The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-18 00:00:00

to abolish this very large amount of revenue, which was larger
than any other sum of duty mentioned in the schedule. One
of the objects of the proposed tariff was said to be to increase
the consumption of this article, and not to diminish it. He
could not believe that any of her Majesty's Government, or
of that House would wish to see the consumption of spirits in-
creased in this country. If it were desirable, it would not be
expedient to bring such articles as brandy and other spirit:
more within the reach of the people than they were at present.
It could not he done because the price would be still high, for
when the ieeposee. dety was put on there would still remain a
duty ec. 300 per cent. Cognac brandy was the only description
of Prench bandy thet AC, iironght into this country foe con-
sumption, tinsl eetlil only hi. ()leaked from a few who
were engaged in the Ueguart trade. He would ask what good
had rseulleil front the oguelisation of the duties on French and
Portuguese wines No aecession of commerce had taken place,
neither had the eie toms revenue been increased. He wished always
1, base a surplus reveiree re income over the expenditure, for
it was the wisest, safest, and, in the end. the moat economical
for the country. In cenelm.iun, lie would ask whether the in-
censes of the pep e would not be better consulted by a par-
tial repeal of the excise duty on soap, than by allowing the
V 11,44100, sum sslhieb was paid on French brandy to be com-
pletely lost. He should move that the words " spirits and
sti ong eat era" he struck out.
Mr. EWART maintained that the commerce with France
would be increased rather than diminished by the proposed re-
duction of the duty on brandy. It was a well known fact that
the French trade had increased since the equalisation of the
duty on wine, and it was only an act of justice that the duty
wan reduced to the same amount as that paid on Portuguese
wines. He was not inclined to favour France more than Por-
tugal, but wished that British commerce should meet with every
encouragement. He trusted that this was the beginning of a
further reduction of the duty en French articles, and he felt
satisfied it would be met with reciprocity on the partof France.
The Marquis of GRANBY said that it was of very great
importance to the welfare of the lower classes that the duty on
foreign spirits should not be diminished. He had found that
crime and disease had increased in proportion to the supply-
and consumption of strong liquors. He had a paper in his
hand showing the great increase of crime, but he would not
trouble the House with reading it further than to state that
the document showed that in Scotland seven-eigths •of the
crimes that were there committed originated entirely from
the abuse of spirits. If that statement was true, and he had
no reason to doubt itsveracity, ho really was at a loss to know
what argument could avail in support of the proposed reduction
of the duty on foreign spirits. The Noble Lord then quoted
some extracts from Mr. M‘Celloch's work to show the me:.
pediency of reducing the duty on foreign spirits. Now he did
hope that they would not pass the reduction of duty. For
himself he apposed it, because he believed that the question of
protection in this instance must take higher ground, and the
use he argued as one involving not only protection to British
industry, but of protection to the well-being and happiness of
the British nation. He did hope that Gentlemen opposite
would throw off the chains by which they had bound them-
selves to her Majesty's Government; and he did still more
hope on this occasion that humanity and reason would triumph
over a most pernicious and unnatural coalition.
Mr. CARD-WELL observed he would be quite willing to
meet the Honourab:e Gentleman on the question of revenue,
and he was happy to anree with the statement, that in the
arithmetic of the revenue department, two and two would by no
means make four, for they could never double the produce in
'he Exchequer by doubling the duty ; however, it by no means
folowed that if they diminished the duty they would diminish
he produce to the Exchequer. They had plenty of historical
iroof of the truth of the tatter assertion. and. as he would nu:
weary the House by entering into a lengthened damned state-
ment of them, he would only refer them to the report of the
Commission appointed to examine into the excise duties.
After a few words from Mr. KNIGHT,
The House divided, when there appeared
For retaining the item
For the amendment 35
Majority —29
The several items from brandy down to clover were then
agreed to.
On the latter article being proposed,
Mr. ALLIX asked the Right Hon. Baronet not to take the
duty of 10s. off clover. He instanced a case where the con-
tinuance of the protection would be of great use to the la-
bourers, and proceeded to ask if it was wished to drive away
all the gentry of the country from their paternal mansions !?
He would not divide the House upon it, as the Right Hon.
