The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-17 00:00:00

his constituents were so satisfied of the many benefits
which would result from the other parts of the .'
measure of her Mejesty'e Ministers that they would
support the present reduction of duty on silk in the .
opinion that the whole-measure would make. up for the •
injury likely to result frem. the present question. There
*as no Member of that House who had a greater in-
terest 'n the measure than himself, for his constituents
had taken the deepest interest in the measure before the
House, and for that reason he would give it his support.
Lord G. BENTINCK might say that the - best test of
protective or non protective legislation was to be found
in the state of wages. An Hon. Member had shown the
House how ereatiy the number of epinilles_had been re- ,
duced, and this in his opinion was an incontrovertible
argument in favour of protection to the silk trade. An
Hon. Member had 'said that fax 50 years, iii 1816, the
silk trade of this country had not more thah doubled,
and. that since the reduction of duties, after that
Tern:id, it had more than trebled its then amount.
Now he did not consider this a_ fair comparison,
This wait -•tt comparison made against protection, at a
tittle, too,- when Napoleon had the whole silk trade in
his hand------at a time when the trade was in the hands of
our enemies—at a time that we were deeply involved in
war=-whereas it is well known that that trade depended
on peace for its prosperity. Dnring the continuance of
the tlutv. it had been pawed to that House that the silk
trade had progressed ninety per cent. in the course
of six year. Could that be said of it subsequent to the
reduction of the duty ?—or. the contrary, it was seen
that it had not so increased, while the weges of the
operatives hal most materially duniaished.—(llear.)
The Hon. Member for Lambeth had said that the trade
increased to a very great extent after the reduction of
the free trade principle. How the, lioni Mentber would
make that out, he (Lord G. Bentieck) was at a loss to
account. It surely was not by the evidence adduced
by her Majesty's Government in giving their compari-
sons of the exports and imports of the article of silk ;
for while they had given all the exportation of that ma-
nufacture, they had not given one importation of the
amount of silk from India. Now, he found that in the
five years,. up .to 1840, the importation of manufactured
silk from India was over 25300011e5., and surely this vast
amouat of importation should not have been kept back.
All this he would contend, for it went to afford strung
proof that this country was stilt not in a position to con-
tend with France in her silk manufacture, even taking
into consideration .the fact of the advantage we had
of thirty per cent. The Honourable Member, fur
Staford. hod argn d that this country should not in-
terfere 'in this matter ; , but he (Lord George Bentinek)
contended that that was no argument at all, because the
statistical facts already adduced, showed beyond all
doubt, that the silk trade of this couniry could not com- .
pets' with that of France. Coventry could not stand '
against France with a duty of 275., notwithstanding
which they were about to reduce. that same duty to 164.
—( 11 ear; hear.) What did the gentlemen who called
on him yesterday -till him respecting the rate of wages
at Ceventry ? . Why that it would be reduced 20 per
cent.—(Oh, oh !) He spoke on the authority of the
gentlemen, who assured himahat since 1826 the wages
cf- the silk weavers had been reduced 20 per cent. ; and
were they going then to grind the unfortunate crea-
tures more heavily?--(Cries of: "Hear, hear.") The un-
fortunate people were, formerly allowed to work ,at
'home, surrounded by their families, but of late
they were . dragged to the factories.—(Bear, bear.) .
By - the measure proposed •. to the house the
silk manufacturers and weavers
.were not the only par-
ties that would be affected. They should also look to
how the Milliners and dressmakers would be circum-'
stanced.---(A laugh.) He could prove that the number
of dressmakers, in the kingdom .amounted to 106,000,
the 'amount of
.proWetion to whom .would be reduced
from '2l. 10s. to IL. 10s,a(Hear, hear) , There were in
London alone 15,000,deessmakers, and he etiptioa- d they
were going to leeee
,these , unhappy. creatures to
starve, or take. their chance, because' they could
not, come to,. that
,House, and knock, as they
were -entitled , to do, at its deers.-- Hear, hear.)
