The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-30 00:00:00

REPEAL OF THE PAPER DUTIES.

chosen a different course of action. The agitation
there, however, he was glad to observe, was extensive
and almost unanimous.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Joliet CASSEL wished to observe, that the egie
tation for the abolition of the paper duties, was not
one merely of peper makers, but it was taken up as a
national question, and a vary important meeting, the
Lord Mayor in the chair, had been held in Dublin.
Mr. CHAMBERS (Edinburgh) rose to move the first
resolution, to the effect that the duty acted as a
grievous tax upon knowledge, by preventing the cir-
culation of cheap literature of a wholesome character.
He said that the question, as it affected cheap publi-
! cations, had been much misrepresented in the House of
Commons and elsewhere by the opponents of repeal.
The course was to take up a large book, and say,
" the tax upon this is about threepence, and is it
worth while to kick up a row ?" But that was a
very one-sided argument. On a volume of a fashion-
able novel the duty might not probably exceed 1 per
cent., because in such a case the expenses of author-
ship and composition bore a large proportion to the
value of the paper; but the case was quite different;
in cheap publications, where authorship and composi-
tion were small figures, and paper formed the princi-
pal expense. In a work, a single sheet, the money
paid for authorship was from 15 to 20 guineas, but
that bore no proportion to the value of the paper, the
circulation being perhaps 50,000. He used in his
establishment in Edinburgh 18,000 reams of paper
annually, or 8,640,000 sheets, and on that be paid to
Government 3,000/. in duty.—(Hear.) What a
deduction was that from the funds applicable for the
reward of literary labour ! He might further state
that last year he had been obliged to discontinue a
publication, which had reached a circulation of
80,000, because on making up his accounts he found
that all his profit, 6,2001., went to the Government
in duty. Thus was a work destroyed by the tax
which was circulatiog 18,0001. annually among trades-
men and workmen of various kinds.—(Hear.) Some
persons would say that they might have raised the
price, but that would have reduced the circulation to
20,000, and then the questions of authorship and
composition would become prominent. They had
subsequently started another at one halfpenny more,
which had attained a circulation of from 30,000 to
40,000, just half, and out of that Government took
8001. a-year, exactly the sum paid to authors. They
fonnd that it just paid, but were about to discontinue
it, one reason being that their American customers
had discontinued their orders, and were about to
print pirated copies themselves. Those copies would
be sold all through our American colonies, and no
law could prevent it. What law could guard a fron-
tier of 3,000 miles?—(Hear, hear.) It might Le
urged in favour of the tax that remission would en-
courage immoral cheap literature, but his belief was
that the people naturally preferred reading of a
healthy character, and that if the latter could be pro-
vided for them cheap and abundant, the former would
soon be driven from the 6eld.—(Cheers.)
Mr. C. KNIGHT, in seconding the resolution, said,
that if the first paper manufacturer in the world—the
wasp in the garden of Eden—had been so harassed
in the use of of his mandibles, as were his successors
in the use of their machinery, he would most certainly
have stung the exciseman.—(Laughter.) They had
heard one representative of cheap literature—the other
was Charles Dickens (Cheers) and he (Mr.
Knight) had received from him a distinct authority
to express hii complete concurrence with the objects
of the meeting. He thought it important to mention
Mr. Dickens's name at the outset, because it had been
too much the fashion for persons of a certain quality
and rank in life to turn up their noses at cheap litera-
ture, and say that it must surely be bad. But when
he mentioned, in connexion with their cause, the name
of the most popular author of the day, of him who
had given delight to thousands in his admirable fic-
