The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-08 00:00:00

annual) to 700,000/? There was another proposal put
forward by Hon. Gentlemen opposite, namely, a proposal
fora repeal of the malt-tax, which would entail a loss to
the revenue of not less than 5,000,000/. The Hon. Gen-
tleman the Member for Oxfordshire (Mr. Henley) bad
told him that he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) was
acting unjustly in proposing to reduce taxes which were
Paid by the consumer, and yet the Hon. Gentleman and
the great party with which he was connected wished for
the repeal of a duty paid by the consumer, and under
which a sum of not less than 5,000,0001. was annually
raised. Did Hon. Geutlemen opposite believe that if'
that proposal were carried it would be possible to repeal
the income-tax?—(Hear, hear.) His belief was, that if
taxes on consumption were judiciously reduced, the re-
venue derived from them would revive, and that if the
national credit were to be staked on our existing taxa-
tion, it was wise to remove from that taxation its most
objectionable features; for the more popular they made
their taxes, the more certain it was that they would be
table to raise them.—(Hear, hear.) He should like to
ask Honourable Gentleman opposite which tax was the
more likely to be permanent—the window-tax, with
all its sins cm its head, or the house-tax, to which no
objection had as yet been stated ? He asked whether it
Was likely that the duty on coffee could be made more
Productive by reducing it to such an amount as would
Prevent, ho hoped, that adulteration of the article
Which had recently taken place, or by leaving it at its
Present amount, under which the consumption had fallen
(Ito the extent of 10,000,000 lbs. or 12,000,000 lbs.
Within the last few years ? lie felt perfectly convinced
that, under the reduction of duty which he proposed,
they would have a larger amount of coffee introduced
'de this country, and a consequent improvement of the
revenue, so that the course that he was taking was
atrial), in accordance with that which Parliament had
holate years pursued. He had. stated the other night
w rapidly the revenue had risen under the pressure
f)„ the income-tax, and that after the repeal of
~E
,000,000/. of taxes the ordinary sources of revenue
had
realised their usual amount between the year 1844
Sad the year 1850. Was not that likely to happen
again? and had not the Right Hon. Gentleman that
6,e/Ping given them some reason to believe that that
might occur, even to an extent beyond what he (the
(Chancellor of the Exchequer) anticipated ? lie ad-
mitted that the revenue of the last quarter
la' better than any estimate which had been
furnished to him by the officers of his depart-
;tent had led him to suppose, and that every material
branch of the revenue for the quarter showed a
"eided improvement in the condition of the people. To
What was that improvement owing? Ile believed that it
Was
owing to a wise legislation, by which the springs of
dustry had been relieved; and let it be remembered that
that had happened under the imposition of the income-
41L/re He said that it would he wise on their parts to
continue that tax until they should have removed or re-
duced other taxes of a more objectionable character;
and that was the course which he proposed they should
then pursue. Let them look at what happened in the
ese of sugar. The consumption of sugar had been about
00,000 cwts. in the year 1844, and it had been about
6000,000 cwts. last year. And was it no benefit to the
great body of the people of this country that that in-
crease of 50 per cent. in the consumption should have
taken place? Again, the late Sir Robert Peel had
affected a considerable reduction in the duty on foreign
spirits; and yet, three years after that reduction,
the revenue derived from that source had be-
Seine as great as ever, while the consumption of Bri-
tish and colonial spirits had increased. Let them look
at the excise revenue, which was usually taken as the
peat test of the condition of the people. During the
st ten years the excise duties had been reduced by an
tttnotint of 1,500,0001, and yet the Excise revenue was
higher at present than it had been at the commence-
ment of that period. On the sth of April last the
increase in the excise revenue had amounted to about
335,0004 and to that might be added the whole amount
of the brick duty, which h year, ad not been paid last but
which had been paid in the year preceding. With the
addition of the amount of the brick duty there would
have been an increase in the excise duty last year to the
extent of not less than 835 000/. He had already stated
that he did not expect that duty would be so large in
the present year, because it was a bad one for malting
Purposes. He had quoted those cases in order to show
the effect of the commercial legislation they had of late
years adopted. Be would ask whether it was not likely
the same results would follow from the proposals which
ter Majesty's Government then submitted to the House?
ere not the reductions which they proposed of the
sane character asthose which had already been attended
'with so much success? Tee proposed reductions in the
duties on coffee and timber were precisely similar; and
The substitution of a moderate house-tax for the present
window-tax would tend materially to promote that
Which had been the main object in all their recent legis-
lation—the improvement of the moral and material con-
dition of the great mass of the people; while no mea-
sure could afford such wide advantage from one end of
The country to the other. Some complaints had been
made that he had yielded to the taunts which had
been directed against the inadequacy of his former pro-
posals for the relief of the agricultural interest, and some
persons seemed to think that he had given up the remis-
sion of the duty on seeds and the transfer of a portion
of the charges for lunatic asylums to the Consolidated
Fund, in consequence of some sneers which had been
directed against these proposals. But he had been told
by some Hon. Gentlemen opposite that the reduction of
the duty on seeds would be a hardship and not a benefit
to the agricultural interest. With regard to the proposal
for transferring a portion of the expenses of lunatic
asylums to the Consolidated Fund, he should observe
Fiat if it were to be taken in the sense in which it had
been taken by the Hon. Gentleman the Member for
Buckinghamshire (Mr. Disraeli) on Friday last he should
regard it as a very unjust and improper measure. If it
Were to be taken as the first step towards trans-
ferring the whole maintenance of the poor of this coun-
try to the public revenue, be could only say that he
Would conceive nothing more fatal than such a step to
the prosperity, and even to the very existence, of the
British empire. But he would venture to say that any
country gentleman who might compare the amount of
,!refit he would derive from the proposed change in
the window-tax, with the amount of benefit he would
derive from a transfer to the Consolidated Fund of a
portion of the expenses for lunatic asylums, would find that he would have reason to rejoice at the change. The
hadHonourable Gentleman opposite (Mr. Herries)
'l4d told them that he would not, upon that occasion,
enter into any consideration of the question of protection
or
mo-
ment of free trade, and that the House had at that
nothing •to to do with that question. But it appeared
ye him (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) that it was a
h,,,rY important int for the House to consider, whether,
oeje.4l3ealing heircome-tax, they would not render ne-
tfarY the imposition of a duty on corn, such as was
°Posed by Lord Stanley and his party.—(Hear.)