These millions had no votes, no influeitce over that
Hope, end therefore they were to be left_ tietheir fate.
The protectiotenow afforded to, w them es to be reduced
to one-fourth of what it now was, and they might
starve, or- do what else they . thought fit., Such would
be the caultenteuces of the present measure, and there-
for he askedahe Hoese
.ap,pause before .!boy passed it
into a law, It. was a , measure , that, would cause the
ruin of thousands of pour persons, who %I-tee not, in a po-
sition de protect theieselvese- and it was to be passed
bele coalition of Members of that llouse,,of a most
extreordiaitry character. Thepractical effect of these
preceedinge would be to cause, thimSands of unfortunate
Seihales to be drivento,preetitution to make up for what
they werildlose from the operation of measure ; and
the consequences would be such as all would have ocea-
si n to,deplere.—{Heer.), . .
: it H. PE EL rose and said, Sir, I hope parties before
.p sin g.a judgment on our commercial policy in aepli-
ca)-ion_. to the silk-trade,. will maturely con-
sider' the.
.facts within their , reachaawill consider
before coming to a conclusien, the subject' fairlyand dis,
passionately, I: teust you. will take...the, opportunity of
contrasting, the state of things, not under a system of
free- trade, but under a system of protection, with what
his been the eondition of. the silk trade since the repeal
of prohibitive duties, and, the admission of fureign silks
irj. competition with
,domestic produce;; that you will
fitrly contrast thie latter period with that previous one
In which, :so far as the law was concerned, absolute and
unqualified protection existed. You have had the oppor-
tUnity of leer, ing what tbe effect s. have been resulting
from unqualified protecLiou in that most favoured seat of
the silk trade —Spitalfields.—(Hear, hear.) There you
had complete prohibition ; there you relied on laws that
actually not only, imposed a duty that tval" high, but a
duty that was absolutely prohibitory. Nov, what has
*en the state of things under this much-lauded system?
*en
you wish me to revert to it ? Doei protection
tend to the advantage of the mapufacturing and working
lasses, for which you express so much sympathy ?
.You
talk of the withdrawal of protection, from 'females, as
leading ,to prostitution. -What has been the state of
takings under the. system you, support ? In Spitalfielde,
Thile 'that, system was iii. operation, there occurred,
en rapid succession, examples of suffering and distress,
such as it,will be difficult for you to find' a parallel to
elsewhere.—(Heer, hear.) ; In .1826 a letter was
written by Mr.. Hile, who was well acquainted
with this . trade, . and addressed to Mr. Whitbread,
T idling upon him. to make an.appeal to th.: Legislature
gainst that state of things then. Six years afterwards,
n 1812, such was the state of the distress in Spitalfields,-
hat-it-b.ecame necessary to appoint alocal C imrnittee ;
nd it is . stated in the report that was made by that
ogueittee, that a large. proportion of those who were
falled upon :for .the poor-rates were themselves in need
f assistance. The utmost . pittance that could be
dealt put to . the eindigent was insufficikt to sup-
port , existence, .and the distresS became ex
treme. fsebscriptione were then raised, and
a temporary, nitigatioe was giveh to the existing dis-
tress. .In the year 1816 it brume necessary to te-ap-
ipeint. the 'Committee. l'hey, speak particularly or the
weavers. .They said that they are inoffensive and quiet
in their demeanor ; are, industrious in prosperous times,
i and patient iii distress-, In 1816, what ae.s their posi-
tion ? The Committee said of that class; that two-third,
of them were not employed 'wit h,werk to support them -
selves„ They said that ehe Committeecim,ird«l i..f. 01 e
hundred memhers,, which tiiiinle.e was di,,il«l into 33
sub-committees, each of which ntidertook one di;trict.