tions—(Hear, hear)—and announced that he had dis
tinctly, and as a matter of business, identified himself
with cheap literature, and in his " House-
hold Words" promulgated great questions, that
argument could hardly be repeated. (Hear,
hear.) Mr. Knight here went through some
statistics, which have already been published,
showing that the cheap publications exceeded in
number the whole of the newspspers in the United
Kingdom. To show how the paper duty acted as a
tax upon authorship, he instanced the case of a copy-
right which cost 1,0001. If the sale were 1,000 the
price of authorship would amount to 1/. a volume ;
but if it reached to 40,000 the price would be only 6d.
a volume.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. Macaulay—or rather
Messrs. Longman—(A laugh)—for him, had sold
35,000 copies of his history at 325. the volume, but
they could not catch Macaulays every day, but sales
of 40,000 might be effected, upon which 1,000/. for
copyright would fall very lightly, and that extent of
sale could only be obtained by the cheapness which
would result from a remission of the duty. Having
gone into some other details which have already ap-
peared in his pamphlet, and been amply discussed in
the papers, he said in conclusion was alleged that
cheapness would encourage bad literature, as well as
good, so did the sun which shone equally on the tares
and the wheat, but they knew that the careful farmer
would eradicate the weeds and cultivate the corn, and
so he believed that if they had the sun of light taxa-
tion they would soon root up the weeds of literature
and give the people a rich harvest of intellectual en-
tertainment and improvement.—(Cheering.)
The resolution was put and carried unanimously.
Mr. CASSEL moved the next resolution, which stated
that the duty having been introduced as a war tax,
violated all fiscal principles, and fell directly on the
employment of labour. The manufacturer of paper
beautifully illustrated that passage of Scripture which
said, " Gather up the fragments that nothing may be
lost," as from rags and refuse the paper maker created
an article worth four millions a year—(Hear, hear)
—and of this Government pounced down and took
away 800,000l.—(Hear.) The Government was a
free-trade Government ; it was a Government which
professed to patronise labour, and he could tell them
that if they were sincere in their professions, there
was no better way of encouraging labour than by
taking the tax off paper.—(Hear,) It was said that
the Chancellor of the Exchequer had a surplus of
three or four millions, but even if he had no surplus
he (Mr. Cassel) considered that Government were
bound to remove the tax. Having dilated on the
powerful agent paper was in the progress of every re-
formatory movement, Mr. Cassel Proceeded to observe
that, even if they did not get their grievance men-
tioned in the budget, it should not be cushioned in the
House of Commons. It should be unceasingly agi-
tated, and petitions should pour in, as they said in
Lancashire, thick, hot, and heavy. He believed that
if the subject were properly agitated half a million of
signatures might be obtained in three weeks.
Mr. S. C. Haar. seconded the motiod. Much had
been said of the pressure of the tax on cheap litera-
ture ; but he could assure them that it was equally
oppressive on more costly publications. The Art
Journal was now a profitable publication, circulating
20,000 copies monthly, and paying 1,/00/. a year to
Government. But it bad only been a profitable work
for two years, and for the preceding ten it had been
published at a loss; and yet during that period it had
paid 6,0001. or 7,0001 to Government. That alone
would be a handsome profit ; and so far acted against
many useful publications which were now struggling
with difficulties. He cordially supported the resod
lutioti.
Mr. TOWLE, of oxorcii supported the resolution.
He said that some time since a machine bad been in-
vented by which very nice paper could be made from
straw. He had bought a machine, and commenced
making the paper; but the Government stepped in with
the duty and obliged him to relinquish the trade, for
the straw for which he paid 30s. a ton to the farmers
was charged in duty at 14 guineas the ton.—Gear,

