The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-16 00:00:00

MR. INGHAM, M.P., AND THE NORTH-
" _COUNT.RY SHIPO WNERS.

A large meeting of South Shields shipowners
was held in the town-hall of that town on Thurs-
day night, the Mayor (Mr. John Williamson) pre-
siding,' which was addressed by Mr. T. Wawn, the
chairman of the Shipowners' Society, Mr. Alder-
man Robinson, Mr. James Mather, and other gen-
tlemen. Resolutions were agreed to, expressive of
the depressed state of the shipping, and with a
view to co-operate with other ports, and for the
removal of grievances complained of; Mr. Ingham,
M.P., after the resolutions were adopted, addressed
the meeting.
M. INGHAM said he understood it was the wish
that he should express some opinion as to what he
had heard that evening. It might Seem rather
paradoxical, considering what really had been the
melancholy
.cause of their meeting together—viz.,
the sense universally and justly entertained through-
out the town of the sufferings' of its most important
interest—to say he had pleasure in being there ;
but really such was the case, because he must say
he had heard the statements of the difficulties and
sufferings under which they were now labouring
expressed with somuch judgment and so much tem-
per that Se could not but-anticipate some beneficial
effect from it. It would be a great departure from
his duty if he were to pretend from his own know-
ledge—which could only be come at by hearsay—
of what the condition of the shipowner at present
was, to utter anything that might appear to express
any opinion contrary to that which had been de-
tailed bythe gentlemen who were not only witnesses
but who were themselves Sufferers ; and although his
own disposition was certainly on all occasions to
take perhaps rather a sanguine and hopeful view,
yet in the present instance he would not allude to
what he considered to be encouraging circumstances,
which he thought he could see dawning upon them,
because if he were to do so it might seem that he
was really insensible• to the actual pressure under
which he knew they were all labouring. He could
not but say that although many matters of a prac-
tical character had been brought before the meeting,
yet still that which had taken the most prominent
part of the attention of the meeting was the question
as to whether or not some measure should not be
presqed upon Government, or rather, he thought, as
some of his friends had said, demanded of them, for
the purpose of enforcing on other countries the ships
of which we admit freely to share in our commerce,
the practice of absolute reciprocity. Now, so far as
by any force of example or diplomacy this could be
effected, it was the duty, of Government to do it ;
but very great strength would be given to any go-
verninent by the united testimony they would get
from-the shipowners of England that such a mea-
sure was due-in justice to them as well as to their
interests. The only matter in which a difference of
opinion might arise—and he stated it at the outset
as the fairest way, that they might not be led into
mistake as to what his sentiments were, was this,
that so far as he could be urged by anything short of
a promise on our part to recur to the system of exclu-
sion, he should go as heartily as any man. in enforcing
that policy on the Government in the way in which
they would be justified in carrying it out. His own
conviction had always been that no persons suf-
fered so much by those restrictive systems as those
who put them in practice, and he did believe that
with our prosperous example, whatever we might
be suffering now, this country was one which had
benefited largely by being the champion of free
trade, as all the civilised world must admit ; and
he considered that the example of this country,
and the great authority- given by this country to
the voice of the people at large, would compel
those- Governments that had hitherto held aloof to
follow, before any great lapse of years, our most
noble and judicious example. (Applause.) There
was before him an excellent pamphlet, drawn up
by Mr. Greenhow, and he referred to it not for the
purpose of captiously commenting on what he had
said, for he thought- it was done most ably, but
only to -point out evidence incontrovertible as to
what the benefits of free trade had been. From
the beginning of 1846 to the present time Mr.
Greenhow said there had been a prodigious in-
crease of foreign shipping; but what had been the
increase of British tonnage, taking the entries and
clearances, which together represent all the mer-
cantile transactions of the year ? Mr. Greenhow
gave, from 1856 to the close of 1857, the increase
of British tonnage as 57 per cent. The increase of
the total entries and clearances in that period was
86 per cent., or, to give the figures, it was 129 mil-
lions of tons to 239 millions, so that the 'general
commerce of the country had very nearly doubled
during that period. Concurrently—he did not say
whether it was cause or effect—with the great in-
crease in foreign- tonnage they found there had
been a general increase of the commerce of the
country, which had nearly doubled. Who could
say this was not a great Messing to the public ?