They distributed 8561. in-slims of one shiliing and three
shillings among 3,66,fienilies, c ietaining 14 400 indivi-
duals. They said that pauperism was Spreading, and
teat all the weavers were in arrear of their rent. The)
were alai in debt
,for the enuruon, necessaries of •life.
That was the report of the Co,i.mittee in 1816. Sir
Feae-11 Buxton, at a, meeting convened in the city of
Len lon, give an account of the state of Spitaqields under
.that. system of protection. He said, "We have all
been ;.plueated, to . belieive that the necessity of going to
the 'workhouse is - the last for the poor to look to, and

yet Such is the state of Spitalfields "that the workpopie.
.there actually canvass our interest in their favour:" Sir
Eovvell. Buxton on that . occasion ' made an
appeal to . the ladiei then attending the meet-
ins, and that . showed how delusive was this
~„
protection. He said; "The. cause' of the distress
in Spitalfields is the importation of French goods, and
the, wearing thUse French gOods by the ladies of this
town ;" and he made a forcible appeal to them, and called
upon.theni to discourage contraband trade, which was so
:injurious to the working classeS ,of Spitalfields. Now
that ,was under a syitem of prohibitory detiei. Let me
.cepipare that account of 1816 with the report made by
': Mr; Howell, in October, 1845." Mrc Howell said, in his
report, thautlitm was a general scarcity of hands in the
silk districts, and that in Consequence there had been a
rise in wages; and he had been inlermed that children
who only worked half time, could now earn as much as
they did before when they worked for ten hours. Now
1 that ta a. coMparison with a time in which you professed
i to give absolute protection: I wily ask you by what
test ..you will determine the flourishing state of
manufactures ? Why it is by the importation .of the raw
material. " Oh," but you say, " the raw material in-
eludes certain descriptions of waste silk, called ' knubs'
and ' husks.'" It 'may not suit refined lips to use such
tetins, but it must be remembered that your skill and
capital concert these things into . very beautiful fabrics.
—(Bear, hear:) You greatly increase the value of that
material. What was the reason Mr. Huskissen did not
take the advice of the Hon. Member for Macclesfield ?
Why, ,figures AO facts induced him to reject it. In
1819, or 1820,the quantity of raw silk entered for home
consumption was about 1,300,000 lbs. From 1814 to
1823—1 afn speaking now of raw silk, rejecting alto-
gether the waste silk—on the average of ten years, the
annual consumption was 1,521,000 lbs. Mr. Huskisson,
therefore, stibstitnted a 7rtUderate duty for the then
.existing duty, which amounted to prohibition. And
ha was the result ? Why, the average consuinption of
raw silk, from 1834 to 1843, had risen from 1,621,000
to 3 74') 000
1 of ihe-,lb-4. This, therefore, exhibits the wisdom
.eetunr,,utef;troisabnirtmehaeMr. Huskisson.—(Hear.)
si coursetti e
abuseN° has been thrown gGaoinvsetrnitm?entCfoonrsaitdteermabplte.
. ane(aisiire, but from the trade
at the v
to injure the trade by
itself I hear no accusations
per rent,,nture to f say that if
Coventry felt real alarmreductionCovetr protection
from 3O per cent. to 15
pendence and intelligence enough to make louyd al''
represen-
tations against us: Coventry, however, argues that it
is not a proposal simply and abstractedly to diminish the
duty on silk. No, Coventry connects with the reduction
of the duty on silk -the 'total reduction of the duties on
beef, the admission of maize free of duty, and the great
reduction that will be made upon articles of clothing and
food generally. :Looking at it in.that point of view they
' are perfectly content with the measure. I am supported
in this opinion by what has recently taken place at Leek.
My Honourable Friend the Member for Staffordshire
says, be went there as a thprowth protectionist, but to
his great surprise, he was told by the people of Leek
that, although they hal a silk manufactory-, they were
perfectly
,content with the Measure of the Government
-Nocvitti regar:l to Macclesfield—it istrue-i petition has.
