The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-25 00:00:00

1.44.•

.44TERATIO2C 02 LIMIT Roma-

,SrIPPING.

DEPUTATION TO THE BOARD or TRADE.

Yesterday deputations from the Newcastle and
Gateshead and other Chambers of Commerce, waited upon
the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the President of the
Board of Trade in reference to the alteration of light dues
DTI shipping.
The deputation was introduced by Mr. HEADLAM, who
briefly explained the objects which had carved them to
leek the interview.

Mr. HALL, of Newcastle, then proceeded to read portions
sf a report which had been prepared on the subject by a
select committee of which he was the secretary. This
document stated that the committee "had had their atten-
tion directed, by almost every petition presented to the
[louse, and by every witness who has come before them,
10 the question whether the expenses of maintaining the
lighthouses of the United Kingdom should not be de-
frayed out of the public treasury, in the same
manner as British consular charges in every
Part of the world, viz., by an annual vote of Parlia-
ment. ganyof the witnesses state that, as carriers of goods,
the shipowners should not be charged with the burden of
that which ought to be considered a national establish-
ment, more than the manufacturer of cutlery, of cotton,
or wool, or of any other article that forms part of their
cargo. All are alike engaged in the national trade, and
all ought to be contributors alike to maintain the lights, if
contributions for that object be demanded from any branch,
and they state, what appear to be valid reasons, why
the maintenance of lights should be made a charge
en the public treasury, as the consular expenses
are, and not put upon the shipping alone. It is
alleged, and with great justice, that the commercial
shipping have hitherto borne the whole expense of the
erection and maintenance of the lights, whilst the Royal
Navy and revenue vessels have equally bad the benefit of
the lights, but without any contribution from the public
treasury towards their support. It is true that, whilst
the profits from shipping were good, the shipowners
thought little of the charge for lights and buoys, essential
to tha safety of their ships, and they have been patient
ander the burden of light dues, and have seldom
troubled Parliament with complaints on this head;
but, since freights have been lowered by com-
petition, the shipowners have found it absolutely
necessary to employ every possible means of reducing the
expense of sailing their ships, and therefore have of late
looked for relief from the heavy burdens of light dues."
After using further arguments of a similar nature the com-
mittee referred to the inexpediency of compelling any one
section of the community to maintain an establishment
kept up for purposes purely national, and concluded by
recommending to the House, "That all expenses for the
erection and maintenance of lighthouses, floating-lights,
buoys, and beacons on the coast of the United Kingdom,
be henceforth defrayed out of the public revenue, and that
as the Trinity House has incurred a debt, under authority of
6 and 7 William IV., cap. 79, in purchasing the rights of
private individuals for their leases and possession of light-
houses, the Government ought to take upon it that debt.'
'Upon the same day, the committee passed a resolution,
That the amount paid for light dues presses heavily on
the commercial shipping of this country, erpecially in the
coasting trade, and sound policy requires that every prac-
tical relief should be given.' Notwithstanding the forcible
recommendations of this committee, which were even sup-
ported by the weight of Lord Palmerston's influence, no
action whatever was taken to give effect to these views."
Alt HALL referred to the great injustice which the ship-
ping interest felt was experienced by them in having to
provide at their own expense those lights which were
really for the benefit of the nation at large.
_Mr. A LIIEUSEN strongly urged the justice and the policy
of causing the great cost involved to be borne by the whole
trade of the community, which in reality was benefitted
by it.

