The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-30 00:00:00

DUTY ON HOPS.

Mr. FRE WEN rose to move the resolution of which
he had given notice —" That the Excise duty on hops
is impolitic and unjust, and ought to be repealed at an
early period." He had brought the subject forward in
Compliance with the urgent r: quest of a large number of
his constituents. His Honourable Friend (11r. Hodges)
asked for a partial reduction of this duty ; but, as the
amount was not by any means large, the most politic
Course would be to remove it entirely. In 1848. it
amounted to 388,0001. ; in 1849, to 145 0001. ; in 1850,
to 424,000/. A fair average would be 300,0001., or per-
haps a little under. It fell with great severity upon cer-
tain localities ; the eastern division of Sussex had to
Pay about 100,000/. Thousands of acres had beers
thrown out of cultivation, or were left, comparatively

speaking, uncultivated, and tenants could not be go't
on any terms. A tax might as well be laid
upon orchards—upon apples—as upon hops.—(Bear,
hear.) A gentleman who was agent to a Noble Lord,
a Member of that House, consulted a great number
of large planters last Saturday at Hastings, and re-
quested him (Mr. Frewen) to state that if the wholeEx-
oisa duty on hops was repealed they should not oppose
the repeal of the Customs duty; the If4xcise duty was so
heavy that, with free trade in hops, they would be placed
in a more favourable position than at present. In fact,
the protection they had was not at all adequate to coun-
tervail this enormous war-tax. The export of hops for
1846 amounted to 448,4971 b.; the import to 228,8001 b.
In 1847 the export was 457,0611 b.; the import, 245,2801 b.
There was a large export of British hops to those coun-
tries were hops were grown—Germany and Belgium, for
instance. There were large exports to Holland and to
Si. Petersburgh. With the Excise duty removed, the
English planter would not have much to fear from foreign
importations.---(Hear, hear.) His claim was strengthened
by the precarious nature of the crop, which was some-
times abundant and sometimes blighted.—(Hear, hear.)
Upon the whole, and considering that war prices no
longer ruled, and that we had returned to cash pay-
tams, he trusted the Hone would see the injustice of
Continuing a tax, almost the only war-tax which had
not been repealed or mitigated since the war.
Mr. FULLER seconded the motion.

Mr. HODGES moved, 04 an amendment, " That on
1411 y reduction of Excise duty on hops taking place, it
is expedient to reduce the Excise duty on British hops,
and the Customs duty on foreign hops by ld. per pound
Weight each, together with the five per cent. additional
duty thereon granted by the Act 3 Victoria, cap. 17."
If the original motion succeeded, it could only be on the
condition of the total repeal of the duty on foreign hops;
and he believed there was not unanimity by any means
among the Hon. Member's constituents upon that sub-
ject. The planters in Kent were by no means prepared
to consent to the repeat of the duty on foreign hops; he
(Mr. Hodges) believed very few of them would advocate
It.-----(Hear, hear.) He knew the extreme distress of the
'°P-growing districts, end felt convinced that they were
most unjustly treated, and, however this motion might
fuil• he should feel it iiis duty to bring the subject before
the House next session. It was easy to say that the
Plantation might be reduced, but it must be remembered
that the crop WAS precarious, and the plantation must be
large to secure a sufficient supply. He hoped those who
might be in office next year would take the subject into
their serious consideration, and endeavour to put an end
to the complaints of this interest.
Mr. BARROW remarked, that of the three parties
unnceraed in this question, the labourer, the hopgrower,
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the labourer was
most interested, for the wages paid on account of hop
cultivation ran from 101. to 131. an acre, which was ten
times the amount paid for cultivating lands to yield com-
mon farming crops. The hopgrower paid above 51. an
%ere to the Government, and for years past would have
been glad to have gone shares with the Chancellor of
the
Exchequer. He had not risen to second the amend-
teent, but to state that it was on account of the labour-
ing classes that he gave his voice in favour of reducing
the duty.
Sir G. PECHELL seconded the amendment.
tar. CURTEIS observed, that the crop of last year
had been disposed of to meet the duties of 1848 and
849, and where the money was to be got to pay accru-
ing duties it was hard to say. He approved the motion
of the Ron, Member for East Sussex, and hoped the
Chancellor of the Exchequer ,would promise some relief
for next year.
e The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought
e'n would best consult the general feeling of the House
°Y not going into derails on the subject of the hop duty,
been
that the financial arrangements of the year had
i 'en made, and an alteration in the duty could not be
poduced in the present year. Thu Hon. Member for
the
must be perfectly aware that he (the Chancellor of
Exchequer) would be exceedingly rash Hire were to
t° apromise with reference to the future. He hoped
I'o Efouse would concur with him in opinion that it was
advisable to take any step in the matter at this
Period.
tfteSir J, TYRELL entered his protest against the course
"4ell by her Majesty's Ministers in getting rid of pro-
Its3sitinna with reference
cili to the burdens on land. Availing
enaselves of the imbety of the party behind him—
(ur; laugh)—the Government treated the agricultural
tstilea in a cavalier manner, saying they had no case,
hough from time to time cases of gross injustice were
/1144 e out.
that COBDEN said, it might be taken for granted
at a free-trade Government and a free-trade Parliament
d °Uld take off the Customs' duty on hops if the Excise
t4,44' were removed. The Hon. Member for East Sussex
ad the Hon. Member for West Kent were opposed in
wlty, views of this tax. It operated so unequally that it
otha a protection in one county as compared with the
th er• If there were no other ground for objection to
it,,tax than the inequality of pressure, that would of
to eir be sufficient to condemn the tax. Bat he objected
hut_la.e hop-tax as a bungling contrivance. Every year a
ouher of supernumerary excisemen were employed for
4? a few weeks. The plan oft proceeding was unworthy
th,life age, and of England. He would, therefore, abolish
"4-1, nn account of the clumsy mode of collection.
a great uncertainty of the tax was another objection to
risometimes it yielded 40,0004 or 50,0001.; at other
mes 400,0001. or 500,0001. Such variations not only de-
,tuged the Chancellor of the Exchequer's calculations,
t:t those of every banker in the hop districts were subject
ehe® the same fluctuations. There was no ground on which
tax should be maintained; it was small in amount,
oe
ptional in its character, and he hoped the Chancellor
tot)" Exchequer would feel it to be a tax which ought
he dealt with early. Whether the Hon. Member who
made the motion proceeded to a division or not, he
11v
7..". Cobden) certainly went with him heartily in the
ualnsition for the removal of the hop duty.
duT4'. BASS expressed his belief that the removal of the
P en malt would bo attended with more satisfactory
alts than the concession of theproposition made by the
Li% Member for East Sussex.
• BODGES withdrew his amendment; and,
VREWEN having briefly replied,
e Rouse divided, when there appeared—.
For Mr. Frewen's motion ...
Against it