624 pieett-eci from 2:04 dela agaiuot liaopeiteuro,, but

in the letter Which accompainied that petition, I am in-
formed that the people of Macclesfield are perfectly content
to have some reduction of the protective 'ditty on silk—
that Macclesfield would •be cont nt with a- reduction
from 30 to 20 per cents_ Now, we propoie 13 per cent.
There is only therefore a difference of 5 per cent. be- -
tween our opinion, and the opinion of the people of
,Macclesfield. Spitalfit Ids comes next, and I cannot 'say
that I have received many representations against it
,from Spitalfields:. Connecting it with-- the other meas.
sures, I believe it is adopted there, for I am not Aware that
the people of Spitaltields are at All opposed to the gene-
ral proposal of the- Government. Therefore. as far as
She trade is concerned, judgingfrom the opinions ..f pat-
ties engaged in it, the trade gener.illy speaking are
.setified • with the whole measure. Now niy Noble
Friend has adopted a channel forarriviag at conclusions.
upon this.subject which 1. think is not at all sathactory,
namely, the qoatitity of raw material taken for house
consumption. lie takes the declared value of the export's
for the last five years,,, and compares it with the de-
clared value of the importi of the five preceding years ;
but that is an erroneous test. Alth rman Webb w:ts
constantly insisting on it that this country was ruined,
becaUse the declared value of the manufactured .exports
did not keep trace with the imports. But he was told
that this was neither. a -safe nor' a just test to go by,
because as there was
,a great a eduction in the cost Of
production, the value of the manufactured articles sold
and exported year by year was diminished. It did not,
however, follow that because the declared value of ma.
nufitetured exports diminished yearly that their should
be an increase in the imports over the exports. So it is
with silk. The cost of silk manufactures -has been
-diminished within the last five years ; improveinents in
maeufactnres and the exercise of greater skill has di-
minished the cost of production within the last five
years, and it would be. strange indeed if the declared
value of the manufactured exports of the- lest five years
had not -diminished:as compared with the declared value
of the manufactured exports of the preceeding five years;
but this by no means indicated that the silk manu-
facturers of this country had not flourished during the
last five years. The cost of preduction may have
decreased, and must haye decreased in Consequence.
of the diMinished cost of ;raw material; so ins
the cottonitrade; and woollen-trade, as in the silk-trade,
and therefore the declared value is-necessarily no indi-
cation •of -the quantity of the article exported. -But I
am asked, how do you account for so much of the raw
material being consumed at home? Why, the fact is,
there is a growing taste for silk manufactures in this
Country, and we cannot do better than encourage it.
Cottons and woollens have hitherto been the formidable
rivals of silk, but we nevereake into account what for-
midable competitors cotton and wool are to silk. It is
not foreign competition that has diminished the silk
trade, but it is the wool and cotton-trade ; but there is
a growing desire in this country to consume silk in
preference to these articles, and you cannot do • better
than encourage it. There has, therefore, necessarily
been an increase in the quantity of foreign articles
brought into this country. In the five years preceding
the last five, there was an extensive system of :smug-
gling carried on. But within the last five years there has
been some check put upen it, and in consequence of that
check, the customs-show an increase in the amount of
silk imports.—e(Hear, hear.) Silk was. growing
*upon the' domestie manufactures of the country, and it is
therefore desirable that you should use every means to
put a cheek Upon smuggling. It is presumed by some
that smuggling does not exist under a duty of thirty per
cent.' but there is no denying it, smuggling does ex-
ist. It is now three-ana• twenty-years since the attention
of the House-cf Lords 'was called 'to this subject. A
Committee was then, appointed to inquire into the state of
