The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-17 00:00:00

Mr. BARNES presented petitions from the borough of
Leeds, praying for a Committee to inquire into the operation
of the existing laws affecting the exportation of machinery.
Mr. HINDLEY presented a petition from Staleybridge
on the same subject, and to the same effect.
Mr. MARK PHILLIPS also presented a petition from
Manchester and Salford to the same effect.
Mr. MARK PHILLIPS then said, that in pursuance
of a notice which he bad given, he rose to move
that a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the ope-
ration of the existing laws affecting the state of machinery.
The machinists of this country had fur many years complained
of these laws. They stated that these laws opposed barriers to
their skill and capital, was very detrimental to their interest,
and tended greatly to check a most important branch of trade
in this country. They had petitioned the House almost to a
man for the removal of those barriers, and the petitions which
had been presented were not merely those of the master-
manu!acturers, but the men had also joined them, believing
that their interests were identified with those of their em-
ployers. He thought it right that he should direct the
attention of the House for a few moments to what
hat passed in Parliament with reference to the ex-
portation of machinery within the last few years.
The Committee of 1324, after a long and laborious examina-
tion, reported in favour of allowing artizans to go to any part
of the world where their services would be better rewarded, or
it might suit their convenience to go to. They did not then
report as to machinery ; but the House of Commons, wisely he
thought, almost immediately, and with great unanimity. passed
the Bills in accordance with, the Report of the Committee,
which were introduced by his Hon. Friend the Member for
Kilkenny. The same Committee sat again in 1825, and in
that year presented a most valuable and important Report, not
altogether in favour of allowing the exportation of machinery,
but recommending it so far as it would not be positively preju-
dicial to the interests of our manufactures. He thought the
Report so very imnortant, that it was his intention, if the
House were kird enough to grant him a Committee, to move
that a copy of it be put into the hands of each Member. The
Hon. Gentleman then quoted largely from a speech made by
Mr. Huskisson in 1825, in order to show that he was then
greatly in favour of a free exportation of nearly all kinds of
English machinery. The law on the subject appeared to
him to be in a very anomalous state. Many articles
of machinery might be exported upon leave obtained
from the Privy Council upon the Report of the Board of
Trade. An Act, introduced by Mr. P. Thomson in 1833,
showed the tools which were now prohibited for exportation by
the law. Our artizans might go to any country where their
services where wanted as they pleased. Steam engines, or
parts of them, might be exported without even an application
to the Board of Trade ; and by such an application our ma-
chinists might export freely those elementary, if he might so
speak, parts of those machines which were used most largely in
our staple manufactures, cotton, flax, wool, and silk. The de-
mand for machinery had very greatly increased within these ten
years, as was shown by returns moved for by the Hon. Mem-
ime for Belfast. They showed, that while in 1831 the amount
of machinery exported was 60,0281.1 in 1840 it had risen to
the enormous sum of 308,0971. On striking out Malta and
t he lonian Islands, the account stood thus in Europe :—ln
1830 the export was 19,252/. ; in 1840 it had risen to 255,1771.
He confessed he much participated in the feelings of the ma-
nufacturers so long as they were placed in such an unfavourable
position with respect to cheaper labour of the Continent, by
the laws relating to food. It struck him we were in some de-
gree too ready to place within the reach of competition those
manufactures we possess. But still he thought those parties
were entitled to inquiry. He was willing to admit there was
no individual in the House whose constituents were so much
interested in this question as his own ; yet he wished, if possi-
ble, to approach the question without bias. Fifteen years
since the machine-makers had the advantage of a Parlamentary
inquiry for this purpose, but since that time more changes had
taken place than daring centuries in former times. Since that
period we had seen the perfection of almost every railway of
importance that could be named. We had seen also
the introduction and successful development of the loco-
motive principle ; but while during this period me-
chanical ingenuity was making such rapid strides in
this country, those with whom we were willing to enter
into honourable competition were now possessed of our im-
provements, and were availing themselves of them far more
than they did in the year 1825. He.thought, therefore, that if
any person were inclined to ask what were his motives in asking
for the appointment of a Select Committee, they would see
ample grounds for it in the changes winch had taken place. To
revert to the arguments of tho machine makers,they contended,
as he believed, with great force, that at the present moment the
regulations being such as he had described, they were placed in
a very anomalous position. If, for instance, they were at any
time inclined to take out a patent for any mechanical contri-
vance they were placed in a most embarrassing position, for if
any one seeking to retain to himself the protection of a patent,
the mode of doing so was the same on the Continent as in this
country, and he was, therefore, compelled to establish a manu-
factory on the Continent or to throw himself into the hands of
foreigners, and to receive only a portion of that return
to which his ingenuity and his exertions so justly entitled
him.—(Hear.) All the elementary portions of the four great
species of machinery to which he had alluded might be ux-
ported under the license of the Privy Council, and the ma-
chine-makers contended that when those were sent abroad cer-
tain other machinery was brought into co-operation with these
portions which led to the production of finished machinery,
and that this was the way in which much finished machinery
was supplied abroad. Again, much of it was smuggled, and .t
was a fact well knownto the Board of Trade, that articles were
continually shipped under false denominations. Several fla-
grant instances of this nature had lately come under his notice.
The machine-makers also stated that of late years had sprung
up an important branch of business under the denomination
of the manufacturers of tools, or of machines, by which the
work of many tools was performed. These were exported
without any permission whatever. By this means much animal
labour was saved. The quantity of tools exported front this
country within the last few years was about equal to that em-
ployed in eight or ten of the largest machine establishment-,
of this country, and that it was quite apparent that foreign
countries now possessed far greater means than ever of entering
into competition with us, and it was a striking fact that at the
present moment, as regarded many machines, we were unable
to export them any longer.to advantage, because of the improve-
ment of them on the Continent by individuals residing there
who were able to supply them to the Continent better than we
were able to do. As he had before stated, the position of this
country had greatly altered. Large machine establishments
had sprung up in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Saxony,
Prussia, and Russia ; and if they crossed the Atlantic, they
would find there many upstart inventions, particularly with re-
spect to the manufacture of cotton, which had driven many
thousand spindles out of employment. These were some of
the leading statements the machine-makers had laid be-
fore him, exhibiting, as they contended, the necessity for
this measure. As he said before, his opinions were on the
side of the British manufacturer, and he still retained an
opinion rather in favour of some restriction, if it could be
made available. But he was bound to say the inquiry the
machine-makers had prayed was worthy the consideration of
the House. He would not take upon himself to say that any
change might have taken place in the minds of the manufac-
turers since the last inquiry. It was his opinion, then, that the
repeal of the existing law would be injurious to their interests,
especially with regard to the continental trade. Now this ob-
jection was made in 1824 and 1825, when the currency
of the country was in a state of depreciation, and when
almost every article of manufacture rose consider-
ably in price, and when such was the competition for
machinery that those who were building mills at that period
found they could not obtain machines at a shorter period than
eighteen months. But on a question of this kind he should sat
they ought not to limit this experiment to a single year, but
to put their opinions to the test by the average experience of
several years. He thought this Committee would enable both
parties to state their views with greater correctness than they
could have done twenty-five years ago; and the relative con
slition of the Continent and this country, as he had before said
having undergone such great changes, he thought such a Com.
mittee was not the less desirable for the interests of the manu.

