The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-06 00:00:00

WAYS AND MEANS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
moved the order of the day for going into Committee
of Ways and Means.
Mr. URQUHART rose for the purpose of making
some explanations on a matter personal to himself.
He stated that on Wednesday last the Noble Lord
the Secretary for Foreign Ai-fairs had attributed to
him corrupt motives in making the statements
which he made on a former occasion with re-
spect to the conduct of the Noble Lord in the
Foreign Office the motive was this, that he
(Mr. Urquhart), upon being removed from
office, had made these charges, and continued
to make them. In reply to that charge, he begged
to state, first, that he had been in conflict with the
Noble Lord from the first moment in which they
came into contact, upon all matters connected with
foreign affairs, and, from the year 1834, the Noble
Lord had not ceased to use " underhand " means of
injuring bitn—(Order, order)—and, secondly, that all
those charges which he had made against the Noble
Lord he had me de previous to the year of his
appointment to office ; and further, that he had never
made it any greund of cornplaiot that he had been
removed from office, hut that, on the contrary, he
expressed to the Noble Lord his gratitude for
being removed from the duties of his office.
His course had been consistent fi-o:n the beginning to
the end, and he therefore caned upon the Noble
Lord, if he did not retract the words he used on
Wednesday, to lay the correspondence he had alluded
to on the table of the House.
Lord PALMERSTON said that be could r.ot re-
tract opinions that were a Wed on his mind.—(Dear,
hear.) He had no objection t ► lay the correspondence
on the table of the House which had been published in
all the newspapers.—(Hear, hear.) It his views
and those of the Hon. Member were at variance, he
must confess his only surprise was that the lion.
Member should have accepted an appointment
under a person with whose opinions he differed.--
(Hear, hear.) As to the statement than his ob-
ject was to undermine the Honourable; Member,
he could assure him that he had no such intention,
and, as a proof of that, he might state that although
he was told that he had done an injudicious, act in ap-
pointing the Hon. Member, having done so he was
determined to maintain it, and the Hon. Member
went out.

A great number of petitions were then presented
against the renewal of the income tax.
WAYS AND MEANS.

On the motion that the House resolve itself into a
Committee of Ways and Means,
Mr. HUME said that he felt considerable diffi-
culty in consequence of the course that had been
adopted by the Government. It was usual before
any new tax was imposed for the Chancellor of the
Exchequer to state to the House his expected
receipts and expenditure, and if there was a
deficiency, to state how it was intended by
the Government to make it up . how the
Noble Lord at the head of the Government
stated the other night that according to the calcula-
tions he had made the income of the country would
amount to 51,250,0001., while the expenditure would
be 54,596,000/, making a deficiency of 3,500,000/.,
which with the deficiency of last year, would make a to-
tal of nearly 5,000,000/. Now the Noble Lord, in ordt r
to make up that deficiency, proposed to add two per
cent. upon incomes, which he calculated would produce
5,464,0001. The Government had subsequently
withdrawn the proposition for increasing the tax
upon income, and they now proposed to continue
the tax of three per cent. only. Now he
wanted to know how the deficiency was to
be made up. He had never known an instance, where
the expenditure exceeded the income, of the House
going into a Committee of Ways and Means in order
to adopt a certain tax without its being first informed
by the Government how they proposed to make up
the deficiency ; he wished therefore to know from
the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he
proposed to make up the deficiency. They
ought to be told whether the proposed increased
expenditure was abandoned cr not, because supposing
the expenditure of the present year was no more than
that of last there would still be a deficiency of a
million of money, and he wanted to know how that
deficiency was to be made up. He appealed to the
Right Honourable Baronet the Member for Tamworth
whether he knew ahy instance where such a course
was adopted as that Government was now pursuing ?
Sir R. PEEL said it had not been the practice of
his owe Administration to require votes of money
before makiug a statement of ways and means, but
he was acquainted with several instances where such
a course was adopted before he came into office.
The liousee then went in:o CoininNee, and
On the vote for the continuance of the income-tax
being put,
Mr. HUME said he must repeat his question, aril
he hoped if the Right lion. the Chancellor of the
Exchequer were not deaf he would answer his
question. There were two important points which
he wished to have explained. The first was the
deficiency. He wanted to know how it was to be
made up, and in the next place he was anxious to be
informed whether Government had their prepared
increase of their estimates.—(i fear, hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said he was perfectly ready to answer the qaesions
of the Honourable Member, but he must first
assure the lion. Member that lied he paid attention
to what was stated the other night he would heve
fled no occasion to put them.— (Hear, hear.) He
soled then that Government did not propose to make
any reduction in the army and navy estimates, arid
he, therefore, proposed the appointment of the
Committees, with the view of assisting the House
in its determination upon that question. The
miscellaneous estimates, howt ver, they were anxious
to have reduced, and if, after making these reductions
and abandoning the additional income-tax, there still
remained a deficiency, Government proposed to make
it up out of the balances in the Exchequer.—(Hear.)