The Sun.
London, England, 1836-05-07 00:00:00

m ,tion, which he was sure would be received with s atisfactitn
by at least the gre,t majority of Hon. Gentlemen—( Laugl,ter).
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought in
reference to the conversations that were going on, and with a
view to the convenience of the House, that the better course
would be to move the order of the day for going into the Com-
mittee of Ways and Means. He would then make his financial
statement. He did not propcee to take the whole of the votes that
would be necessary for the public service. lie would be con-
tent at present with a vote for a portion of them.
THE BUDGET.

The House then resolved itself into a Committee of Ways
and Means. Mr. Bart Nat, in the Chair.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Sir,
the circumstances of the last year under which I was called on
to make a financial statement, were such as to require for me
the kindness of the House. That kindness I experienced, and I
was listened to with that attention which I could only attribute
to the circumstance that, for the first time, and under peculiar
difficulty, I was d inmn to make it. On the present oc-
casion, I am aware that no such difficulties exist, that they have
passed away, and that it is only requisite for me to acquire in-
formation that I ought to obtain ; and that I should diligently
apply myself to its consideration. I consider, therefore,
that the circumstances under which I now appear, are more
embarrassing than before ; hut the course I am about to pursue
is nne which, if I ant sure of the facts I have to state—if lam
prepared, as I trust 1 am, to lay before the iloase a simple,
unexaggerated statement—is one which will not require more
than what I have brought to the examination of the subject—
industry in collecting facts--clearness in making my state-
ment—and a readiness to give any explanations required.
The course, Sir, I shall pursue, will be first to state the im-
ports and exports of the last and the anticipated year—to re-
fer to the various Duties and Customs, Stamps, Taxes, and
Post-Office—and then to state those few and general observa-
tions, and they shall be very few and as general as my duty will ad-
rdt, which indicate the existing state of the country ; and, finally
to state what will be the income and expenditure of the coun-
try, the manner in which I propose to deal with the surplus,
and the taxes I propose to remit. The difficulties of the state-
ment I am about to make will be shown by the multiplicity of
petitions on various subjects. I will not enumerate them, but I
ant not entirely in error with respect to them ; there
have been presented several petitions praying either for
the partial or total repeal of many subjects of great revenue.
Now I am constrained to say the circumstances of the
finances of the country do not admit of entertaining
many of the hopes held out in those petitions. It is for us to
consider first what will be the surplus, and then how it should
be applied. lam quite sure that on taking off taxation the
ta.;k of pleasing all parties is most difficult. lam quite certain
that the difficulty of imposing taxes is not so great as their re
peal. When you propose to repeal a tax, you have
various classes and interests in the country who think they have
an equal right to relief—you have the agriculturists, you have
manufacturing interests, you have also the adverse interests of
town and country—in short, whets you propose the repeal of a
tax, there is no end to the difficulty of a Minister of Finance.
Sir, on former occasions it has been the course, and I think it
not an unfair one, to refer to the transactions of the past,
with respect to the subject of reduction in taxation. It
is a fair course, and I propose to follow it to-night. I freely
admit, Sir, that the reduction of expenditure is our first
duty.—( Hear, hear, and loud cheers.) Upon that reduction
of expenditure must depend all repeal and all reduction of
taxation. Sir, I shall not trouble the House with many re-
ferences to what took place on former occasions. I will,
however, refer for a moment, and in a few words, to a
return—not one moved for by me—it is a return prepared
on the motion of the Honourable Member for the city of
Lincoln (Colonel Sibthorp) to whom I return my most sincere
thanks for having done so. This document is a return which
was called for by the Hon. Member, for the purpose of show-
ing the state of the public departments in 1815 and at the pre-
sent time. This return, Sir, shows a very great reduction. I
do not take the credit to this side of the House—the
Honourable Gentlemen opposite are entitled to a share of
all the credit due from the reduction.—(Cheers.) Thankino.
the Hon. Gentleman again, I shall call the attention of the
House to the general results to be deduced from the document.
In 1815, the establishments of the public departments gave
employment to 27,365 persons, who received salaries amount-
ing to 3,763,100/. In 1835, Sir, the number of persons in the
public establishments were reduced to 23,578, receiving in
salaries 2,786,278/., thus showing a reduction in the number of
persons of 3,787 ; and in point of annual amount of salary of
no less a sum than 976,0001. By a Bill introduced by the
Government of Lord Grey, and of which the Hon. Baronet op-
posite (Sir James Graham) had the charge, the expense of
the Exchequer Office was reduced to 58,9941—the Ordnance,
122,174/.—the Admiralty and Naval department, 303,489/.—
the Audit Office 54,0781., and all the other offices in like pro-
portion. Ido not say that all the reductions have yet been made
that can be made, but with the double view of showing
the people that much has already been effected,
and of encouraging the House, and the Govern-
ment, the one to demand, and the other to carry into
effect, retrenchment, it being proved that so much has already
been done without detriment to the public service.—( Hear.)