Gentleman appeared to be all powerful, but in justice to his
own feelings, he thought it necessary to protest against the
reduction.
Sir R. PEEL gave the Rote Gentleman credit for sin-
cerity in hoisting the opinio”s which he dei. net he thought
he carried hie attachilient to protection oe clover a little too
,ar, when he stated that :he reduction of it would drive the
gentry of the country front their patereal mansions.—(Great
lauehter. ) That. he thought, was carryties protection a little
too far.—(Continue) laughter.) So fete however, from this
sedue+iess being injurious en farmers, he considered that this
duty of 75.0001 was one of the burdens on agriculture. No-
thing would be more beneficial to farmers than increasing
:heir facilities f'r ptneuriog clover seed, and no duty that
could be remitted would he so beneficial to the 501. tenants.
this was one of the ciearest cases where the interests of agri-
culture would be benefited.
Mr. ALLIX explained. He assured the Right Hon. Baronet
ne did not say that the reduction of the duty on clover, but
the measures of her Majesty's Government would drive away
the gentry from their paternal mansions.
The resolution was then agreed to.
The next item proposed was the reduction in oxen, cows,
sheep, &c.
Mr. W. MILES said that since 1842, when the alteration
took place, the importation into this country of bullocks, cows,
sheep, &c., had greatly increased. If this importation went on
in the same ratio, there would be no chance for the English
grazier in competition with the foreigner. The duty at pre-
sent on oxen was 1/., on cows 155., on calves 10s., on sheep
35., on lambs 25., on pigs 55., &c., and notwithstanding these
duties the importation of foreign cattle was yearly increasing.
On an animal weighing only six cwt. the English grazier
suffered a loss of 31. 12s. 6d., as the foreign grazier could im-
port it into this country, after paying all duties and charges,
for that amount less. He would just take a comparative
glance at the number of cattle imported into England for the
last three years. On the sth Jan., 1844, the number of oxen,
cows, sheep, &c.. amounted altogether to 2,099 animals. On
the sth Jun., 1845, the number was 7,764, and at the same
period of 1846 the number was 34,426, which showed a most
extraordinary increase. From this statement, therefore, the
progress o: the increase from 1842 bad been gradually getting
greater. He would move the emission of the following
articles, namely, oxen, cows, calves, beef fresh, and beef
salted, and not hams.
Colonel SIBTHORP felt the measures proposed by her
Majesty's Ministers to be of so unsound and unstatesmanlike a
character that be hoped their time was limited to no very dis-
tant period. He (Colonel Sibthorp) had a letter from his
constituents, expressing regret that he did net accept the
Chiltern Hundreds.—(Laughter.) They were sorry he had
not done so, beeau'e they would have shown the Right Hon.
Baronet, that notwithstanding he would have sent down a
nominee of his own, be ( Colonel Sibthorp) would have been
returned without one farthing expense.
Mr. P. HOWARD thought the best course for the Govern-
ment to pursue in regard or cattle would be to have a registra-
tion of cattle imported. Last year there had been imported
15,0s)0 oxen and cows, and by putting on a duty of Is. upon
that amount it would produce 1,0001. By having such a sys-
tem of registration, it would be the means of ascertaining the
:,recise number of the impurtat ion of cattle.
Sir ROBERT PEEL had listened to the Hon. Member
with that attention which his station demanded. He had also
listened to the Hon. Member for Somersetshire. The Hon.
Member for Carlisle said there had been 15,000 oxen and cows
;rnporteci in the last year, but that did not prove that the price
of meat had fallen. The contrary was the fact. It was proved
on a former evening that the contract for meat in 1843 was
11. ifs. 4d., but in 1844 and 1845 it had more than doubled, and
that did not show anything like the injury to the value of the arti-
cle that Hon. Members anticipated. There was Ireland, where
the soil was more fertile than in this country, and where the
wages of the labourer were much lower. The wages of the
agricultural labourer in that country were nomore, on average,
than 10d. a day ; there was no land-tax, and no property-tax
there; and if the people of this country could compete against.