our foreign trade, and that:is-the tribund to which:my
Noble Friend alluded when he called upon the House.or
Lords to oppose this measure in the event of its passing
this House. The liaise of Lords appointed a Coin -
mittee upon the foreign trade of this country, and silk •
Was one cf the articles to which they referrsd. Now,
What conclusion did the House of Lords come to in the
year 1821 ? Why, that if a wrist' duty of from twelve
to fifteen per cent. were place:l upon the introduCtion of
the raw material, 'it would enebte the British manufac-
turer to compete with the foreigner; while it would di-
minish smuggling ;' and ye; aelloble Lord calls upon ,
the House of Lords to reject this measure is d gnantly,
'as tending to undermine the -interests of the •inanufac- •
turer, and as sowing the seeds of vice and immorality:
lie calls upon the House of Lords to do this after eine of
its tribunals lad maturely conaid4ed this subject; ex •
amined wittie-sses interested- in the don:test:o silk mane-
fsctures of the country, and declared that the:
public interest only required the existence
of a 'duty from twelve - to fifteen per cent,•
Supposing also—which- was•thenin contemplation.imthe
, House ofeetcfs eevre • reduce the dirty upon the- articles
of,subsistedceland • so-enable the-manufacturer of this,
country .to compete; with- the foreign manufacture,• we:
pay not 121. but 'lsle per cent. ;' and when the House of
Lords dorefer to their own recommendation, I-shell bes
'surprised indeed if they do' reject; the measure which her
Majesty's Government proposes. Sir, my Noble Friend
has referred, and naturally has excited the sympathy of
those who- placed confidence in his statemont with re-
spect to the position of the- unprotected -classes of the
milliner:rand dressmakers. -Sir, I think I could show
that if there be any,. class'that suffers from the illicit
introduction of goods,- it is that very class—(Hear, hear)
—to which my Noble Friend refers.. I believe, in respect
to all those articles, that they are introduced in a con-
trabmid Manner .; that there is a false reliance placed'
upon pretection ; -that at -any time you 'can• insure'
the introduction of silk goods (Rear, hear)—
and silk dresses—(Hear, hear)—for an ameurit, the
extra cost not being greater than the duty which is
placed upon that article. And if the system be so—if
the taste for silk goods do advance in this country—you
will promote and encourage the price of- that article
you will give the manufacturer the advantage of ccm-
peting in the open day with the duty-paid article ; but if
you subject him to that unknown disadvantage, he can
take no precaution against the smuggling of goods pay-
ing no duty, and the honest trader stiffs re the greatest
loss and the greatest injustice by competition with the
dishonest trader. - 'lf you will permit the manufacturer
fairly to compete at a known advantage with his foreign
rivals, and if you will discourage among the higher
classes the use of those contraband articles; by fecili-
eating the adniission of them at moderate prices—(Hear,
hear)—then; I say, the manufacturer of silk; the opera-
tive employed in the silk manfacture, the dress-maker,
and the milliner (to whom my -Noble Friend refers), has
a better chance in' honest employment .of gainieg an
honest subsistence, as they ought to' be enabled to
gain by continuous labour, than any advantag,
they -can now derive from' high nominal duties.
which you 'cannot r'enfarce against the evasion -of
your own.laWs..- —(Hear,'hear.) Sir, these are the con-
siderations which insetted her Majesty's Government to
propose this measure, feeling that it was for the interest
of the revenue that we should admit .goods at a moderate
rate of duty, -believing it to. be kir the interest of the
manufacturer that ice should compete under ascer-
tained -terns, belit-ving it to be f,-r the interest of those
employed in . the manufacture, -that. we should, it it
were poitt:.b'e; pluck up by the reot the system el
smugg!Mg,•vvhich, while it profee-es -to .protection,
is r:ally delusive, and which inflicts a much kseetet
injery upen initriiifactureesi then:any-that can-be infreteo
oy a fair arid honelt torripetiten.—(Glieers.)