••• 30
••• ••• 59
-29

Majority .--
kr CRYSTALIityTtvHOEODtLACE.
to move—" That en
her Majesty, praying
11,anable address be presented to
h rove iA
direct, in
to •
teit her Majesty will be graciously pleased
fit, that the Crystal
lach manner as to her may seem ---,Ar t, with a
!!Pale be preserved until the Ist of l'ay 1127 portion
,s.ve to determine if that novel structure, ortil
ty
of it, can be adapted to purposes of
appropri-
ation re-
creation," Among the grounds onpwubhilicch utility
L.,,,t,
of the building raised in Hyde-park to the object
kid. td ' his • desirable, he
ica ein motion seemed to be
thoughtlp that not the least important was suggested,was
tilhen it was considered how much larger London was
At p,re-
ELn any other capital in Europe or America.
r'snt
1,,a, most successful exhibition of works of industry
a4r, going on in the building to which he had alluded,
b 1" hich, though it had assumed the form of a glass
re44_4,cZwas commenced with the idea of making it a large
it:k building with an enormous dome. Considerable._.
41'venience ho was aware, had been experienced by
Q ;8°,16 Who had residences along the road near the
pilp4estal Palace; but a large glass conservatory for the
opt ".nose of recreation and amusement would. not, in his
t
F L4°l; be attended with any such inconvenience as thha
'3e,e;'"ich complaint might have been made.. What
the
eomse the House to do was, to give its sanction to
tio,ll:nnance of the Crystal Palace for such a length of
fete tis would enable information to be gained with re-
fer`rlce to its future use, partly for pleasure and partly.
vva scientific purposes.—(Hear, hear.) He thought
thelrt
et. ti3c, matter well worthy of consideration, whether
for t it might be formed into a good winter garden
The the inhabitants of the metropolis.—(Hear, hear.)
b4tre were gentlemen in that House fond of riding,
alightheYfound Rotten-row wet and sloppy.
often
of it not, then, be considered how far one part
redint,,hak Crystal Palace could be converted into a
leetel-ucuse? If such a thing were practicable, it
part of be a great advantage to that
ee." (21, the metropolis. With respect to one of the sci-
06e usea to which the palace might be applied, they
i.coes, Regent's..
,1,1 an example of what ho meant in the Botanical Gar-
park. The conservatory there was a
But
wide range
`t? del of what he thought might be established within
ef the Crystal Palace.—(Hear, hear.)
11.11 t there was another view of the case. The British
for
was deficient in the
toe r the receptionroom necessary
of all the antiquities provided
_ it; and the greatest naturalists agreed that the spece-
'merle of natural history there would be exhibited to great
i'llvsaotage under glass.—(Hear, hear.) The British
le cure would soon be far more than tilled both in the
try department and in that of antiquities, arid he
to, ußht the third department, that of natural history,
Ttilt be suceessfully transferred to the Crystal I;Zi tear-) The way in Which the Royal Commissioners
fleeted Palace.
conducted the whole affair of the Exhibition re-
hi _ great credit upon them, and he must say that
tin', noyal Highness Prince Albert, who was trained
great the Astronomer Royal at Brussels, anal made
7eira,'a.t proficiency in his mathematical stuthes, was
bly fitted to be at the head of each a body
' Coreagesionere for the promotion of any scientific