Yesterday a meeting of delegates from varieus
parts of the kingdom was held at the King's Arms
Hotel, Palace-yard, for the purpose of making a,r -
rau gements to wait upon the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, and represent to him the various hardships
inflicted by the present excise regulations on the
paper trade, and the necessity there exists for the
tetel remission of the duty. The room was filled with
paper manufacturers, publishers, and others connected
with the trade. Among those present were Mr.
Crompton, who was subsequently called to the chair,
Mr. Charles Knight, Mr. Chambers (Edinburgh),
Mr. S. C. Hall, Mr. Woolmer (Exeter), Mr. Cassel,
Mr. Baldwin (Birmingham), .llfr. Borthwick, Mr.
Holden (Manchester), Mr. Collins (Glasgow), Mr.
Towle (Oxford), &c. Mr. Huggett acted as
secretary. Letters from Mr. Hume regret-
ting his inability to attend, but promising
his support in Parliament—from Mr. Charles
Dickens, promising to attend the deputation—
from W. .1. Fox with a similar promise—and
also a memorial from the Financial Reform Associa-
tion of Liverpool—were read.
Mr. Caomerme, on taking the chair, said that he
bad had experience of the working of the paper
duties for the last forty years ; that, during tint
period, it had been open to all sorts of frauds, and his
firm conviction was that the only remedy would be a
total repeal of the duties. He Lad with great diffi-
culty obtained a return of the number of convictions
during the year 1848 for various breaches of the ex-
cise laws committed by paper makers, and would
state to the meeting its results. It appeared that there
were in the three kingdoms about 600 mills at work,
and that in England there had been 43 convictions, in
Scotland 9, and in Ireland 30. This alone gave 15
per cent. on the whole number of traders.—(Hear,
bear.) How was trade to be carried on by honest
men in the face of such proceedings, the more espe-
cially as even 20 convictions did not prevent the frau-
dulent trader still continuing his trade ?—(Hear,
hear.) Again, the excise W 63 in the habit of com-
pounding the penalties, in one case having com-
pounded 3701. for 1001. The whole amount
of penalties inflicted had been 10,7611. 4s. ld., of
which there had been recovered in England
3,5231. 14s. 3d. ; in Scotland, 161/. ; and in Ireland,
1,3t341. 4s. 2tl. Prom these figures he felt himself
justified in contending that if it was for nothing else
than the morals of the country, Government ought to
get rid of the tax.—(Hear, hear.) On the coarser
descriptions of paper the tax pressed so heavily, that
the temptation to fraud was almost irresistible, being
about 120 per cent. on the cost price.—(Hear, hear.)
On the raw material the duty was about 600 per
cent., and this while the raw material of every other
manufacturing trade had been emancipated from
duty.—(Hear, hear.) Some time since the duty had
been taken off cotton, at the instance of the manufac•
turers, but it had been left qn them, who were only
the scavengers of the cotton mills. They took the
refuse of the cotton, which was about one-fifth of the
whole, and one-third of that they were able to con-
vert into their own raw material. It would hardly
be believed that the tax on this raw material was
about 300 per cent. on the value of the article.—
(Hear, hear.) Was it right that paper makers should
submit to this, while cotton manufacturers had found
8 per cent. on their raw material unbearable ? They
were compelled to pay SO per cent. on wrapping
paper, and that paper was now being imitated in a non
excisable article with such success that it was impos-
sible to know the paper from the imitation, the only dif-
ference being that in one case the material was first
macerated into pulp, and thus came under the deno-
mination of paper, while in the other it was first
worked up dry, and was called felt. Thus, while
another manufacturer was making his felt duty free
he (Mr. Crompton) was paying 120 per cent. duty
on a precisely similar article.—(Hear, hear.) In fact,
to such an extent were frauds of this description going
on, that it would be more to the interest of a gentle-
man entering the paper trade to study how the law
might be evaded than to pay any attention to the
provisions of the Act of Parliament, He bad for some
time turned his attention in that direction, and was
now able to make felt on one side of the table while
he was making paper on the other.—(Laughter.) He
would defy the Board of Excise to charge this article
as paper, and under existing circumstances he did not
see any impropriety in sending it into the market.—
(Hear, hear.) He would now enter a little into the
various difficulties which beset the manufacturer of
paper. When he had erected his premises he must
send for a Government officer to make a schedule and
number every room, and every article, presses, vats,
&c., in those rooms. Then he bad to get a licence.
Then, when the paper wus made, it must be packed
in parcels of a prescribed form, a condition which
was open to all manner of evasion. Next the num-
ber of sheets, and weight of each ream, must be
stated, and a label provided by the Govern-
ment affixed. If one of these labels was missing a
penalty of 101. was the consequence, and yet he was
constantly obliged to entrust them to his workmen.
It might now be supposed that the article was ready
for the market. But no, the goods must remain 24
hours for the inspection of the supervisor, lest there
should have been collusion with the officer, and this
delay was under some circumstances extended to 84
hours before the finished goods were allowed to be
sent off the premises. All men of business would
appreciate what a loss this was to the manufacturer.—
(Hear, hear.) Before leaving its destination it must
be entered in an open book for the officer, so that at
any time he might take your whole connexion off to
another mill if he should be so inclined.—(Hear.)
If you happen to give a
wrong direction an officer
might seize and condemn the parcel without mercy.
The public were hardly aware of how much they were
interested in this question. A gentleman,a friend of
his, who spent about 1,000/. a year in coarser papers,
had been much surprised to learn from him that 5001.
of that sum went to the Government for duty—
(Hear)—and he a man, too, who had to compete with
manufacturers in other countries who wrapped up
their goods in duty-free
paper.—(dear.) He (Mr.
Crompton) had received orders from the continent for
wrappers identical with those used by English houses,
in order that the goods contained might be sold as
English goods. Thus the goods were sold as English
goods, and the foreigner got his drawback on his
English wrappers.—(Hear, hear.) Another fact he
might mention was, that American agents now came
to this country, and purchased the refuse material,
which they manufactured duty free at home, and sent
into our colonies to compete with English manufac-
tures.—(Hear, hear.) His fear was that if the duty
were not repealed they would soon have to give up
work altogether, while, if it were abolished, in accord-
ance with the principles of free trade, which this Go-
vernment professed, he was not afraid of competition
with any country in the world.—(Cheers.)
The SECRETARY announced that memorials, signed
by 8,422 gentlemen had been received from the fol-
lowing places during the last few days, and would be
presented to the Chancellor of the Exchequer this day
(Thureday):—
Lymintaton, Banta.
St. Auet4l, Cornwall.
Merthyr Tydvil (town)
... (Mechanics Institution.)
Grantham.
Kendal. •
Stafford.
Ripon.
Portsmouth. 0
Lancaster.
Haslingdon.
Hey wood.
Accrington.
Rochdale.
Middleton.
Darwen. (cotton spinners.)

