The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-16 00:00:00

and he could not calculate the loss on these single arti-
cles of wheat and wheat flour at less than 2,600,000/., or
almost one-sixth cf the entire valuation of the country.
—(Hear, hear.) In such a state of things, it was not to
be wondered at that persons connected with agriculture
should be dissatisfied with their position,—(Hear, hear.)
With regard to the immediate question before the
House, he had entered into correspondence with all the
millers in Ireland, and had obtained very valuable infor-
mation for the benefit of the House. He had ascer-
tained that the value of 349 mills in Ireland was not
less than 1,487,3101.; and, with regard to 321, he had
before him a detailed statement of the time they were
now working. Only 39 millers stated that they were
working full time, 7 not full time, 6 three-fourths
time, 6 two-third time, 81 half-time, 48 one-third
time, 18 one-fourth time, 5 one-sixth time, and so
on. Here the Noble Lord read a number of indivi-
dual statements, to show the actual condition of the
mills with which they were connected, the hands em-
ployed, &c., and gave it as a conclusion at which gen-
tlemen well-informed upon the matter bad arrived, that
the number of souls dependent on the corn mills in Ire-
land amounted to 123,000. From all parts of Ireland
the information was, that great distress existed among
those connected with the mills; and he believed there
was not on© miller in that country who could say he
was in the same condition that he had been in before the
recent changes commenced.—(Hear, hear.) Now, as to
the cause of all this distress, he presumed no ono would
deny that it was occasioned entirely by the enormous
importati nof foreign fl iur; and, seeing that the dis-
tress had been much accelerated within the last year,
and that the importations of French flour dated from
that period, he would confine himself chiefly to that
point. It had been said the other day that Normandy
had become to all intents and purposes an English
county, and the facts relative to the importation of flour
from that part of France seemed to bear out the asser-
tion. Now, this state of matters was not foreseen by
the authors of the measure of 1846. It was always con
'ended hat we had nothing to tear in this country from
French flour; hut how had the prophecies on th it point
teeen verified ? it appeared that in 1849 the
quantity of wheat fl our imported from France
was 287,502 quarters, and in 1850 it was
550,000 quarters. In the last quarter of 1850
the importation was 165.000 quarters, and in the firsi
quarter of this year it amounted to 226 517 quarters,
showing that the importation had doubled during the
first quarter of the preset t year as compared with the
last quarter of 1850 —(Hear, hear) According to a
statement made in the report of a Cammittei of the
French Assembly appointed to inquire inio the subj-ct,
of grinding and exporting grain, it appeared that in the
year ending August 1. 1850, there were exported from
France 418,549 quarters et wheat, and that in seven sub-
sequent months the quantity exported was 554 443
cleaners. whim in the first of those periods there bad
been exported 506,000 quarters of flour, and the latter
period of seven months 525,000 quarters.—(Hear, hear.)
It had been stated in another place that the French
miller was restricted to the produce of the French soil.
But the French miller had the privilege of grinding
foreign wheat in bond for exportation. That such was
the case appeared from inquiries made by an English
miller who had seen the statement that the French miller
was restricted to French produce. The flour ground in
bond must be exported within 20 days from the time of
importation, but not a single pound of flour was allowed
to be imported into France. There was nothing to pre-
vent France from grinding the grain supplied to this
country from the shores of the Mediterranean; and the
privilege of grinding in bond, it was understood, would
be exercised to an enormous amount. It was a curious
circumstance connected with the increase in the im-
port of foreign corn that the price of bran, pollard,
and the coarser sorts of flour, had been materially
enhanced, as appeared from returns and calculations
in his possession. It was the practice of those who
advocated the policy which bad for some years been
predominant to underrate the capabilities of the classes
affected by that policy; but he thought there was no-
thing so unfounded as the assertion that the English or
Irish miller was inferior, as regarded the application of
machinery, to the French miller. The principal art in
milling consisted in the entire separation of the flour
from the bran; and the great test of superiority in manu-
facture was lightness of bran and comparative weight of
flour. As regarded the quantity of flour he got from a
quarter of wheat, the British miller was not inferior to
the French or the Belgian; and he had, besides, the com-
mand of the best machinery, the superiority of this coun-
try over all others in that department being evident to
every one who visited the Great Exhibition. 03e of the
moat successful mills in France, indeed, was called " the
English mill," in allusion to its having obtained its ma-
chinery from this country. But the miller of this coun-
try was beaten by the French miller, because he had
labour cheaper, was less taxed, and enjoyed protecting
laws, because the Government, instead of opposing his
manufacture. and throwing every obstacle in his way, had
from time to time taken his case into consideration, and
done everything a Government could do to increase aid
foster the manufacture of French fl )ur. France had car-
ried out that policy still more since 1846; and the re-
commendations of a commission to whom the subject had
been referred showed that the system most appr ved in
France was one which had a tendency to encourage the
retention of the coarser kinds of grain in that country,
and the exportation if the finer qualities. There was a
remarkable contrast between the large increase in the
importation of flour frora Franco into England and the
diminution in the export of linen yarn from E gla,•cl to
France, that export having fallen to 1-30th of the iltp Jr;
in 1842. The question on which he a-k..,1 the opinion ot
the House was wnether they were prepared to continue
without alteration a system which lasi produced such
evil results? He had proved that an interest second to
none in the country, the interest of the manufacturer of
whea en flour, was in a more distr.ss,d state, perhaps,
than even that of the farmer. How long would they
continue that system? How many classes would they
see destroyed before they admitted that it had not done
all they had rxhected? The present spleen was
no more one of free trade than it was of anything else;
it was a system of protection to the foreigner. Those
with whom he acted might be accused of being monopo-
lists, of wishing to increase the price of food to the ls-
bourer; but their answer was that they desired the
market thrown open to their own proeuce as well as to
that of foreigners. They desired that corn grown on the
banks of the Mississippi or the Elbe, or on the shores of
the Baltic, should compete on fair terms, should pay the
same contribution to the state, and be subject s tme what
to the same charges as that grown by the British farmer.
