The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-28 00:00:00

THE ZOLLVEKEIN.

The new modifications made by the German Customs
Union in its commercial system, merit same atention from
those nations more particularly affected thereby; while it
is of some importance to ascertain the position taken up by
this great association at the present moment, when the
question of free trade is exciting such lively discussion
throughout Europe. For the better comprehension of
this subject we will first recall the changes introduced
by the Zollverein into its tariffs during the last few years,
and will afterwards attempt to characterise the nature
and bearing of those recently effected.
The Zollverein has scarcely touched its tariff in the
last quinquennial period, except to aggravate its disposi-
tions ; these augmentations of duties have not, however,
been realised without - severe struggles, and pro-
longed opposition. The obstacles that have been en-
' countered may be readily conceived, when it is
known that the decisions of the Customs Con-
gress require unanimity, and that it is in the power
of a single State to raise an insurmountable obstacle.
There are in Germany, as in every other country, two par-
des, the one an advocate of commercial liberty, the
other the partizan of the protective system. Prussia,
which has placed itself at the head of the former, has
long resisted the wishes of the southern States, which
more especially represent the latter party. It has, how-
ever, at last been obliged to give way, for fear of
loosening the bonds by which the association is held
together, and perhaps, some day, seeing a work dissolved,
to the existence of which it justly attaches political in-
terests of so much magnitude.
Without going farther back than the year 1842, we
see the Zollverein at that epoch doubling the duties on
jewellery and fancy iron wares, on gilded bronzes,
paper-hangings, and perfumery, &c. In 1844 it im-
posed a duty on raw iron, which was before exempt, and
raised:the,tariffs on various sorts of iron. The same year
it increased the import duty on light woollen stuffs by
two-.thirds; And; finally, it now raises the duty on cotton
-aid. lin. n threads. ,

To judge
.61 these augmentations of duty, we need not
eonsider.them. from' an: abstract point of view ; in the
present state: of. international relations, it must be al-
lowed that a people need only consider its own industrial
and commercial _conveniences for the adjustment of its
tariffs ; but even under-this regard -all their augmenta-
tions do not seem to us to be dictated by an equally judi
cious appreciation of the production and wants of
Germany. ~ •••
Thus the measures directed against the importation of
'articles of art, fashion,' and luxury are rather , opposed
than favourable to the interests of the country.
The, German manufacturer does: not . pique . himself
on, disputing with France the sceptre of taste and
invention ; he willingly leaves to 'her , the, supply
oL these_ varied products which derive .-their. chief.
merit': from the elegance of their. , form, • the
LiecOming harmony of their colours, and the finish ,Of
their ivoi:lciiianship. He wisely prefers to apply
;his 're-
Sources to the production of those more comnfori-wareS;
which-suit a_ numerous population, and even' bY • Mit
alone enter)argelY into consumption. The elevation 'di
the dtities on works of art and taste will not give ,liim
what is not in hie: nature. The cold and serious Chi:
ranter of his gehhis will not bend itself to all these
liant fantasies' of, the iinaginatioh.- What, then, is the.
result of this eleiation orduties ?_ To preyent habits Of
comfort and eleginee.froni penetrating into.. the middle
classes, to oppose the, wants inherent to the progress Of
civilisation, and to injure iiittionalincluWY;' by depriving
it of models by which. it might have profited.
The increase of the duties on cast and wrought
_ • • •

iron may be justified much bettel.. - Grtrm-any poisasTes
all the necessary elements for the deyelespiiotl
metallurgic industry ; its soil conceals rich 'fiiiabis:4,.
magnificent forests flourish on the banks of-4444
Rhine and on the numerous mountains that advance

from the sides of the Alps or the Hereyman Car-
pathians; the working of the beds of coal is extending
more and more every year in the basins of the Ruhr,
Silesia, and Saxony. It was then very natural for the
Zollverein, seeing its metallurgic industry menaced by
English competition, to come to its aid by assuring it
better prices and a more considerable share in the supply
of the national market.

The question of cotton and linen threads, which has

also been settled on the side of protection, is that
which has been most warmly discussed in the councils
of the Germanic Association ; little was wanting
to set the Zoliverein in a blaze. It was brought
forward at the Customs Congress of Stuttgard, in
1842, and reproduced at that of Carlsruhe last year.
The cotton manufacturers, ho Never, saw their demands
rejected, the first time by a refusal, and the second by
an adjournment. It was not until this extraordinary
conference, held at Berlin, that they at last gained their
cause. _

The fabrication of cotton is one of those industries
which manufacturing nations show most perseverance in
disputing with England. The products in cotton manu-
factures form, it is known, the chief part of the colossal
total of the exportations of Great Britain. " The cotton
trade," said an English orator, "is for us principally an
obj..lct of commerce ; of seven bales which we mean-
facture, only one is intended for domestic consumption;
out of the seven days of the week our workmen employ
six in clothing the foreigner." This cannot, evidently,
be a normal state of things. There is no reason of cli-
mate why England should thus charge itself with
manufacturing cotton for almost the entire universe.
Accordingly every nation possessing an industrial life
is trying to free itself from the British monopoly, and
it the German association has shown so much hesita-
tion in taking a decided part, it is because energetic
resistance has been met in the associated states, arising
from interests formed under the state of things hitherto

in vigour.
The cotton-manufacture has of late been much ex-
tended in Germany. Thus, while she consumed on an
s
average only from thirteen to fifteen millions of
of cotton wool in the period from 1834 to 1813oun6she
consumed upwards of thirty-one millions, or more than
double, in the same period from 1843 to 1845. But
the importation of English threads into the States of
the Zollverein. has, nevertheless, continued to increase
in a remarkable proportion ; it rose during the same
period from less than thirty millions to forty-nine
million pounds weight. It even exceeded that amount
in 1844 and 1845. The fact is, that in spite of the
progress she had made in the manufacture of cotton,
Germany, far from being able to compete with England,
is not even on a level with France or Switzerland. The
use of machinery is there of modern date ; the establish-
ments are on a small scale ; the factories of Saxony
have not, on an average, more than four thousand
spindles, and there is not, perhaps, in the whole Zoll-
verein five factories with from twenty to thirty thousand
spindles. It may be calculated that the spindle of an
English factory produces at least a fourth, and perhaps
a third, more than the spindle of a German factory. How,
then, can the industry of the Zollverein defend itself-
with its own forces alone under such conditions of inferi-
ority P—Constitutionnel.

WILSON'S ENTERTAINMENTS.---MT. Wilson gave
ono of his entertainments on the songs of Scotland, on
Wednesday night, at the Eastern Institution, for the
benefit of the Tower Hamlets' Dispensary, to a densely
crowded audience. We uru'erstand that there were
nearly 1,400 within the walls. Mr. Wilson was in
splendid voice, and the applause which greeted him was
incessant.

The Earl of Romney has been unanimously elected
Chairman of the West Kent Quarter Sessions, in the
room of Joseph Berens, Esq., resigned.