The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-20 00:00:00

DEPUTATIONS TO FHB CHANCELLOR
OF THE EXCHEQUER AND THE ERBSIDENT
OF THE BOARD OF TRADE.

THE - PAPER "DUTY.

On Saturday a deputation waited on the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, consisting of the following
gentlemen :—Mr. Puller, M.P., Mr. E. Baines,
M.P., Viscount Holmesdale, M.P., Mr. M. T.
'Smith, M.P., Mr. Norris, M.P., Mr. Adam Black,
M.P., Baron Rothschild, MY., Frank Crossley,
M.P., Mr. Aspinall Turner, M.P., Messrs. J oyn son ,
Cowan, W. Spicer, Barlow, SaunderS, Hall, Wrig-
ley, Cnrtis, Longman, Evans, Hollingsworth, Bur-
bidge,'Smith, Magnay, Sze- ,
Thee object of the deputation may be gathered
from the following memorial which was handed to
the right hon. gentleman : -
"That the:materials from which paper has hitherto been
ins.nufactured are almost exclusively waste products, such
as rags, and the refuse from the linen and cotton manufac-
tures ; ultholigh straw has also been employed for the com-
monest descriptions of paper.
" That notwithstanding the long continued high price of
rags, both in this country and in America, and the large
reward offered for, the discovery of any substitute for them
as a paper-making material, none has been discovered.
"That the discovery of any material so cheap as rags,
even at their present price, is in the highest degree impro-
bable, as any raw product sufficiently fibrous to be converted
into printing sand writing paper, would also be applicable
for spinning and weaving, and would command a higher
price for such purposes.
" That the paper manufacturer is an exceptional position
as compared with all other manufacturers; the supply of his
raw material not being drawn from a common source to
which all nations have access, and not being, dependent on
the demand, but on the extent of the population and the
manufaCtures among which rags and refuse fibre can be col-
lected. _ _