—(Hear, hear.) On the same principle they asked the
interposition of the House on behalf of the miller and
the manufacturer. He believed that the country at no
very distant period would be prepared to reconsider the
subject—(Hear, hear)—and revert to a principle which
was so deeply implanted in our nature that it even found
expression in the language which described the first law
of nature—" self-protection."—(Hear, hear.) The
Noble Lord concluded by proposing the motion.
Mr. LABOUCHERE observed, that though it was
not his fortune to agree with the Noble feud either in
his conclusion or his argument, yet ho willingly bore
testimony to the industry the Noble Lord had evinced
in making himself acquainted with the facts of the case,
as well as to the temperate manner in which the sub-
ject had been introduced.—(Hear, hear.) The motion
of the Noble Lord, however, ought rather to have been
one asking the House, not to restore protection to the
Irish miller, but to restore the corn-laws; tor, thong's it
only asked the House to go into Committee to reconsider
the case with respect to the Irish millers, yet it was im-
possible for the House to reconsider the case of the Irish
millers without reconsidering that also of the English.
If there was to be protection at all, the farmer had as
great a right to it as others—(clt-tar, hear)—but if the
House thought their reoent policy erroneous, he (Mr.
Labouchere) hoped they would take some other mode of
expressing that opinion than by assenting to the motion
of the Noble Lord; and, it they did not mean to restore
protection as a principle, they did nothing but delude this
class of men by the proposal brought before the House. Lie
thought he should be able to show, not that individual mil-
lers did not suffer distress, for circumstances had changed,
but that as a class there was not the slightest ground
for asserting that they had not had quite as much em•
ployment within the last few years as previously. Nei-
ther did he believe there was any reason to suppose that
the British millers were not just as able to compete with
the foreign millers as any class of British manufac-
turers were with foreign. The argument of the Noble
Lord with respect to the wages of labour was applicable
to oilier branches of industry as well. With respect to
the question, whether a special ease had been made out
fir giving protection to millers as a class, ho did be-
lieve that nothing more preposterous could be urged.
It was proved to demonstration that the millers of the
United Kingdom had, since the repeal of the corn-laws,
had as much to do as before. The produce grown in
the United Kingdom had not diminished. There was
a great import of breadstuffe; but in what form? Mainly
in grain. He had a statement of the quantities of wheat
and wheaten fl our imported into the United Kingdom
within the hest ten years. In 1841, 2,409,000 quarters
ef wheat were imported, and what was criivalent to
360,000 quarters of wheat fl our; in 1842, 2 717.000
quarters of wheat, 322,000 quarters of wheat flour. Ho
snould not detain the House by reading the numbers
for each year. In 1847 it appeared that 2 656,000
quarters of wheat were imported, and 1,808 000 quarters
of 11 or; in 1849, 3,845,000 quarters of wheat, and
959,000 quarters ot flour; in 1850, 3 754,000 quarters of
wheat, and 1,101,000 quarters of fl ,ur; and for the
three months eliding 5 h of April., 1851, 1,105,000
quarters of wheat, and 382 000 quarters of fl cur. All
the wheat imported in the shape of grain went to the
millers of this count, y. He had a return also which re-
lated to Ireland alone, but without the equivalent in
qofu awr theeras t beingin gr
agivengrain
w feor r flour.eimported I
n 84,46)
IBr2.eloaonod quarters437ooo
cwt. of wheat fl our; in 1817, 238,000 quarters of wheat,
442,000 cwt. of flour; in 1848, 297,000 quarters of
wheat, 122 000 cwt. ot flour; in 1849, 543.000 quarters
of wheat, 218,000 cwt. of flour; and in the three months
ending the sth of April lest, 415,000 quarters of wheat,
and 99.000 cwt. of flour, or about 25,000 quarters.
In point of fact, he believed a great alteration in
the circumstances of the trade was goieg on, one
which was in operation before the change was made
in the laws regulating the importation of grain. There
were parties at that very moment extending their
business in the metropolis. He was informed that near
Blackfriars an immense manufacture existed, the parties
being able to turn out 7,000 or 8.000 Backe of flour
from 70 or 80 pairs of stones. In all respects he be-
lhieevwedasstuoclhd millers
eawteesrt imeapbrloevetmo
ecnotmpete with their fo-
reign rivals. Competition had acted as a stimulus, and
v'a
in milling both here and abroad. At s Deptfordtaki rang
inge-
nious improvement had been introduced, which had been
eattendedn
nwithn
fear e m inns e
tnnt I
tyh e a
eunceceees
ssaf
funl
ernen upl
et st t
en Heb
yc o
tuhl
ed
millers of this country with those of every part of the
world, With respect to the expert ot fine wheat from
France and the retention of pollard for home consump-
tion, he should only remark that if it was worth whits