facturers of this country than for the interests of those machine-
makers who petitioned the House, and who conceived themselves
to be injured by the existing state of the law. He therefore
reeved for the appointment of a Select Committee to inquire
into the operation of the existing laws affecting the exportati n
of machinery.—( Hear. )
_ Mr. E. TENNEN'J' seconded the motion w.th the utmost

pleasure. The inquiry sought for was not like many to which
they came with prejudiced minds. It was one of extreme
doubt. The present law was adned absolute monopoly, and the
House was called upon to either for the ex-
isting principle of prohibition, oritef such an alteration
been done, namely to as would do that which had never
en-
force it. He was quite satisfied yet
result of the Committee
must be one or the other of these thin
gs.
to look back at the Legislation of andt was impossible
182.5, without
being impressed with a sense of its imperfection. The Hon.
Gentleman here referred to the opinions of the late Dlr. Hus-
kisaon on the subject of the exportation of machinery,
stated that there was no objection to its exportation whenwho
contained a great quantity of the raw material ; but that it
n
the opposite case it should be restrained. Tools, as they were
called, formed a most important species of machinery, and were
the most astonishing in the effects they produced of any ma_
chinery made in this country. Manufacturers were indebted
to tools not only for the production of machinery, but also for
the precision with which it worked. Some tools were of enor-
mous dimensions--30 or 40 feet in length—and one of these
extraordinary tools would take an immense beam of iron, which
it took formerly weeks to polish, and in a few hours render it as
smooth as a ball of ivory. These automata performed their
operations with an ingenuity that was something like instinct;
yet such was the inconsistency of the present state of the le-
gislation on this subject, that these tools which conferred so much
advantage were permitted to be exported. The Hon. Gentle-
man here proceeded to explain the nature of one of those tools
which is used to make an instrument that is indispensible in
the manufacture of every kind of yarn. That instrument or
tool, called a card, was a description of brush made of iron-
wire, inserted in a slip of leather attached to a wooden frame :

it was formerly made by the hand, but now a tool was so con-
trived that a certain quantity of iron-wire and leather being
applied to it, it formed, without the intervention of human
agency, an iron-wire brush or card, such as that to which he
referred. On the Continent they fully appreciated the excel-
lence of British machinery. They had tools of this country,
the iron, and they now possessed the coals; and in consequence
the manufacture of machinery was rapidly increasing in Swit-
zerland, Belgium, Austria, and Russia. That was a conside-
ration which should lead Hon. Members to inquire as to the use-
fulness of the prohibitions of the law. In 1539 and
1840 an attempt was intimated on the part of the
the French Government to levy a heavy duty on the import
of British yarn ; at the same time they intimated that that im-
post might be averted, if our Government would remove the
duty on the export of machinery. He (Mr. E. Tennent)
was authorised by his constituents, as were also many other
lion. Members by their constituents, to allow of that exporta-
tion ; but he was glad to find that the contemplated impost
was not laid on by the French Government. He thought it
was necessary to ascertain what was doing in every quarter
of the globe which aspired to manufacturing, or attempted
to compete with Great Britain in manufactures, in order
that they might decide on what was the best course to
adopt. The Honourable Gentleman next proceeded to
advert to the great price given on the Continent for English
machinery, which must, he contended, arise from its great
superiority over that of any other country. It must be ad-
mitted that the manufactures of the Continent are making
great strides towards a more successful competition with us.
But it was owing to the assistance they derived from England
they were enabled to do so. They had English workmen,
English iron, and English coals ; and if we add to that the
advantage of obtaining English machinery, we would increase
the facility of competition. He thought that some legislation
upon the subject was necessary. Whether the exportation of
machinery was to be forbidden altogether, or relieved from
restriction, some alteration of the present I; se was necessary ;
and it was with the utmost satisfaction he seconded the motion
of his Hon. Friend.—(Hear, hear.)