dish Stanley had certainly announced that it was his
d:111 to impose such a duty; and it would be strange in-
deed if the Noble Lord had not consulted the chief
determined
of his party upon such a point before he had
lie:ttinined on making that announcement of his policy.
th the (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) should say,
eoa., if the Right Hon. Gentleman did not approve of
of Et course he would be gladly received in the ranks
that free-trade party, which already included, accord-
erg to the admission of Lord Stanley, every public man
jeofficial experience, with the single exception of thep
g.ht lion. Gentleman. Now, with respect to the im-
oesltion of a duty upon corn, he should say there was no
conceivable measure so objectionable in his eyes. It
the all produce deep and universal dissatis%icti ne among
e,:great mass of the people of this country; and he con-
iinsed that he should rather witness any amount of fal-
cot°l rent than such an evil as that. He
po_seidered that the reductions of taxation he had pro-
of 't,(l were of primary importance; but if the proposal
e,true Right Hon. Gentleman were adopted, these mea-
thPs Would be impossible, while it would be found that
ea; _!:11_ esno of the Right lion. Gentlman could not be
1. beneficially into operation. If people, then,
~ouid'ordiscontented in a case where they derived a benefit,
term they be better pleased when they derived
h•ras at all?—(Hear, hear.) If he did, he would find
ighetif greatly mistaken. If the proposal of the
Would Honourable Gentleman wt re adopted there
tie_ ean end of that relief on articles of consump.
yhgivinendinf that relief which he proposed to grant
the lahoug acilities for improving the dwellings of
rin people in the country, and an end of every
improvementsetun in that direction in which they had so sue-
Which .3: proceeded for so many years, the results of
el„ "-teY Were now enjoying in that general prospe-
lie and peace which tie was so happy to hear the Right
GGentleman admit; and it was his belief that if the
it.'uheion of that evenin should end in favour of the
iglat Gentleman'sgproposition, it would debar the
(3rer
is
ntnent from carrying out their propositions, which,
inte;B9inion, were best calculated to promote the true
toe tercets of this country, and especially that portion of
1/4Pareoltiterests which they were more particularly bound
p
'act —(Heer, hear.)
11:-1.1 liRINSEP said the patty to which the Right
io,u• Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer be.
thu_ged had found themselves in a state of difficulty which
I_rtnetttened the dissolution of the Governeaent on a
itt're_er occasion when there was a deficiency, and wore
offsame difficulty now that they had a surplus. The
of AT:I en both occasions was the same—namely, a want
ehi.";:td principles, which made the Government like a
eollor 891 t without compass. In February the Chan-
-2 50,, of the Exchequer had stated the surplus at
and now stated it at 1,890 000/.
Theln CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
IT Order to prevent the Honourable Member from go.
mgisibrl.uvndßes_r_ing on, he would repeat what he_ had stated.
The caINSEP said he had made no blunder.
Pardo ANOELLOR of the EXCHEQUER begged
teat on for the expression which had escaped him uuin-
peao neallY, but thought it better to interpose for the pur-
ttnn_oat preventing the Honorable Member from arguing
titc,u hen erroneous assumption. What he had stated was,
estimated the surplus for the year ending April,
g2l
eat 2,500,0004 and that next year it would probe-
-1 892,000/.
tieat • PRINSEP thanked the Right Honourable Gen-
-14.1)2_111e for his explanation, but if he had allowed him to
ti,ntetir r on, he would have found that he had thoroughly
ioatioustroaobdie the matter from first to last. The Right
Gentleman had stated the surplus in Feb-
prtl,TharYpoart ;4,500,0004 and now he stated the probable sur-
-4,i,1',.. he current year at 1,892,000 L, and if to this was
fortu, the amount to be paid over to the Commissioners
wtitaciste_R_,edu.ction of the National Debt, 630,0004 it
hoe. seams it about 2,500,0001. Then there was the
..,,.Ite:lnrovittitu be kept back to meet the expenses of the
r.and the claim of the East India Company
thtLgno with regard to the latter, it certainly was no
oaf
cyesterday, but one which had been under the
Thel, fu..the Right Hon, Gentleman for eight years.
part
the Member for Montrose objected to apply any
taw_ surplus to the payment of the debt, and he
le fet‘,e force in his objection. It was nothing more,
he
_'4 than making an investment at 3 per cent , and
the money
ld not
see the wisdom of taking out of