Mr. CANDLISH, M.P., cited a number of statistics to
°hew how very unequally the expense of maintaining the
lights pressed unon shipowners. It was really the case
that vessels which had the advantage of the lights never
contributed anything towards the expenses they involved
in their maintenance. He strongly urged that the nation
should bear the expense.
AIL GRAVES, ALP. for Liverpool, warmly supported the
prayer of the deputation, and pointed out how beneficial
It would be to the shipping interest if, as was the case in
Prance, an alteration were made in the cost of light dues.
Mr. BRIGHT : What, independent of light dues, is the
cost of a ship coming into Liverpool?
IVIr. GRAVES : About £75.
Several other members of the deputation addressed
Mr. Lowe and Mr. Bright; each of them adducing
cogent reasons (at all events from their point of view)
why the charge of light dues should be a national charge.
Several of the speakers, amongst them Mr. Candlish,
found fault with the constitution of the Trinity House
which, it was remarked, was a self•elective body.
Mr. LOWE first replied to the deputation, but
gave its members very little encouragement. lie bad
listened, he said, to the arguments brought forward
by so -authoritative a body of men with the utmost atten-
tion, but he thought that some of their arguments were
far from conclusive. It was Laid that the shipping
interest ought not to bear the expense of the lights, but he
Would remind them that, as a matter of fact, the expense
Was not borne by the shipping interest. The members of
that interest certainly had to pay the amount in the first
instance, but it could not be disputed that it was returned
to them by their customers. It ought to be borne in
mind that if the expenses of the lights were charged to
the national expenditure, some class other than that
represented by the deputation would have to bear it. He
Was afraid that it was impossible to hold out any promise,
that, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he could recommend
that the cost of providing and maintaining lights should
be made a matter to be defrayed by the nation at large.
Mr. BRIGHT, in the course of I:.s reply to the deputation,
admitted that the views he had formerly entertained
of the character and work of the Trinity House
had been materially altered since he had been
at the Board of Trade. The Trinity House had,
he believed, got rid of many of its antiquated notions,
and Was doing an important work. He was anxious that
the deputation should know, what did not appear
to be generally understood, that the Trinity House
was under the control of the Board of Trade,
114 Could do nothing without its authority. Agree-
trerewith the Chancellor of the Exchequer that
were many reasons why the cost of lights should not
be made
a national charge, he was free to admit that the
Inequality of the charges was unfair, and prepared to
acknowledge that it was quite possible that some proper
adjustment might be arrived at. No doubt it would
be Well
that the advantages enjoyed by other nations
shouldbe enjoyed by this country. He was glad to have
met the deputation, and thought that good would come
out
to it. Her Majesty's Government had been made
ItegkuLinted with several facts in connection with the
xlnestion which should receive their best attention.
Although the members of the press were admitted to
141,1 e interview, it was particularly requested that not a
_lllt3le note a the proceedings should be taken, a request
tilCh Was implicitly obeyed.

The Church News states that Mr. Wainwright it.
/13 longer the editor of the Record, having been sent to the
right about.
The bill brought in by Sir John Coleridge to re-
Peal certain tests and alter certain statutes affecting the
constitution of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge,
set down to come on for the second reading on Wednes-
•daY, the loth of March.
Mr. Monk's bill to remove restrictions from certain
officers employed in the collection and management of her
azalosty's revenues, and to enable them to take part unre-
Zr:adly in the election of members to serve in Parliament,
fl=ed for second reading on Wednesday, the 17th March.
The Rev. C. F. Lowder, of St. Peter's. Gravel-lane,
has received from the Bishop of London a copy of the moni-
-100 served upon Mr. Mackonochie, and has therefore given
dlle'tice that he will make alterations in the mode of con-
cting his services, which hitherto have been of a very
"advanced" kind.
ch Young man named Carlton Chantler has been
utarged before the Lord Mayor with forging and
utering numerous cheques amounting to upwards of £4OO.
was servant at the house of a lady, and bad obtained
Posse
salon of her check book, forging her name and cashing
the checks in the usual way.
22The following curious telegram, di,t2d Pere, Feb.
a _lB Published in the Gazdoisi :—" The Russian Ambassador
~.toßerlin, Laving
'14•24i n.te lately given a ball in honour of Prince
negro, invited all the foreign Mitiisters. The Tnrl.ish
water alone not having been invited, the Porte has re-
quested
of this-0...0 Comission.
of St. Petersburg to explain the cause
mission.
o T
r‘A Lytton has written a letter to the treasurer
of
3 the fund for the widow and children cf the late Ernest
;17", mad hasdeclared his willingness to contribute £1) to
fund about to be raised. He add 3 that he honours any
s„at et
con-
tent advocates the cause of his convictions in a con,
t manner, and that he is likewise incluced to lend his
laiiterOanryacr:Zit of
the freemasonry which should exist among
irrespect've of political differences of opinion.
The •
nonanation for the Radnor district of
roughs, rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr. Richard
GreenaorPrice, took place yesterday at the Town-hall, New
• After each candidate had addressed the electors,
the
high bailiff of the borough called for a show of hands,
"rial,h he declared to be in favour of the Marquis of
Ilar-
T,!:". A poll was demanded ou behalf of Mr. Phillips.
bone is fixed for to-morrow.