"That in all the countries of Western Europe, Holland,
Belgium,•France,• Spain, and Portugal, the export of rags
and other paper-making materials is strictly prohibited,
and an artificial cheapness thus produced ; so that in those
countries rags-are not more than half the price they are in
Britain, where the price is enhanced by the exportation to
America, in addition to the home consumption • in other
words, -a rag which in England coats 3d. can be bought
for lid. in France, making a difference of 30 par cent,, on
the manufactured article.
" That notwithstanding the import duty of Id. per pound
beyond the Excise duty which is now levied on foreign
paper, large quantities are being brought into this country,
and keep down the price of paper, in the face of the late ad-
vance in the price of materials.
" That the admission into this country, duty free, of paper
manufactured in countries from which the export of rags is
prohibited, will expose the British paper manufacturers to
an unfair and ruinous competition, which can only result in
the Complete extinction of a large portion of the manufac-
ture at home, at its transfer abroad, and, instead of the re-
peal of the paper duty giving an impulse to the manufao •
turn, thousands of families will be thrown out of employ-
ment.
" Your memorialists therefore respectively suggest, that
her Majesty's Government will be pleased aot to persevere
in proposing to the Legislature the reduction or abolitionof
the present differential duty of one penny per pound on
foreign
.paper and card-boards, except in the case of coun-
triesfrom which the free export of rags is permitted."
The CHawcELLou of the EXCHEQUER on enter-
ing the room said, he was well aware of the object
the deputation had in view, but he thought there
were two other departments of the Government to
which they might have more appropriately pre-
sented-themselves. They wanted; as paper makers,
to be placed on a level with their Continental rivals.
This was a matter for negotiation with foreign go-.
vernments—a function which, he need not tell.
them, aid not belong to his department of the public
service. He did not hesitate to say, however, that
we were now in. a position highly favourable for
making such representations to foreign Powers.
Mr. PULLER said, then the paper-makers had to
suggest to the right hen. gentleman (the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer) that, supposing him to be at
liberty, and not precluded by the treaty, he should
exercise his discretion in their favour, and not
admit foreign paper unless the foreigner took off
the duty, or rather the prohibition, on the export
of the raw material. (Cheers.) . They said that
their profit did not exceed a farthing in the pound
on the manufacture, and yet the cost of the raw
material here was -just double what it was in
France, (Hear, hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
was a proposal that we should take our stand ex-
actly on the same ground we occupiad 20 years
ago, when all kinds of attempts were made to ne-
gotiate commercial treaties on that principle, every
one of whiph attempts, without an exception,
proved to be an egregious failure, and did nothing
but give a great deal. of trouble and useless occu-
pation to various departments of the Government
until the system broke down. He was not dis-
agreeing as to the end they had in view—(Hear,
hear)--:-nor did he deny that the Government
should use all the exertion in their power to attain
it. He only wanted them to look at the mode of
proceeding in order to attain that end. There were
several countries besideS France, of which the com-
plaint bias made that they p ohibited the export of
rags—namely, Belgium, Holland, Spain, and Por-
tugal. "The deputation would,' therefore, see the
difficulty of, making that a matter of negotiation,
with conditions. Suppose France made a conces-
sion or equivalent, other countries would get the
benefit of it under their most favoured nation
clause, without exception, having a right to the
admission of their commodities on the terms of the
most favoured nations, would he entitled, without
any equivalent or condition whatever, to what we
might be entitled to get only upon conditions.
Spain considered herself entitled under treatiesL-
though-he would not give any opinion upon that—
to any privilege with regard- to wines that was
given by us to,France conditionally. He believed
that most favoured nation clauses were totally
incapable of being construed conditionally. They
were like the obligations sometimes imposed upon
railway companies, that they would charge -equal
fares under equal circumstances. He, therefore,
thought :that mode of proceeding would be attended
-with hopeless difficulties, and he did not believe
the Government would consent to put the matter
upon such a foOtine,.-
Mr. COWAN said, the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer had intimated that his was not the depart-
ment to:-which the deputation should have applied.
As, however, the treaty was the act of the whole
Government, the- deputation must look to the Go-
vernment to remedy any oversight that might have
occurred in the stipulations as to -the paper duty.
Ho might remind the right hon. gentleman that,
when he:,- was at the Board of Trade in 1842, he
did him (Mr. Cowan) the honour of granting him
an interview on the occasion of the revision of the
tariff. Previous to that time there was an import
r
duty on Tags from abroad of 265. pe cwt. B® the
amended tariff of Sir R. Peel that duty w
re-
duced to 53.. per cwt., whereas the duty- on woollen
rags
lenrags was I.s. per cwt. He Co 4
liberty on that occasion to comment upon took
• ''9:te'
zuepmognaetnttsluecmnanda
glaring t inequality. The right ho
(Mr. Gladstone) promised to:consider t
the result, was that when the tariff came oenrialnh-
duty on woollen and linen rags
.was assimilated,
and a few years afterwards the duty was entirely
repealed. That was done on the great principl'
that all vaiu tble articles which entered into e‘ur-
domesticmanufactures should be obtained by the
manufacturer on the best possible terms. (Hear,
bear.) What they now complained of was, that if
France and other countries continued to maintain
an impediment against the export of theraw mate-
rial, whereby the supply to this country would be
diminished—whether that impediment assumed the-
Itape of 'an- absolute prohibition, or any. other
irm—it:would be on all accounts most objec-
-a—(hear)--and the Government ought to
tio everything in their power to provide against
the continuance of such an injustice. - The paper-
makers in-this country had not only to compete
among themselves, but kith all the rest of the world.
The facilities- that now existed for the manufac-
ture in the colonies and foreign; countries were so
great that he thought the manufacturers in this
couutry ought to be put on a; favourable a footing
as possible.. Adverting to the proposed a.bolition of
the EL:eke duty -on -paper,he said they had to thank 1
the right-hon. gentleman for, the near prospect of
being emancipated from the thraldom of his (Mr.
Cowan's) friend, Mr. Pressley. (A laugh.)
The CHANCELLOR of the ExotiEgaTEß. said, it
-would afford him additional satisfaction if the Go-
vernment could obtain for the deputation the other
changes which they desired to see established.
COWAN said, anything more directly in the
teeth of the freedom of intercourse, social and Coni-
mercial, between the different countries of. Europe.
than the continuance
lie could not l of
a prohibition
of this -kind
conceivelo, and great injustice would-be
done to our
domestic
was suffered to exist,
Government manufacture so long as it
would do all(IIear hear.)
lie
hoped the
country
their power to put the
manufacturers of this ryon something like an,
equal footitN of other countrieu as re-
geried a command,oVer the razxr. material.
The CHANCELLOR of the
u
should be m Government happy if thellEquFit said.
could be he
able to. attain that end.
Mr. JOYNSON, Chairman of the Paper-makers'
Association, also addressed the right lion.ge,
maim!, but as he repeated the same. arguments at
subsequent interview with the President of the
Board of Trade we give his statement below.
The interview -then terminated, and the deplita.
tion immediately afterwards proceeded to the office
of the Board of Trade, where they had, by appoint-
:nent, a conference with Mr.-Milner Gibson, the
President of that department. Mr. Hutt, the re-
cently appointed Vice-President, was also present
on the occasion.
Mr. PULLER, M.P., addressing the President,
said the paper-makers found that. in the resolu
tions laid on the table of the House of Commons by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer paper was not

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