The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-22 00:00:00

THE WHISKY TRADE.

In reply to Mr. Cowerr,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it
would be his duty to ask the house to adopt the resolu-
tion in the Budget on the subject,of whisky to-night, but
that would be as a mere matter of form, and parties out
of doors would not be precluded from hereafter opposing
the Government proposition.
DOCKYARD APPOINTMENTS.
Sir B. HALL gave notice that to-morrow evening he
would nominate the committee on dockyard appoint-
ments.
SOUTH SEA. AND OTHER ANNUITIES' COIYI-

MUTATION BILL.
This bill went through committee pro forma.
PUBLIC BUSINESS.

Mr. DISRAELI called upon the Government to state
what their views were with respect to the progress of
public business. It was understood that the house had
agreed to the resolution relative to the funds as a mere
matter of form, and he must therefore complain of the
manner in which the bill founded upon those resolutions
had been brought in and read a second time. It was at
a late hour of the night that the bill was read a second
time, and as the bill stood for committal to-night, he
should be glad to know if it was intended to adhere to
this order of things. He must also complain of the
complicated nature of the resolutions which were to be
brought on on next Monday. He had understood that the
discussion next Monday was to be confined to the pro-
posed change in the customs and the legacy duties.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
was the understanding which had been conic to, but with
regard to the other matters, it certainly had been under-
stood that another discussion should be raised upon it,
though the time was not fixed when that discussion
should be raised. The bill had been pushed forward out
of consideration to the large interests involved in it •,
but, considering that the right hon. gentleman objected
to going into committee to-niolt he should have no
objection to postpone the committee until to-morrow
night, when a discussion might be raised upon
the principle of the bill. It would, however, be neces-
sary to go into committee pro forma to-night, for the
purpose of introducing certain amendments which it
would be convenient to print, one of which would pro-
vide that on a day named parties should be required to
enter their names in a book at the Bank of England,
and the new stock to be created should be distributed to
them pro rata.
Mr. DISRAELI said he had gathered from the finan-
cial statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer that
the income tax was to be extended to incomes below
1501. a-year, but he found no resolution to the effect
amongst those which had been issued by the Treasury.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
original resolution would embrace all incomes whatever,
but when that was passed it would be for the house to
make an exception in favour of incomes below 1001.,
and to fix the limit of sd. in the pound on incomes be-
tween 1001. and 150/. a-year.
Mr. WILLIAMS wished to know when it was in-
tended to take the miscellaneous estimates.
Lord J. RUSSELL was not yet prepared to name the
day.

CUSTOMS' DEPARTMENT.
Mr. WILSON, in rising to present papers in relation to
the recommendations contained in the report of the Select
Committee on the Regulations of the Customs Depart-
ment, and to state the views of the Government in relation
thereto, said, it would be remembered by the house, and
by many out of the ouse, that about three years ago a
most unhappy controversy arose between the Customs' de-
partment and two of the large London dock companies.
In consequence of that controversy a Parliamentary com.
mittee was moved for by the hon. member for Bridport,
and granted, and that committee sat for two years, to
inquire into the whole management of the Customs
department, and presented their report at the close of the

