The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-19 00:00:00

COLONIAL INTERCOURSE BILL.

On the motion of Lord ALTHORP, the Houle resolved
itself into a Committee on the Colonial Intercourse Act.
On the motion that the first clause be read a second time,

Mr. G. ROBINSON had an objection to make to the
Bill, but he did not wish to oppose it at that stage, pro-
vided the discussion of his objection might be taken at a
future period.
Mr. POULETT THOMSON said the Bill had already
been discussed, and he wished that the Bill should then be
proceeded with, and that the Hon. Member might then
state his objections.
Mr. G. ROBINSON did not then mean to discuss the
propriety of the duties, but he objected to the word tem-
porary, and to the duties being imposed only for a certain
period. He wished that word struck out, not meaning to
say that the duties should be permanent, but leaving it
quite at the discretion of the House to decide unfettered
concerning them. He did not wish those duties to be per.
manent, but he did wish that the House should be implaged.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT thought the conduct of the
Member exceedingly strange. The Hnn. Member wished
the duties not to be permanent, and yet he proposed to
strike out the word making them temporary--(A laugh.)
If the word temporary was left ont they %s ould be made
permanent.
Mr. lIUME hardly understood the Hon. Member for
Worcester, but as far as he did understand him he could
not agree with him. For his own part he wished that the
duties on flour and timber should cease at an earlier period
than providel by the Bill. The lion. Member was pro-
ceeding to put an amendment to that effect, but was told
by the Chairman that he was out of order.
Mr. K. DOUGLAS objected to the Bill as a most in-
csnsistent piece of legislation, and as striving, contrary
to the principles professed by the Right Hon. Gentleman
opposite, to build up a new interest in the Canadas.
Mr. POULETT THOMSON stated that the object of
the Bill was not to build up any new interest, but to give
protection for a certain period to interests which had
grown up in Canada in consequence of the Non-Inter-
course Act, which interests, unless they were protected,
now that the intercourse with the West Indies and the
United States was to be renewed, would be endangered.
Those interests, however, were only to be protected for a
certain time; and the Bill went on a principle which he
had often heard praised in that House, and, if he were not
mistaken, praised by his lion. Friend the Member fur
Dumfries. And that principle was, of at once saying to
any class of persons to whom protection had been granted
which was found impolitic, that it should cease at a certain
period. The Bill fixed a definite time at which the pro-
tection would be withdrawn, and that would enable the
parties concerned to withdraw their capital. It was not
building up, it was letting down an interest, and in a
manner which had been frequently adopted, and generally
recommended. He was surprised at the quarter whence
the opposition to the Bill came.

Mr. MAURICE FITZGERALD ;wished to preserve
our colonies, and was an advocate for the whole and entire
protection their interests had hitherto received.—(Hear,
hear, and a laugh.) The Noble Lord might sneer, but he
could not defend the treatment the colonies now received.
He repeated that he was the advocate for entire protection,
and he was prepared to defend the doctrine.—(Heir.)
He was not to be put down by sneers—he would treat
them with contempt, as well as the egacombry and con-
ceit which prevailed in the measures he opposed.
Mr. SPRING RICE meant to give the Bill, as it
stood, his warmest support.

Mr. GOULl3URN;upported the proposition of the
lion. Member fur Worcester.

Lord ALTHORP said, if the Parliament did not show
that it intended to do away with these duties at a certain
period, capital would still continue to be embarked in the
lumber trade, and the object of the delay on reducing the
duties wholly defeated.

Mr. HU'ilE thought the whole measure en unjust and
impolitic, that he should certainly move as an amendment,
that the. duty should be 15s. now, and that it should wholly
cea,e and determine on the sth January, 1884.
Mr. BERRIES thought it would be better to leave it
to Parliament from time to time to deal with the question
as it thought fit ; and that the House should not be
pledged to give any particular time for the removal of the
protecting duty.
Mr. WARBURTON was of opinion that the West In-
dians were in this instance taxed solely for the support of
the Canadas.

After some further conversation between Mr. Humus,
Mr. HUME, Mr. P. TnoMsow, and others,
Sir E. H. EAST begged to ask the Vice-President Af
the Board of Trade, why it was that the duty on Ameri-
can produce had been raised in the present instance to 24s ?
Mr. P. THOMSON said that calculations had
made, and that 24e: would give a protecti,—

__ oeen
..* of about 9s.

a loft, which was found to be the lowest duty that would
give a protection to British shipping.
On the question being put,
Sir A. GRANT informA the Hon. Mover of the
amendment (Mr. Robinson), that his object would be de-
feated by the omission of tkc word " temporary," because
the effect of omitting it would he, as there was a second
and lower duty, to make the first and higher duty a per-
manent duty.
Mr. ROBINSON, ander ft uch an explanation, could
not press his motion to a divi,ion; but as he bad allowed
the original resolution to pass pro.forrna, under the expec-
tation of taking the sense of the Howe in Committee on
this question, he should certainly. avail himself of some
other mode to effect his object.
The first amendment to leave out the word " tempo-
rary" was then negatived.
Mr. HUI\IE thought that although there was a formal
objection to the amendment of his Hon. Friend, there
could not he any objection to his, end he therefore moved
that the word " additional" should be omitted.
'This amendment, as well as a succeeding one, that the
existing duties should cease in 18:31, were then negatived,
and the House having resumed, the report was ordered to
be brought up on Monday next.
CUSTOMS ACTS.—SILK DUTIES.

Lord ALTHORP having moved that the House resolve
itself into a Committee on the Customs Act.,

Mr. 11. DOTTEN(tc believe) begged to ask the Vice-
President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Thomson), whether
it was intended in any new regulation of the silk trade to
allow the port of Dover the exclusive privilege of being
the place through which silks are to be imported ? lle
thought that Southampton, from its position and mari-
time impnrtance, was entitled to share that privilege.
Mr. P. THOSISON believed there was no intention to
alter the existing regulations. No representations on the
subject had been made to the Board of Trade.

Mr. DOTTEN replied that a representation on the
subject had been sent in to the President of the Board un-
der the former Goa;erntnent.
Mr. THOMSON said he was satisfied that the Noble
Lord at the bead of the Board would pay attention to the
representation.