Who could-say they had not all of them reaped the
benefit. In fact, they knew it was the ease. He
knew. the local and severe pressure so gloriously
borne, but that was not the case some months ago,
and he 7trasted it would not be the case some
months hence ; but any one who could go back to
the state of the country 12 years ago must see, in
the better houses they lived in and the better
clothes they wore, the wonderful increase in every-
thing that constitutes the material happiness of a
people from the alteration of this system. It was
not enough to say that because the same number of
ship 3 had multiplied the voyages, and because ships
had been run shortly to get small profits, shipping
as a branch of honourable and industrial employ-
ment had diminished ; because they found from evi-
dence-which could not be contradicted, that in that
period there had been a gradual increase of regis-
tered tonnage. They had not merely done more
work, but they possessed more ships ; and so far
from the argument causing any panic that by our
mode of carrying on the • trade we were lessening
the number of sailors and defrauding people en-
gaged, in shipping of employment, and should want
men to man our navy in time of need, the contrary
was proved by the figures.
Mr. AIATHER—It is contrary to the tonnage, but
not contrary to the number of men.
Mr. INGHAM—He knew how correct his excel-
lent friend was -in everything, but look to the re-
port. - British tonnage, registered up to the close of
1855, was 5,250,553 ; in 1856 it was 5,312,000 ; at
the close of the last year it was 5,519,000: Now,
his friend said that might be correct as to the ton-
nage but not as to the men ; but see what was given
in the financial report. In 1858 the men and boys
were 261,194 ; in 1856, 267,573 ; and, at the end of
last year, 284,164. Of course they were at the
mercy of these returns. They might be correct or
incorrect, and if his friend, Mr. Mather, had run
them through he would withdraw his remarks ;
but from that return there could not be a diminu-
tion ; there was an absolute increase. He did not
quote this to show it would be unnecessary to do
something to make a stand against our enemies. If
ever the time for struggle should arise, he had no
doubt what the result of the struggle would be. He.
was quite aware that whatever little differences we
might have now, we would have a united heart and
hand to protect everything essential for the liber-
ties of the country. He stated freely that he thought
those persons were acting unjustly to their pledged
word to us, but still most injuriously to their own
country in refusing to practise that reciprocity of
which we have given an 'illustrious example.
He would do everything he could to strengthen
our Government' when they were endeavouring to
procure those terms of reciprocity from foreign
countries. When in consultation with his friends,
he might see reason to qualify his present opinion,
but he-should not do anything to produce difference
in the "tamp if he could help it, but he honestly said
the benefits of free trade had been so great to this
country that he could not see how the present Go.
vernment would be justified in saying to foreign
countries that we should go into a system of pro-
tection; unless those foreign countries would agree
in
a system of reciprocity. Having plainly stated
this, let him go back to a:far more cheerful thing ;
he pledgedimself to co-operate most heartily in
the great
mass of the observations he had heard
that day, and fsor which he felt so grateful. There
never was a more vigilant representative of the
shipping interest than his friend Mr. Wawn ; but
when the bill was brought in he said he did not ob-
ject to it, because he found the principles of free
trade were not to be contravened but he wished,
as he said, to get in the sharp end of the. wedge, to
many of those
produce freedom from very
monopo-
lies and local arrangements under which.
suffering greatly. His friend also alluded to
from Londone crettoo the
case of a foreigner coming
, not 13 •
piloteaigng
the
north. after having delivered. and then
considered entitled to the privilege of
being obliged to take a pilot. If the person in ecg,
wand of the ship was personally habituated to the
coast, then ale doubt it would be quite monstrous to
have cons cued him to take a pilot, when most
likely, the [pilot himself had received instruction
from him. Then, as to the matter of lights : his
friend Mr. Lindsay had bestowed great attention
on this question, and mainly,- at his instance it was
brought forward by Lord Clarence Paget, the result
being a commission, the issue of which he could not
anticipate, but no doubt the object was to throw
the wholv duty of maintaining the lights of the coast
upon the country at large, which seemed to be a mat
reasonable act. The Government ought to light its
own coasts; what a monstrous thing it would be ifany
person put a light infront of his gin-palace, to make a
person walk up the street pay for it. Any person
who wished to attract customers and make them
come with safety to where they had to deal, should be
at the expense of lighting. The Government were
attracting customers all round the coast, and ought
o put it into such a position that foreigners .could ;