last session. In that report various alterations were sug
gested in the Customs department, and it was soon
afterwards referred by the Government of that de:7
to the Customs Commissioners, for their observa-
tions thereon. The coinmissioners accordingly made
their observations and presented them to the Trea-
sury in October last, and on the present Government
coming into office in December they found matters in that
state. A few weeks ago a most important and influential
body of city gentlemen waited on his right hon. friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer upon this subject, in which
they took a most lively interest, and on that occasion his
right hon. friend promised to that deputation that a bill
should be prepared in the present session, first, for the pur-
pose of consolidating all the existing acts of Parliament re-
lating to the Customs, and, secondly for the purpose of
introducing all the improvements the Government might
think fit to recommend to the house. His right honour-
able friend also promised that 'deputation that the bill
should be printed and laid on the table as early as possible
for the purpose of enabling every person interested in
this most important question to consider well and leisurely
the improvements and alterations the Government pro-
posed, and for the country at large to express their opi-
nion on the subject before any actual legislation took place.
In consequence of the pledge given to the deputation which
waited on his right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer a few weeks ago, he (Mr. Wilson) was about to
state to the house and to the public the alterations and
amendments which the Government proposed to introduce
into the Customs regulations, in pursuance of the com-
mittee which sat thereon. The report which the committee
presented to that house was divided into 14 several heads,
and he thought he might safely appeal to the house for a
petient hearing while he went through the great variety of
topics, in order to explain the views of the Government on
matters so intricate, and involving so much detail. He
must, however, in the first place, say, with respect to the
unhappy controversy between the Customs department and
the docks to which ho had already alluded, that that having
been settled during the inquiry which took place before the
committee, the committee thought it consistent with
their duty not to express an opinion thereon. He thought•
that they followed a very wise course, and in the same way
he should, in the statement he had to make, carefully avoid
any observations which could in any way tend to revive
that controversy, which he was happy to believe was now
allayed. The first matter on which the committee reported
had reference to the constitution of the Board of Customs ;
but in that particular subject, important as it might be in
itself, did not form any part of the bill he was about to
introduce, the Government not intending to deal with it on
the present occasion, nor was it included in the Treasury
minute he should lay on the table that night. Nevertheless,
he could assure the house that the subject was under the
consideration of the Government; and no long time, he ex-
pected, would be allowed to elapse without a second minute
being passed with the view of settling that important
question. He could only state, on this head, that in the
meantime the Government had desired that, shou'.d any
vacancies occur in the pre Bent board, they should not be
filled up until the whole question was considered, and a
conclusion come to thereon. (Hear, hear.) The next topic
on which the committee reported was one interesting to a
large number of persons in this country, and regarded the
appointment and promotion of Customs officers. He was
glad that the committee had thought it sight to take that
important subject into consideration, because, whatever re-
forms the Government might introduce into the Customs
department, their success would bo dependent, in a great
measure, on the disposition and efficacy of the officers to
carry them into effect. Therefore, he could not express
too strongly the feeling he entertained that the condition
of that body of men ought to be made in every respect as
enticing and advantageous as the circumstances of the case
would permit. The observations which the committee
made on this important'topic referred chiefly to the exclu-
sion of certain Customs officers from promotion from one
class to another. In the Customs establishment no fewer
than 10,80 persons were employed, and of these 1,0C3
were in the position of weighers and lockers, and 1,720
in the position of tidewaiters; and the committee very pro-
perly animadverted on the fact of these 2,720 particular
officers being confined in their promotion, and under no
circumstances, whatever their merit might be, being per-
mitted to pass a certain lino. (Hear.) No doubt it was
the case that the persons entering the different departments
of the Customs required a different description of ability
and examination upon entering ; but the Government were
of opinion that, notwithstanding the different qualifica-
tions required in the first instance, it was not inconsistent
with their duty to permit those who might enter qualified
at first only for a lower position to rise according to their
merit to the higher classes. Undoubtedly, in the evidence
taken before the committee there was very much hesi-
tation expressed as to the prudence of such a step, but
on consulting with the authorities of the Customs, he
thought he was authorised to say that many of the officers,
having made successive advances in the lower grades until
they became superintending lockers, had, from long ex-
perience, acquired so much information, and were in every
respect so deserving, that they might fairly be promoted
to the higher appointments. In the minute therefore
which had been prepared by the Government, it was di-
rected that when any person had been for three years su-
perintending locker, he should be entitled to demand an
examination from his superior officer, and that on passing sa-
tisfactorily through the examination, a certificate should be
given, to be forwarded to the Treasury, and that then his
name should be enrolled as being at least eligible for pro-
motion to the higher ranks. (Hear, hear.) The Govern-
ment were disposed to go still further, and to give to the
Commissioners of Customs the right to nominate or to re-
commend to the Treasury, in respect to one in avery five
of the appointments made, the most meritorious officers as
landing waiters. In making there changes, the Govern-
ment were of opinion that there was nothing, perhaps,
in this country more contrary to the feeling of the
great mass of the people than that there should be
distinctions of classes, and lines drawn beyond which
men, whatever their merit, could not pass—(hear, hear,
hear)—and when it was observed, in the great pro-
fessions which adorned this country that menrose from the
lowest to the highest situation, it was though that a de-