Mr. DISRAELI sail he should not detain the Hott,e
above two mil.utes--•-•(Hear, hear)—while he Made a few
oh'servations with -rep.-et to those made bydhe Right
lion. Gentleman in answer to his Noble Friend; and
whilst he Made one More ffort to induce Hon. t emen
to enter inns the Isamu lonby as he himself should, be-
calm he -believed •thet the case which his Honourable
Fri.nds -were advocating that night was really the' object of the working classei.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
The Right Hori)uruble Gentleman had in his pe-
roration laid the greatest stress upon the temptation
which the 'trade was liable to, in' regard .to smuggling,
as well as the responsibility which her Majesty's Go-
, -iernrilint, possesed instruggling with that dark powe-,
which with the protection of 30
ap
n was,erthe
cent.,yh ,i
t
baffledhow they
to in-' c
• ey assui
would seem all the efforts of her Majesty's Ministers.—
ii(llilieraero, brethaer,
Ranigdhltaligohnt,er6
laughter.) Bat
what
cessfully struggled against the smuggler, who!had an
inducement to- carry' on his trade by the 1200 per-cent.
placed upon tobacco, and 250 per cent. which was plaCed
upon tear--(Protectionist cheers.) When they heard of
those stories of- the extraordinary power 'and achieve-
ments. of the smugglers, with respect to the silk trade
ha was :at a-loss to know where the Right lion. Gentle•
map obtained his information, unless it were from that
celebratedindividual--(Hear, hear, and laughter)—who
he (Mr. D'Esraeli) obievred had lately paid a visit
to the-Vice-President -of the, Beard of Trade(Great
laughter)—he "meant the fortunate Mr. Campden.
He (Mr. Disraeli), knew to`, whether ter Majesty's At-
toeney-Geeeral had assisted at that -interview, but it
seemed quite clear that the Treasury Bench on this•and
on previous discussions had profited by that acquaint-
ance.—(Hear, arid laughter.) Now the Right Hon.
Gentleman had turned to the situation—the too pitiable
situation—of the silk. trade in •1812, and While 'he had
dilated upon the miseries which-the operatives of that
trad6 had endured in the year 1812, he had turned
round to the House and- said; ",,See what protection has
prodaced."—(Hear, 'hear.) He had said to the Hon.
Gentlemen on his (Mr, Disraeli's) side of the Hopes
do you wish to bring back or rather to perpetuate such
a state of things us this ? Why, the working classes Of
this country he said had nothing to suffir so much from
as
.protection. Why, it was during the period of the
terrible war, 'he belieVed, that wheat was sold at 1203.
the .q' tarter.—(Opposition cheers.) It was a period
almost as unfortunate for all trades as that 'Very period
W which the Right Honourable Gentle Man hid
refk•red-he meant the period 1816, which remained as
unprecedented for the general commercial depression of
the'country —(Hear, hear) and those were the instances,
the answers, and the arguments that were brought fee-
ward against his Noble Friend (Lord George Bentinck).
and thus he supported his argument by economical prin-
ciples, as flagrant as his historical fallacies, which were
opposed by all the social experience they possessed.—
(Cheers.) The lion. Gentleman referred to knubbt anti
husks, and while dilating on the importance and the
value of that article, he said what does it signify if it
employs labour and produces a great demand.—(Hear.)
Observe, in the first place, knubbs and husks are no
more to be aecounted silk, than -a sheep-skin is to, be
accounted wool.—.(Cheer..) But to work up 2,0001 be.
of raw silk would employ per week 800 people,
'and 'concluding from this datum, to: 'Which he be-
lieved he might pledge himself: for its accuracy.:
to. work up the whole- 1,700,0001b5. imported.
welsh' occupy in one year billy 1;200, while to manu-
facture the same quantity of the gbod material would
etnpl.oy for the sante length of time. 13,000 personi—i
(Rear, hear.) 'Now he would leave it to the- House to
make its own deductions on the relative value of the two
articles in the trade and their respectiveproJittv,—( war.)
'then the Hon. Gentlemen accounted for the increase of
their exports by alleging that it brat the effect of the
dnoreasolduty on the.rawmateeial...,Weatoves the fact?
That iactogasaplounted te the Gue•twctlieth of a PQI3O v.