,Bangor.
Exeter.
... (Newspaper proprietors.)
Grimsby.
Piccadilly, etc.
Bishopsgate Ward.
Oxford-street.
Strand.
Old and New Bond-street.
Berwick-on-Tweed.
Gainsborough.
Bolton (gentry.)
... (trades.)
... (shopkeepers.)
... (engineers, blesehers,&e.)

hear.) Now this paper WWI very well calculated to

Garstang.
Blackburn.
Manchester.
Liverpool.
Chorley.
Glossop.
Lyme Regis.
Dover.
Lancaster.

Pontefract.
Devizes.
Warrington.
Wigan (gentry.)
(trades), and
Hineley (merchants).
Canterbury.
Preston.
Halehaw Moor and Kiersley.

. .
make a thing nor/ getting very much into fashion—
he meant those little ornamented fruit boxes. French-
men had come over to make them here, but were
stopped by the duty, and were now successfully car-
rying on their trade at Boulogne, and sendingin their
work here at an ad valorem duty of 10 per cent. In
the mean time his yard was full of straw, and the far-
mers, his neighbours, were sad and disappointed at
_ _

Liverpool Financial Reform Durham (Mechanics' Instl-
Peterborough.,.,
the lossof a market which would have consumed 150
Barton-on-Humber. Association.
Glamorgan. Reading, tons of straw in the year. He was, in fact, "the last
Liaolre
eiplainedi"thrsalteYtheseotrose of summee—the only paper maker left in Ox-
gaCidleworth. tution.) fordshire.—(Hear.) He remembered every river
Barnstaple. ..• (inhabitants.) studded with paper mills, and now all but his were
Devonport, silent and the owners bankrupt or expatriated. What
PkTeuCthEiAilibiAN Chichester, ' was the cause of this ?He said neither more nor less
the time that had blapsed dike the t hatikeilot of tee
memorials had Mel the• paper duty.—(Hear, hear.) They hadheard
Exchequer bad made an appointment to meet the de-
been Obtained *Rhin the last tihnty-, days beir much of the 'various grievances connected with its col-
putation• .40h nave vas accompanied with the ad- lection, but there was something worse than all they
had heard behind.—(Hear, hear.) He would not tell
Tess of the inliisidtei and he had taken pains that them then, but reserve it for a future day.—(Loud
ciety than very respectable shopkeepers. When he
ne signature: snoiiid 1e .anti
by
any lower in so- laughter, and cries of "Tell:')
The speaker, however, remained in obdurate pos-
session of his secret.
had gaited of the merchants of Liverpool they The Cu AIRMAN wished, before putting the resolution,
said he had Come at a late hour, and that they were
somewhat pledged to the abolition of other taxes ; but to say one word to the agriculturists. If the paper
duty were repealed he would undertake that four
times as much straw as was used at present would be
When lie explained the itripottant nature of the duties
on paper; the cause had been taken up so warmly that
in three days an array of names bad been obtained in consumed by the paper makers.
The resolution was put and carried.
the towns of Liverpool and Manchester, more influ- Mr. HOLDEN (Manchester) moved the third reso-
ential and wealthy than had ever before been pro- tion, to the effect that the manufacturing of paper se-
Cured, uhleas *hen the lists had been far more nuednied
merous.—(Loud cheers.) He also explained that PloYment for women and children. Haancoentteon
- cured a large amount of innocent and healthy
the
many of the instutions, such as the Chamber of imporc
atmosphere
that this was a question of great]
Commerce, could not move without a certain length farmers, as their clear streams and pure
the smoky
of notice, and their memorials consequently had yet and remunerative
to be forwarded. He believed that they should have north, and thus provide innocent
"not for the pre-
by the morrow memorials from every other town of employment for their poor, if it were
would soon tempt paper makers from
conded the motion,
importance throughout the kingdom. sent oppressive end fiscal regulotions.
The SECRETARY wished to racettion that other Mr. COLLINS (Glasgow)
.yse
memorials from the metropolitan districts were ex •.rth resolution, ff,
petted. That from Piccadilly W 33 signed by 310 Mr. BALDWIN moved the
riot's uses to , • ' a•
''..ni.
w hien it was
householders; that front Ozford• street, by 317 home. rig that paper, fromithe
which was carried u
various
first ne ''
laaki s ; that from the Strand, by 262.—(Cheers.applied, an fie
e o .
.necessity to a civi-
In answer to a question, ) was ii said that, coming as he did fro
lazed people. e m
Anus of many peculiar evils
The CHAIRMAN said that there were no delegates Birmingham' ho wtas W
connected with this duty. lie was a maker of coarse
4oni Ireland, as the paper manufacturers there bad naTnaouesoi.o