partment so large and of so important a character as that-
of the Customs ought not to be an exception in this parti-
cular. The Government also thought that, in remodelling
the Customs establishment, they would do much by hold•
ing out a fair reward to merit to secure a better class of
servants, and a better feeling between them and the com-
mercial classes, and introduce a better tone into the ser-
vice, whereby the Government would be enabled to effect
a number of reforms, to which he should hereafter refer,
with greater confidence in their final success. The next
topic to which the committee alluded was that of fines and
satisfactions. He admitted that, in the present state of
the law, nothing was more unsatisfactory than the posi-
tion which the Customs' officers bore in reference to the
mercantile classes with respect to this matter. The com-
mittee intimated, in the first instance, that in consequence
of the Customs' officers getting the amount-of the fines im-
posed for wrong entry, and half the profits of the sale of
goods seized for undervaluation in the case of ad valorem
duties, an impression prevailed among the mercantile com-
munity that the officers were sometimes rather actuated by
speculative views with respect to their own interest than by
considerations for the interest of the Crown. Howoverlittle
he might be disposed to concur in such an imputation, yet
he was willing to admit that there was on the face of the
arrangement considerable ground for the suspicion. The
character of the officers, who were in the receipt of from
2001. to GOO/. a year, should, however, shield them from
the charge of being actuated by a desire to share in these
small emoluments, amounting on au average to only 2/. a
year. But the smallness of the sum was perhaps a reason
why the perquisite should no longer be continued, espe-
pecially as it created such an unfortunate impression. Tho
nature of the seizure and stoppages to which these fines
applied might be divided into two classes. First, the nomi-
nal detention of goods for inadequate description or non-
compliance with the law through inadvertence. It was
the practice for these, which were called minor or nominal
offences, that the goods should be seized, but, on applica-
tion, returned to the owner on payment of a small fine, if
it appeared that the offence was committed through mis-
take. Complaint was made that that fine was levied, but
he thought it would be wrong to relax that system, so far
as it went, lest such relaxation might facilitate fraud.
Therefore, while the Government could not recommend the
Commissioners of Customs to relinquish these fines alto-
gether, yet they recommended that not only greater facili-
ties should be afforded for amending the entries, where
the error appeared merely the result of mistake, but
that the fines should be levied to a very small amount,
and that the officers should have no interest in these
fines. (Hear, bear, hear.) The second class of seizures
and stoppages had reference to the detention of goods for
insufficient valuation of goods on which ad valorem duties
were imposed, to goods taken in smuggling, and in the
commission of decided fraud. The house would perceive a
great distinction between these two classes, for in the
second class there might in all the cases be, and perhaps
usually there was, fraud intended. The Government had
thought it necessary to remove, as much as possible, the
inconveniences which had arisen from the frequent seizure
and stoppages of goods, in consequence of the ad valorem,
system, by the measure which the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer had already explained to the house ; but, as re-
garded the remainder of these duties, which it was found
impossible to transfer into any other list, the same rule
would apply as heretofore, with one exception, that while
the seizing officer should in all cases, as hitherto, bring the
seizures before the Commissioners of Customs, yet, what-
ever might be the result of the sale, he himself should
have no interest in the profit which was derived from it.
All the fines and satisfactions, therefore, which had
hitherto been paid to the officers connected with seizures,
would, as was at present the case under the Board
of Inland Revenue, be converted into one common
fund, which fund would be disposed of at the end of
the year, either by dividing ib among all the officers in
common, or by giving it as rewards to officers for special
merit. (Hear.) The Board of Inland Revenue has al-
ready discontinued the practice, because it was found that
the officers were not considered by juries as credible wit-
nesses in such cases, or, at all events, as not being so good
witnesses as they otherwise would have been, they beir g
considered as interested parties. Now, although the same
reason did not apply with respect to the Custom-house
officers, yet he must say that the commercial community
might not unfairly consider that the officers who had to
deal with them in respect of their goods had an individual
interest which it were better they should not have ; and no
doubt the doing away of such an arrangement would tend
to introduce between the officers of Customs and the com-
mercial community with whom they came into contact a
better spirit and a more confidential tone in the manage-
ment of business. (Hear.) But there was one department
in which the Government did not propose to snake any
alteration on this pas Limier point—and that was in the
department of the Coast-guard. In the Coast-guard ser-
vice, where the officers were often not only placed in
unhealthy situations, but exposed to great 'personal dan-
ger in seizing smuggled goods, the Government agreed
with the committee in thinking that it would be unwise
to weaken the inducement which they at present had
to incur risk and danger in the discharge of their duty.
be ass es
still
were erreetained
by distinctly
them. d
(Hear.) So far, then, as regarded the Coast-guard officers,
a n c le
But, with
wi
the whole advantages which they at present enjoyed in re-
ference to direct seizures of vessels and goods, where the
it
was
casesth that fsuggiing, would
exception,
the intention of the Government, that the Custom-house
officers should have no longer any direct interest whatever
iu any fines and satisfactions,
or in any profits derivedfrom
the sale of goods seized for undervaluation of ad valorem,
duties. He hoped that the officers affected by this new
arrangement would feel that the other arrangement which it
was proposed to make with respect to n promotl' in the
service would afford a snore wholesome and better stimulus
to good conduct than that which they at present derived
from the precarious and invidlllns profits of fines and ti
factions. The next head on which the coin neitteehad repsOrtesci
was that with respect to ad valorem duties. After what the
Chancellor of the Exchequer had said a few eveningago, it
would be unnecessaryfor hine (Mr. Wilson) to enlarge oii this
subject, because the house must have seen that it was the