The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-15 00:00:00

- --
----- _ -,, - -,-_-__:__------ f•-
...
Z&) • .
Pz 6:ol_..e,eitZe)
..act 7
C- t
,2...........___- ,
~...3p :, i:;;;:‘, 8 -
,sp.'
To the PROPRIETORS of EAST INDIA STOCK. 1
\'.. ,: •-•,,, ~,- ,i11)0,,
,/- ---------...-- •.k,k,
*tiuielaiii4i*
/.
0 .!._ 1 'II -k,
t.
1 • A' ' %,A !-'71‘:4,--,) • ,-4!-140' ..'
•,--,
's,' t ••• ;‘%',• Y`l• • •fi-• " v '
`'''' <li • s\.
N.,. i Ask-, ~_
___
.e.O. 11
7,.. - .0 . 66 1 - , •
..400-4-1--
- 41 't( ' ;'''' Q. • ' a" l , ---
----___ - - kr 'fr
-t3- . .g•-• C, q oli, .%/' , /44 ' k ' (---------;...\„,:..' 7..
, 'gyp ----- A W - . .') I 2,1, iii I, .i ' 4, v :Ll '‘___---'
II I 1 .., • 'kr' ',fill 01 'I IN 4,
4J,!, ,1 A i , -Ito , , ,
, 1 / .1 1 i.;

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
WE beg leave to offer you our grateful ac-
knowledgments for the honour you have conferred
on us by re-electing us into the Direction.
Trusting that the Proprietors will ever find us deserving
of the confidence they have reposed in us,
We have the honour to be with great respect,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your most obedient and very humble Servants,
JOHN FORBES
JOHN LOCH
CHARLES MILLS
HENRY SHANK
JAMES STUART
HENRY ST. GEORGE TUCKER.
East India House, April 14, 1831.

No. 12 041.

IF THOMAS TURNER, late of TU-
NAL'S-LANE, near the city of LICHFIELD, in the
county of Stafford, will make application to Jonathan
Mallet, of Freeford, near Licl,field, one of the Executors
of the late Mr. Joseph Turner, he will hear of something
to his advantage.—Freeford, March 22, 1831.

NEWSPAPER. STAMPS AND ADVER-
TISEMENTS.

(From the Morning Advertiscr.)

This evening it is confidently expected that the pro-
posed reduction in the duties on Newspaper Stamps and
Advertisements will be brought forward ; and in anticipa-
tion of the event we beg to direct the attention of our
readers to the two main features in the proposed scheme,
and the two main objections which have been brought for-
ward against them.
The great object, as will be remembered, which the
Chancellor of the Exchequer had in view, in the Budget
which he brought forward, was the relief of commerce
from impolitic taxation, by the repeal of some, and the
modification of other, duties, and, above all, to afford as
much relief as possible to those on whotri the existing
taxes pressed most severely and most unjustly. With those
two ends in view, it was proposed, with respect to news-
papers, to reduce, on the one hand, the price of the stamp
en each copy from its present rate of 44., with 20 per
cent, discount, to 2d., without discount ; and, on the
other, instead of the existing duty of 3s. 6d. on all
advertisements, to impose Is. on all advertisements
not exceeding 120 words, and of 2s. 6d. on those of
greater length. By the first it was calculated that there
would be a material increase in the number of papers
printed, and, consequently, an increased consumption of all
the materials which go to the composition of a news-
paper; by the second, that the poor man, who is now
almost totally excluded from the benefits of advertising,
might enjoy something like an equal facility with the
rich—trade be thereby promoted, and even the revenue
improved. With regard to the former, looking not to the
monopoly which, in common with our cotemporaries, we
are supposed to enjoy, but to the benefit of the commu-
nity, it is matter of regret with us that the stamp duty
was not reduced below the 2d., which it is proposed to
impose ; but with respect to the latter, however desirable
it may be that there should be no tax-at all upon advertise-
ments, every one, we think, must agree with us that the
proposed reduction will prove a great benefit to the com-
munity, and that the graduated scale of Is. and 2s. 6d.
was imperiously demanded as a matter of justice to all
whom it might concern. The present duty of 3s. 6d. on
all advertisements is not only monstrous in amount, but
unjust in principle—it taxes a servant who advertises for
a place to the same amount as the owner of a freehold
estate of a million in value, and operates in nine
cases out of ten as a total prohibition of the bene-
fit of advertising. The graduated scale now pro-
posed, and which, we trust, will he carried into effect,
does away with almost all these objections-_a common
advertisement may be inserted at less than even the amount
of the existing duty,—while those who trench to a greater
extent on the columns of newspapers, and who cau better
afford to pay for so doing, will reap a proportionate benefit.
The medium charge between the two rates, la. 9d.,
would, no doubt, have been more easily collected, both by
the newspapers from the public, and by the Government
from the newspapers ; but the medium rate would have
been unjust, for the reasons above stated, and the question
is, on the one hand, a mere question of greater labour, on
the part of the newspapers and the Government, and, on
the other, of greater and direct benefit to the community.
We ask, whether the additional trouble resulting from a
graduated scale is to be put into the balance against the
good of the community ?
Attempts have been made,—from what motives we
shall not attempt to defiae,—on the part of one or tWo
newspapers to defeat the graduated sc&e, and to induce the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to adopt a Is. 9d., or l s. 6d.
duty on all ; but the attempt has hitherto failed—nine-
tenths of the newspaper press, if not more, are decidedly
in favour of the original project,—and we trust it will be
defeated. If the voice of the majority, and the interests
of the community, be worth anything, the original pro-
posal will be adhered to.

PRICE 7D.