Ireland, which exported so much—a country with so many
advantages, where wages were so low—what need was
there to fear a competition with other countries? What oc-
casion was there to fear a competition with Rolland, where
wages were lower, but here the soil was not so good as in our
own country? It would be no consolation to tell them that
they were being ruined by Ireland, and that, therefore, they
,hoilld also allow theraselvei to h. rivine.i by other countries;
hut there was no such prospect, and the fact of Ireland not re-
Jutting the price of meat in this r.arket fully answered every
argument raised z.gaitist this article of the tariff. The price of
meet had considerably advanced. Was not every butcher rais-
ing the price of meat ?—was it not undeniable that the rise of
er:ce was occasioned bt the rate of coesemption ? By admit-
•
tine this importei len. they would at least put down the extra-
vagant price demanded for this article of consumption. It bad
teen) said that there was a decrease of sheep in Smithfield mar-
ket during the last year, and was he doing wrong in giving
them a supply front abroad? It had been com-
itlained of also, that there was a scarcity of the
article upon which cattle was fed in this country, and
Inc thought he was doing something to meet that want,
in allowing the importation of barley at the proposed re-
duced rate, which would allow them the means of feeding their
cattle, and so be better able to compete with the foreign
markets. Considering, then, the repeated deficiency in the
markets, to which he had alluded, he did think that the admis-
sion of cattle and sheep to this country from foreign countries,
duty free, would confer a great benefit upon the agriculturists
of this country, and therefore be should adhere to this prophsi-
teen, for he felt as that by it he had not sacrificed the in-
terests of others
Mr. FINCH had heard a great deal said upon this subject,
but he would just say in respect to the arguments adduced
in reference to high prices, that the effect of the high duty being
taken off the foreign sheep and cattle, would only be to put
money in the pocket of the foreign importer, and therefore the
reduction of the revenue in that respect would be a needless
one, because the English public would really derive no sub-
stantial benefit from it.—( Hear.) Another reason assigned
for the importation of foreign cattle so extensively, and free of
duty, was that they were of a description so inferior that the
English cattle dealer had nothing to fear from them.—( Hear,
hear.) But then other Hon. Members had argued that
the breeders of foreign cattle had been so successful, that in a
few years they would be able to compete with the first breeders
of cattle in the world. Now, he begged to remind the House
that the English breeder of cattle had suffered much by the
destructive effects of the murrain in the cattle in his neigh-
bourhood. Well, then, he would like to ask if the effect of
this should be to raise prices, would the Right Hon. Baronet
be ready to put the duty on again, in the event of the prices
becoming low again ?_( Hear, hear.) It was quite true, that
the Irish beasts could not competewith the English beasts in the
same way that the foreign beasts did; but it was equally true,
that the foreign beasts wonld new be enabled by this Bill to
enter into successful competition with the cattle of this coun-
try, to the prejudice of the English agriculturists. If, there-
fore. those reductions were to take place, what may they not
anticipate in the shape of reductions of the same sort to the
prejudice of the linglish farmer? If foreign cattle were thus
to be introduced into the English market the English dealer
would be ruined. There was at this moment an actual tax of
31. 10s. upon every head of English cattle brought into the
English m ,rket, as had been proved by evidence taken before
the House of Lords. Ihe Hight Hen. Gentleman, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, laughed, but that only showed
that he knew nothing whatever of the agricultural condition of
the country.—( Hear, hear.) Rut he begged to remind the
Right Hon. Gentleman that when he took into account the
difference between the actual price of barley and the tax upon
malt, it would appear quite plain that what he had stated was
the fact.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he rid
practical knowledge upon this
subject,
jpecret,tebnudt tboe
phosesgegsedmtouerhemind the Hon. Member that last
year a Bill was brought in by which to enable the farmers to
use malt for fatting their cattle. Upon that arose a dispute as
to whether malt or raw barley would be most beneficial for that
purpose. The result was, that an agreement was entered into
for trying the experiment with those two articles, and it was
found that the cows fed upon raw barley gave more milk than
those fed upon inalt.—( Hear, hear.) Papers bearing out this
statement would be laid upon the table of the House, and he
trusted they woolii Bthey the Hon. 'el ember.
Sir JOHN TYRRELL said Is- load heard a good deal upon
the eubject of rcalc auri haven ae ihod for cattle, but he should
like to ask the Right Bon. Baronet at the head of her Majesty $