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

MR. INGHAM, M.P.,
_AND THE NORTH-
SHIPOTVNEBS._

A large _ meeting of South Shields shipowners
was held in the town-hall of that town on T.hurs-
'day night, the Mayor (Mr. John Williamson
w) pre-
siding, which was addressed by Mr. T. Wan, the
chairman of the Shipowners' Mr. Alder-
Society,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. .
Mr..lNonAm said he understood it was the wish
that he should express sonic opinion as to what he
had heard that evening,. It might seem rather
paraOxieal; *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 sufferiu,,s of its most important
interest-4o 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 so much judgment and so much tem-
per that he could not but anticipate some beneficial;
-effect frcith 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.ntter anythin-g that mightappear to express
any opinion contrary to that which had been de-
tailed by the 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 td
what lie consideredto 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-
' pressed upon GovernMent, or rather, he tholight, 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'foree 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-
vernment 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 oar 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 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 121 mil-
lions of tons to 231 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 blessing to the public ?
Whe could say they had not all of them reaped the
benefit. In fact, they knew it was the case. He
knew the local and severe pressure so gloriously
borne, but that was not the case some months ago,
and he 'trusted it would not be the case some
monthS hence; but any one, whocohld go back to
the state of the country 12 years ago must see, in
the better houses they lived in and the better
elothestthey wore, the wonderful increase in every-
thing that constitutes the material happiness of a
people froth the alteration of this system. It was
not enough to say that because the same number of
ship 3 had. multiplied thevoyages, 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 defraudins.. 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. MATiiER—It is contrary to the tonnage, but
not contrary to the number of men.
Mr. INGII.IM—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-
hage but not -as to the men ; but• see-what was given
in the financial report. In 1858 the men and boys
were 2(31,194; 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
iticarreet, 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. lie 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, lie had no
doubt what the result of the struggle would be. lie
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
esuntry 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 camp if he could help it, but he honestly said
fbe benefits of free trade had been so great to this
country that he could not see how the present Go-
•ternment would be- justified in saying to foreign
countries that we should go into a system of pro-
tection, atit2ss those foreign countries would agree
ipa system of reciprocity. Having plainly stated
this,
let.hirn go back to a far more cheerful thin°. • q I
he pledged himself to co-operate most heartily in
the great mass of the observations he had heard
that day, and for which hOfelt so 'grateful. There
never was a more vigilant representative of the
shipping-interest than his friend Mr. 'yawn ; but
when the bill was brought in he said he did not ob-
ject to it,
trade were nolet
because he he found the principles of free
inetbcontrayened ; but he wished,
as he said, to
from very
sharp end of the wedge, to
produce freed'omfrvery many of those monopo-
lies and local arrangementsßisf.under
suffering greatly. which they were
-also alluded to the
case of a foreigner coming from London to the
mirth. after having delivered,g not being
considered entitled to th
being obliged to take a „ilotnifyitheege of pilotage,
'nand of the ship was personally habituatedern in com-
to the
coast, then no doubt it would be quite monstrous
have compelled him to . take . a
likely the yilot himself had received instruction
from him. Then, as •to tare matter of
Pilot, when most
to
lights hisn
friend Mr. Lindsay had bestowed great attention.'
on this piestion, 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 whole duty of maintaining the lights of the coast
upon the country at large, which seemed to be a mo t
reasonable act. The Government ought to light its
own coasts ; what 2 monstrous thing it would be if any
person put a light in front of his gin-palace, to make a
person walk up Vie street pay for -it. Any person
who wished to attract' 'easterners and make them
come with safety to Wlivn they ad 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