I hope the House will allow me to say that the more that has
been done, the more difficult is that which remains to be
effected. But we will not shrink from that difficulty—we will
persevere in the same course we have heretofore done ; and if
we can carry into effect in any public department, in the collec-
tion of the revenue, or any other branch, any retrenchment con-
sistent with the public service the House may rest satisfied that
they shall be carried into effect. I will now proceed to the details
of the income and expenditure. I shall in the first instance
compare the estimate I made last year of the future income
--of the present year with the actual receipts of that
income. as received up to the sth of April. I do not
do this with a`ny personal object, but it is important that the
House should kna'w whether my calculations of the past year
are founded on insufficient data, in order that they may judge
of the correctness of my calculations for the future year.— -
( Hear, hear, hear.) I calculated last year that the Customs'
revenue would produce twenty millions. The actual receipt
has been 20,539,450/., exceeding by half a million the amount
estimated. I calculated the Excise at 13,270,000/.; the re-
ceipt was 13,442,1121., exceeding by 172,1121. the amount
calculated ; the Stamps at 6,980,000/., they produced
7,051,365/., being an increase of 71,3661. The Post•office
I calculated at million, it produced 1,551.4001, showing an
increase of 51,460/. Upon the miscellaneous estimates there
was a balance against the receipts of 24,304/. ; but, on the whole,
the receipts exceeded my calculations by the sum of 830,427/.
This shows that upon similar data and principles—calculating
the amount of the revenue for the next year—the House may
have some reliance on ivy calculations.—(Hear.) I hope
anticipating that the present state of the county will continue
undisturbed, that the House will not commit any error
in giving credit to my estimates for the ensuing year.
I proceed with the calculations of the present year, and
will compare it with the actual amount, the charge upon
the consolidated fund, and the interest of the public revenue,
exclusive of the West India Compensation, which I shall
refer to when I come hereafter to deal with the surplus.
The expense of the army has been 6,481,957/„ showing an
excess of 292,957/. Sir, the cause of that excess arises in
this way, that the payments for the year are not always what
are anticipated ; and Honourable Gentlemen arc aware
that I have not from the year 1831 taken any vote
whatever upon army extraordinaries. A very great al-
teration with respsct to the financial concerns of this
country has taken place, and a mode of proceeding has been
adopted which has brought under the observation of the House
much more minutely and closely the expenditure of the country
than was formerly the case. It happens frequently on the present
occasion that advances may be made out of the army vote
to be afterwards repaid out of the civil service. For
instance, there is an amount that will be paid out
of the South Wales charge for convict expenses, which was
advanced in the first instance, out of the military chest.
The Navy was 245,0001. the expenditure, 4,099,130/. less
than the estimate, 145,570/. Having given a comparison
of the estimate of income and expenditure of the past
year, and the actual result of the income and expenditure of
the past year, I now proceed, Sir, to a comparison of
the receipt and expenditure of the past year, and the
estimatedreceipt and expenditure of the present year, still exclu-
ding all charge on account of the West India tax. I have already
stated. Sir, that the receipt of the public income in the past
year amounted to 46,380,247/. I have calculated on grounds
that I am about to state, and that I hope will be satisfactory, the
expenditure of the present year, supposing no alteration be made
in taxation of any kind,—l have stated that the income would
amount to 46,380,000/ , exceeding my estimate of the income in
the ensuing year as compared with last year of 830,4271.
With respect to the expenditure of the ensuing year, as com-
pared with the last—the expenditure of last year for the interest
of the debt and the charge on the Consolidated Fund was
30,580,000/. I calculate the expenditure for the present
exclusive of the West India loan at 30,620,0001. The army
vote of last year was 0,481,0001. ; that for the present year I
estimate at 6,327,000/. The navy vote of last year was
4099,000/. This year, from circumstances which were alluded to
by my Noble Friend at the time he, made his statement, there
has been an increase ia time Navy grant of 434,0001., which
makes it 4,533,000/. The Ordnance estimates of last year
was 1,073,000/. ; the present 1,263,000/. ;--reduction 10,0001.
The miscellaneous estimates of last year were 2,202,000/.
Time miscellaneous vote for the present year will be 2,461,0001.,
spewing a total increase of expenditure, exclusive of the West
India grant of 420,0001. Now, Sir, I will endeavour to
generalise and bring into a small compass the result of the
figures which it may have been painful to Hon. Gentleman to
follow me in. Time total income estimated for 1836-37 is
46,980,000/. ; the expenditure, exclusive of charge for the West
India grant is 45,205,8071., showing a surplus of 1,774,1931.
Gentlemen will, I trust, listen to this with pleasure, and I
wish in that we did possess a surplus of that amount ;
but we cannot at once perform the great act of justice which
the House of Commons, cheerfully and readily sanctioned—
we cannot add twenty millions to the debt—we cannot
provide for tire interest which we are paying, not only for toe
loan we have contracted for, but for time interest we
are paying to the planters even previous to that loan—we can-
not afford to make all this, and reserve to ourselves a
surplus of this amount, to be applied to the reduction of tax-
ation.—( Hear.) With respect to the West India Loan,
in stating the Budget of last year, the Right Honourable
Gentleman the Member for Cambridge, who attended on
that occasion will recollect that I stated I knew not
on the present occasion how much we might be called
upon inahe' coarse of the year to pay. I stated if the whole
Amount were to be' called up within the sear, so far from
there being any surplus, there would be a deficiency.
But I stated then, and on recollection the House will
be Aatikfied that I was correct, what were the demands
.-on the public and the charges which were then demandable,
and whi ch had left a surplus which came under the considera-
tion of the House with a view to the reduction of some branch of
taxation. :-1:shall now; Sir, pursue the same course. The House
is aware yet have the claims on account of the Mauri-