The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-01 00:00:00

THE SHIPPING INTEREST.

Mr. LINDSAY moved for a Select Committee to inquire
into the operation of the burdens and restrictions especially
affecting merchant shipping, and of the following statutes :
the 9th and lbth of Victoria, cap. 93, an Act for Compensa-
ting the FaMilies of Persons Killed by Accidents ; the Mer-
chant Shipping Act (1854), the Merchant Shipping Act
(1856), the Passenger Aet (1855), and the Chinese Passen-
ger Act (1855). A committee was appointed, he said, for a
similar purpose, upon his motion, last year, but, owing to
the sudden dissolution of Parliament, no result had fol-
lowed. The object of the committee ho was moving for
was to inquire into the actual conditice, of the British ship-
ping interest, which he was sorry to say had for some time
past suffered from great depression, and to examine gene-
rally the causes of that depression. For his own part, how-
ever, he felt that these causes were so apparent that only a
very limited Inquiry would be necessary. In the years
1853-4-5 it was well known that the British shipping in-
terest was in,a state of great prosperity; the Crimean war
creating a considerable extra demand for shipping, and cur-
tailing in a very small degree the ordinary wants of com-
merce. ShipownerS during those years made very large
profits, and a great many more ships were built than the
usual trade of the country required. Now, he would not
have ventured to ask for this committee had the sole cause
ocf the depression _been the over-production of ships, be-
vamthat would have set a bad precedent to other interests
titled t when
depressed would have thought themselves en-
titled c'uleaaPpeTal to the house for an inquiry into their condi-
tion.
) There were, however, other causes which
had tended t
trade, such as the
considerable extent to depress the shipping
have been
abolished
and restrictions which ought to
of protection, and the British shipping was deprived
other nations after tvee'sh.frat of reciprocity on the part of
open our ports to ad, with a wise liberality, thrown
shipsß3
st from all quarters of the world, on
the sane terms
to those of our own country.
Ten years ago the
to eye ports on the ships of France were admitted
and yet to this day Franco footing as British ships;
duties upon our ships.maintained high differen-
tialmPorted into France in
Sugar
Freneh bottoms was charged with of only £3 Bs. per
oisfrhem:hiiiislt.ytrhe duty was £4 4s.
100. kilo Trammes. while in
oßnrict
In the Gans way the duty
Bs. p:,>r 100 kilogrammes, in British £ I 4E;cnhortisil:ll.o7)::::
in
French shitag Is. per 100 kilogrammes,
cotton wool in. ..Fr,nirlt ships Ms. per 100 kilegirBallB.; °n„
in French ships ls. 2d. pnetli British ; anal on tea
British 4s. 9d. Few staple articles
kilogrammes, and in'
were admitted into the ports of Prance in British vessels
upon the same terms as]. u French vessels, and in some cases
h ibi t ry duty. France did not
it amounted almost to a
gain by her illiberal policy, L'Veause, for every French yes-
were three British vessels
sel.which entered our ports th 6 're
co ; but that was no answer
which entered the ports of Fran
teitish shipoweer, He did
to the injustice inflicted on the 1 tial duties, but of the
nof-complain merely of the differ levied a
high tonnage duties, which were et
%ge British
inst