." The
question was of too much importance to be disposed of
after five minutes' discussion, at 12 o'clock at night. He
did not think they would do well, in the face of the coun-
try, to come to so hasty a decision. The hon. member
would have an opportunity of renewing his proposition
during the progress of the bill through the house if ho
should think it right to do so. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUME had no objection to allow this stage to pass,
if it were understood that he should have that future op-
portunity. (Hear, hear.) He had been anxious his
opinion should be known, and he hoped the house would
not let the bill pass without coming to a decision on the
question.
Mr. SPOONER objected to proceeding further with
these important resolutions after twelve o'clock. He
moved that the Chairman do report progress.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER hoped the
committee would come to a decision upon the amendment
of the hon. member for Montrose.
Mr. DISRAELI observed, that there was another
amendment upon the paper of very vast importance, and
in which many gentlemen took a deep interest, and it was
quite clear, therefore, that they could not get through all
the resolutions that evening. He would support the
motion of the hon. member for Warwickshire.
Sir G. GREY said that if the house was to divide at all,
the division should be upon the amendment of the hon.
member for Montrose.
Mr. WALPOLE had intended to support the amend-
ment, but the argument of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer was so cogent, that we should see the tax as it at pre-
sent stood in full operation before extending its area, that
he should now vote for the resolution.

Mr. HUME acknowledging the force of that argumeat,
withdrew his amendment. (Cries of " oh, oh" from the
Opposition benches.)
The house then resumed ; the chairman reported pro-
gress, and asked leave to sit again on Monday.
SETTLEMENT AND REMOVAL BILL.

In reply to a question from Mr. HENLEY,
Mr. G. BERKELEY stated that the Settlement and R -
moval Bill would be postponed till Friday next.
AN EXPLANATION.

Mr. SADLEIR—Sir, in the observations which I made
this evening I understand you were under the impression
that I had made use of the word "lie." lan extremely
anxious to state to you and to the house that I used no
such word in the observations which I addressed to the
house. I was under the impression that in using the phrase
" slander and libel" you might possibly conceive that I was
not warranted in using the word " slander," and therefore
I withdrew that word, confining myself to the word "libel."
But I assure you, sir, no amount of provocation would ever
induce me in your presence, and in the presence of this
house, to use the word " lie." (Hear, hear.)
The SPEAKER expressed himself satisfied with the ex-
planation of the hon. member.
The other orders were then disposed of, and the house
adjourned at twenty minutes past twelve.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR THE PAST WEEK.

Miles
opened, NAME OF RAILWAY.; Receipts.
1853.
- -. 1853. 1854.
BRITISH.
72 Aberdeen ........... ..... .... . .. £1,366 1,930
87% Belfast and Ballymena • • ........ :: .• 688 939
17 Belfast and County D0wn............ - -
33 Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire 1,681 1,942
- Bolton, Blackburn, and West York .... 716 8.10
R 5% Bristol and Exeter • • ....
18914 Ca1ed0nian............. ..........2 12,609 14,591
89% Edinburgh and Glasgow ......
9434 Chester and H01yhead............... 3,170 3,892
636 Cork, Blackrock, 4nd Passage .. •• - 154 159
20 Cork and Bandon ...............„ ~ 11,6 199
56 Dublin and Belfast Junction ........ 702 853
613 Dublin and Drogheda .•• • .. ..... • ... 986 1,213
6 Dublin and Kingstown .............. 624 701
16% Dundee and Arbroath ..............450 582
8I Dundee, Perth, and Aberdeen Janction 719 821
19 Dundalk and Enniskillen .• •••• • • - 155 181
68 East Ang1ian.,...................... 708 851
81 East Lancashire .................... 4,594 5,177
3 t /14 Eastern Counties and Norfolk.. •• .. 'l7 015 18,912
95 Eastern Union .............. 1
78 Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee .• .... 2,342 2,788
6 Exeter and Crediton .. ........ • • • • • • - -
19 Furness Railway ... ............ • • - -
171 Glasgow, and South-Western........ 4,457 4,890
13,950 1,030
8
283% Great Northern and E. L.• ••••• • • • .
4,478 !,,474
188 Great Southern and Western (Ireland
81936 Great Western ••• • • ..... ....... 16,667 19,833
25% Irish South Eastern ••••••• • • • • • ••• • - 5,-4
90 Lancaster and Carlisle •• • • ••• •
17,759 18,339
260 Lancashire and Yorkshire.. • •
- Leeds Northern ...• .. • • • • • • • • • • " • • --
181 Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport..•• . 322 400
55336 London and North Western .• •
536 London and Blackwall.• • •
173% London, Brighton, and South Coast.. 7,673 11,462
2533( r,ondon and South Western. •••• •• • • 10,077 14,030
41 Londonderry and Enniskillen •••• • • • • 357 494
- Manchester, Buxton, and Matlock, &c. '- -
2,48,5
167% Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire 6,091 7,407
9% Manchester and South Junction •••• • • 558 624
28 Maryport and Carlisle ••••••• • •" • • • e"I
725
e 3498% Midland ..... .................... ,0,'6 25,173
126 Midland Great Western (Irish) ••• • • • 2,723
37 Nionklands . ............. -
78% Newcastle and Carlisle...• ••••• • • • • • 3,72_
1 ..........
149 North British .................... • • 4,267
North Staffordshire ...... •••• • • • • " - -
47 North-Western-We5tern................. •• • • - -
SO Scottish Central ... ..... 1 2,433 2,757
32 Scottish Midland ................ j
28% Shrewsbury and Birmingham ••• • .. 699 724
47 Shrewsbury and Chester • • .......... 1,711 1,869
29 Shropshire Daiwa .................. 616 605
58 Slou,h Devon. . . •••••• •••••••• 1,697 2,224
4
288% South Ea5tern...................... 19,971 13.615
162% South Wales ....................... 2,55 4,278
77 South York., Doncaster, and Goole .• 1,3'6 1,453
40 Tat! Vale ...... ...................,, 2,755 2,843
- -
68 Waterford and Limerick - -
25 West Cornwall ...... ............. 544 675
12 Wtiltehaven Junction .•• • • •
682 York and Newcastle, and Berwick &
York and North Midland & Leeds 23,040 27,076
FOREIGN.
57% Dutch Rhenish ... ....... .
18334 Lyons and Mediterranean ...• • • .... 5,854 6,881
63 Montereau end Troyes
63 Nemur and Liege .......... „ ...... 1,2+:1 1,917
443% Northern of France ................ 21,020 27,439
577 Orleans and Central* ............... 21,564 27,0,,0
240 Paris and Lyons .................. 12,348 13,566
84 Paris and Rouen. .................. 6,260 7,433
392 Paris and Strasburgh ..........., .. - -
59 Rouen and Havre -.. ........ ... .. 2,569 3.454
101 Western of France .......... 3,641 4,876-