The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-26 00:00:00

lief to Ireland, he would ask, to increase the consumption of
whisky ?—(Hear, hear.) The effect would be to increase
the consumption of whisky in the large towns, where it must
be a great evil. It would be no relief to farmers, for the
corn would be still sold if the whisky be lawful or illicit.
On the .contrary, by introducing the facilities of drunken-
ness, it must necessarily check all trade and industry. If
the Noble Lord took up the duty on glass, and abolished the
236,0001. duty on flo.t article, he would grant a boon to the
people, and consult the health and comfort of the people.
That trade was utterly ruined. There were only two glass
factories in Ireland, one in Cork,- another in Dublin, and he
was told one in Waterford, all in a ruinous state. It was well
to make a distinction between Scotland and Ireland, for the
facility of transmission by the introduction of steam brought
Ireland and England in such close connection that if some pro-
tection were not afforded to Ireland, she could have no trade.
Mr. S. RICE said, as far as the country parts of Ireland
were concerned, the project of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer would prevent illicit distillation, and so far no one could
deny that it was not a good one. But the Hon. Member for
Dublin said that it would increase the consumption in the
towns, where it was most desirable that the consumption should
be diminished.—(" Hear," from Mr. O'Connell.) Now to
prevent illicit distillation in the country was going far to pre-
vent the large consumption of whisky in the towns. Illicit
distillation in the towns would have the same bad effect as
the small stills in the country—so that in proportion as you
prevented illicit distillation would you check the evil of drun-
kenness and its consequences. It was notorious that illicit dis-
tillation grew up under the pressure of high duties. Nothing
was attended with more demoralizing and disorganizing con-
sequences than illicit distillation. It arrayed the police and
the peasantry, the functionaries of the Government and the
people against each other. Even the Magistrates, though
they might be called on to crush the system, too often encou-
raged it, because it enabled the poor tenants to pay a portion
of their rents. Then the great expense of collecting the duty
was another great evil. As to the duty on glass, the reduc-
tion of that duty, if it were made, should be met by a corre-
sponding reduction of its exportation from this country and
Scotland, in order to be beneficial to Ireland. In fact it was
the assimilation, and not the inequality of duty that destroyed
the glass trade. There were certainly some disadvantages
under which the Irish and Scotch laboured with respect to the
spirit trade, but as a Committee was appointed to inquire into
that subject, and as it was important that justice should be
done to both countries, Government would wait until the Com-
mittee gave its report.

LordALT HO itP rose.—( His Lordship was for a few mi-
nutes inaudible in the gallery.) In taking off the tax on far-
mers' servants under eighteen years of age, his object was not
so much to relieve the persons who employed them as to render
those gervants useful, and to prevent them from the temptations
that resulted from their living out of the houses of their em-
ployers. In confining the taking off of the window duties to
farmhouses, his object was to do for the country what he had
done for the towns by taking off the house tax. In the cir-
cumstances in which he found the country placed, he thought
he was doing right when he took off the house duty, and if he
could find any means to supply the deficiency that would arise
from taking off the duty on glass, he certainly would be glad to
remove that duty also. If Hon. Gentlemen pressed for so
many different reductions, it would be impossible for him to
make the reductions he thought would be most beneficial to
the country generally. His Hon. Friend had suggested many
reductions. He hoped, and even thought, that he should be
enabled to make still further reductions, and he assured the
House that he would continue to make reductions as long as
he could make them consistently with the public service. He
had every hope that the situation of the country would enable
him to reduce taxation to a still lower amount. With respect
to what he had done regarding spirit licenses, it would not
have the effect his Hon. Friend supposed.
Mr. PEASE was glad to congratulate the House on the
removing of the house duty ; but what he especially rose for
was to express his satistaction at the Budget that had been
now introduced. He saw that such reductions had been made
as might be expected from a liberal Ministry. The taking off
the duty on coals would cause advantages to that trade that did
not now exist ; but he would say, as far as regarded manufac-
tures, that that duty came two or three years to late. He did
not approve of the protection given to English ships that carried
coals to foreign countries, for he did not see the use of a
heavier duty on coals exported in foreign bottoms.
Mr. M. ATTWOOD considered that the Noble Lord
( Althorp) would have better consulted the interests of the
mercantile world by taking off the stamp duties on bills of
exchange than by any other reduction he had made.
Mr. JAMES was glad that the house tax had been taken
off. He was glad when any tax was taken off, but he would
be more heartily pleased if he saw the tax upon malt removed.
In answer to a question from Sir H. WILLOUGHBY,
Lord ALTHORP stated that with respect to the unfunded
debt, properly so called, there would be no increased charge.
There might be issues of Exchequer bills for private purposes,
but for general purposes there would be no increased issues, at
least none that could in any way affect the surplus for the year.
The cause of the increased charge on the interest for the un-
funded debt was, that permanent annuities had been changed
into terminable ones. Some had been converted into life an-
nuities ; indeed a very considerable sum had been so converted ;
and this also added to the increased charge.•
11Ir. BUCKINGHAM said that the well-wishers of Ireland
would not approve of the reduction that had been made in the
duty on Irish whisky.
Mr. SHAW said that that reduction would not have the
effect the Noble Lord expected from it. It would increase
drunkenness and the consumption of that spirit in large towns.
Mr. R. WALL ACE protested against the reduction of the
duty on Irish whisky as not being fair towards Scotland.
Besides its having the effect of increasing smuggling, it gave
an undue protection to Ireland, which, on the score of fertility
of soil, had already an advantage over Scotland.
Mr. O'RE ILL Y contended that instead of making a re-
duction in the duty on Irish whisky it would be far better
to equalize the duties on that article throughout the three
countries.
Mr. E WART said that the duty on tobacco was most un-
equal, and that the part of the mercantile community engaged
in that trade complained bitterly of it.
Mr. M. P HILL IP S.hoped the Noble Lord would take the
earliest opportunity that was allowed him by any surplus in the
revenue to repeal the duty on raw cotton.
Mr. T. ATTWOOD concurred with the observations of
the Right Hon. Baronet (the Member for Tamworth) respect-
ing joint-stock banks. They were invented merely to bolster
up the present rotten banking system, which was bloated up
with disease, and which would end in a fourth panic.
The Resolutions were then severally put and agreed to.
The House resumed, and the Report was ordered to be re-
ceived to-morrow (this day.)
The Newspaper Postage Bill was read a third time and
passed.
On the motion of Mr. L ITTL E TON, the Arms Impor-
tation ( Ireland) Bill was read a third time and passed.
The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the
House adjourned at half-past two o'clock.