The Sun.
London, England, 1833-02-04 00:00:00

NEWSPAPER DUTIES.

(From the Dublin Morning Register.)
It is evident that the major and minor proprietors of
newspapers in London have opposite feelings as to the
proposed alteration in the stamp duties. Both imagine
that the present imposts assist in creating a monopoly,
and hence a manifest desire on one side that things should
remain as they are, and on the other that they should be
altered so as to give those who are comparatively strugglers
the chances of what is expected to be an open and enlarged
market. As far as regards- the notion that a monopoly
arises from the existing taxes, we believe both majors and
minors to be in error. The existing taxes are neither an
impediment to a man's coming into the market, nor a dif-
ficulty he has to encounter in keeping it, for his payments
at the Stamp-office being proportioned to his business, he
will have a light burden to bear if that be insignificant,
and be will have ability to bear it if the trade he consi-
derable. It is to an expense of production quite distinct
from the demands of the Stam office, that monopoly is
to be ascribed ; that is, the cost- to the London Morning
Papers of literary labour, and to all the London daily papers
of letter press. The Times has, in a twentyfold degree, a
more secure monopoly now titan it had some 25 years
ago, when its literary corps and its letter-press were not a
third of their present magnitude, though since that time
there has bean no alteration in the stamp duties. No one
now thinks of starting a New Times or a Representative,
and all the modern speculations are at the evening or
weekly press. The reason obviously is, that it is by the
multiplication of pens and by the broad sheet, and not by
the stamp duty, that the avenue to the market is impeded,
or success, when it bas been attained, rendered problems.
tical.

It is unfortunate, we will not say for the minors, but
the press in general, that the majors entertain their pre-
sent notion of their interests—for closely as the public
virtue of Lord Althorp approaches to the Roman standard,
we must be forgiven if we express a suspicion that he
would he inclined to think there is snore sense in a
whisper from Printing-house-square, or Shoe-lane, than a
remonstrance, however emphatic, from one of the dark
nooks off the Strand.

We believe some of our Dublin contemporaries are not
of our opinion, as to the point of monopoly—but if there
could, on reflection, be a doubt on the matter, we think it
would be removed by a glance at the progress of news-
paper speculation in this city for some time. In almost
every week a newspaper has popped in and out of
existence, leaving the parties concerned unplea-
sant reminiscences, not as to the difficulty of
settling with the folk in Beresford-place, for, unhappily
for them, that was a matter of easy adjustment, and
the easier as misfortune gathered round them, but as
to the hardship of meeting the demands of certain other
persons who have claims not pleasant to be postponed, on
the evenings of Friday or Saturday. It cannot he alleged
that there is a want of an open market in Dublin ; and
here, at least, there is no reasonable ground upon which
the individual already in possession can persuade himself
that if the transactions be enlarged by the cheapening pro-
cess, as assuredly they would, he is in danger of encoun-
tering more competition than he is subject to at present.
Whatever may be the proposition of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer as to these duties, we trust the Irish Mem-
bers will take care, to the utmost reach of their influence,
that it be one which will repudiate the impudent and
fr iudulent principle of " assimilation," as far as the jour-
nals of this country are concerned. We have already
taken occasion to observe that newspaper taxes existed in
England since the reign of Anne, though they were not
known in Ireland until the 25th of George the Third.
Before March, 1798, the Irish duty was only one penny,
though the British duty was threepence halfpenny. When
the Irish duty was at length raised, it was not suffered to
exceed one half of the British duty. The late Govern-
ment were greatly blamed for their proposed Stamp Act,
but if Lord Althorp condescended to consult the wishes of
the Irish proprietors, he would find that they consider it
little less injurious to their interests to lower the British
standard to theirs, titan to raise theirs to the British stan-
dard. Does any one pretend that the price at which
English newspapers can be sold in the Irish market,
is a :natter of perfect indifference to the Irish pub-
lishers ? If there he A reasoner of that class, he
should not, at least, be of the band of statesmen who main-
t tin that the Irish corn dealers have a " monopoly" in
the British market, merely because the foreign growers are
subject to a duty to which they are not liable. If the
condition of the English publishers is to he bettered, we
would be glad to know why that of the Irish publishers
should undergo no change ? It has not been shown that
the Irish press can well endure the existing burdens. In
circulation, it has not, on the whole, made a progress
equal to that of the English journals, while, in advertise-
ments, it has experienced a positive and material decline.
One of the London journals asserts that it is proposed to
reduce the British duty nearly 100 per cent. below its
amount five and thirty years ago. To leave the Irish
duty twice its amount at that period, does seem a strange
mode of improving upon the Goulburn system of dealing
with the Irish press !
We regret to learn that it is no part of Lord Althorp's
plan to lower the duty on advertisements, the whole of
which, in the United Kingdom, does not exceed at present
171,000/. A great wish is expressed through society that
there should be an exemption, at all events, in favour of
servants' advertisements, and in general announcements
regarding situations. To render a great service, both to
employers and persons seeing employment by such an
exemption, would not, probably, require a sacrifice of
one-fifteenth of the present amount of the advertisement
duty, insignificant as it is.