The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-01 00:00:00

would take mare interest in the affairs of that couii-
try, 'and world not allow her revenues to be squan-
dered. (Hear.)
Mr, 111AEI$EN, M.P., said he could not support the
original amendment, because it committed them. to
a rash opinion on a matter with• regard to which
their information was avowedly iMperfect. (Heart
hear.) But It was different with regard 'to the
resolution now before the conferenco; for, whilst it
would not-alarm the people of India with the Mad
that military protection wog about to be withdrawn
frond them, it would ettcouritge the GOTerament to
proceed in the career of retrenchment- f;:(lietkr.)
The 'motion. was then put and carried, three
hands having been raised in opposition to its pitising.
Mr. DUNLOP moved the neat resolution, as fol-
lows That, in the opinion of this conference,
unless means are otherwise ,available, a loan should
be raised, to be speeially and exclusively applied to
the resumption and completion of reproductive
works in India, under the control of a board of
works, to be appointed for each of the three presi-
dencies respectively, it being their firm conviction
that some such course is necessary to develop the
vast resources of the empire; and it is further the
opinion of this conference, that. the revenue to be
expected from judiciously conducted reproductive
works in India will suffice to pay the interest upon
expenditure within a brief space of time, and may
be so dealt with as to liquidate the whole outlay in
the course of a limited number of years."
Dr. BEGO seconded the resolution, and said that
the natives of India required to ,be stimulated by
European energy and capital.
Mr. Asnworria believed that if the natives got a
more secure land tenure it would stimulate their
exertions very considerably. Sir C. Trevelyan stated
that if they had a secure land tenure, five or six
regiments might be dispensed with in Madras alone.
(Hear.)
Mr. TURNER, M.P., said that a loan had been
suggested if other means were not available. He
believed that other means were available. The
British Government were in possession of an im-
mense estate in India, and one of the great objects
for which that property was transferred to them
was that they might administer it as good land-
lords, relieving ,the tenantry from the oppression of
former owncrs, making them contented and happy,
whilst at the same time they derived an advantage
themselves.from the capital they laid out, If neces-
sary, there was no reason why they should not sell
a small portion of that estate, like other landlords,
in order to improve the remainder, (Hear, hear,)
The late Minister of India, Lord Stanley, sent out
a minute authorising the Government to make sales
of land in fee. That ought to raise money sufficient
*to develop the resources of the country. (Hear.)
He believed no notice was taken of that by the
Indian Government. He did not know whether
Sir C. Wood required compliance with the order of
his predecessor, though he had his own opinion on
the subject; but at all events that appeared to him
to be one of the paeans available for improving an
immense estate which had hitherto been totally
neglected. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BAZLEY, M.P., said he feared the observa-
tion of his hon. colleague might lead to a miscon-
ception, because the minute which Lord Stanley
sent out had reference to the waste lands of India
only. He did not propose that the land tenure of
India should be altered, and he' (Mr. Bazley)
thought that a much more extensive measure way
required than- one by-whieh niergziksole arid- *test Et
land could be reclaimed and appropriated. (Hear.)
His own opinion was that the Indian -mutiny and
the other evils of that country originated in bad
government and the want of a proper ad-
ministration of justice. Until they removed
these obstacles to the improvement ei India, and
introduced a good system of conveyance by which
the products of India could be brought easily and
cheaply to the seaboard, they need not look for
any important reduction in the expenditure of that
country, or hope that India would be as profitable
to herself and to England as she ought to be.
The public works of India:might be made to con-
stitute a fund of wealth to the country into which
capital would be poured as into the stocks at home.
(Hear, hear.)
The resolution was put and carried unanimously
Mr. SMITH, chairman of the Sheffield Chamber
of Commerce, moved—" That this conference is of
opinion that the high customs duties recently im-
posed in India are greatly to be deprecated, inas-
much as they check the expansion of trade, and in
the case of imports foster native manufactures under
a false system of protection, reversing the free
trade policy under which our own country has made
rapid:progress in civilisation, influence, and wealth;
and this conference is further of opinion, that the
Government should be urged to reduce the customs
duties now levied in India, being convinced that
high duties are unsound in principle, and can never
be expedient in practice."
Mr. M. Ross seconded the resolution.

Mr. S. PENDER said the question of duties at
Bombay affected not only the interests of India,
but materially affected the interests of this com-
munity. If it could be proved that the people of
India could spin cotton and manufacture cotton
goods as cheaply as could be done in Manchester,
then he said India was the place to spin and manu-
facture cotton. But if they required protection in
order to create this industry, then he said we were
going back to a system which England had con-
demned, and through the abolition of which Eng-
land had greatly increased in wealth, while giving
at the same time a great impetus to civilisation
throughout the world. (Hear.) He was satisfied
that if this system went on in Bombay, of building
fresh mills, it would drive India back to a certain
extent to the resumption of the old cotton hand-
loom manufactures of that country. Since we com-
menced to supply ourselves labour had increased in
value in India, showing that we had not injured,
but developed the native industry. If we now
created this trade in India we should not be bene-
fiting the finances of the Indian Government ; we
should actually be killing the goose that laid the
golden eggs. (Hear, hear.) The next step the
Indian Government must take must be to get taxa-
tion out of this industry that they were creating ;
and thus they would at once destroy it again, after
having inflicted so much injury on our own trade.
He had some statements respecting the progress of
cotton spinning in India, which showed that the
works in Bombay were entered into with the view
of supplying the whole of India with their produc-
tion.
i The figures showed an extraordinary expan-
sion n this respect, and that we were dealing with
a people who had, to say the least of it, a great
desire to "go ahead." (Hear, hear.) The Parsee
population of Bombay seemed to have no lack of
ambition to become very large manufacturers,
because the new mills and extensions in contempla-
tion were no less than 311,842 spindles and 4,025
looms, and there were at work 82,566 spindles and
240 looms. He had no doubt at all that at whatever
cost these mills might be built, they would 1?e the,.
ruin of a great number of people. --He diddnor in,
believe that a different policy was to be pursue
India than was found to be the rule in this country.
Those mills, therefore, would be worked at a Cos.t
which would pay the purchaser, and would ulti-
mately come into the hands of people who would so
work them. The course now adopted by the
Government was contrary to the free trade policy
of this country, and as such he deprecated such a
modeoon ofraising thought that the
er it was
better it would be for
sr eve revenue,
reversed
the
and
India. It would be better to borrow money for two
or three years, until the finances of India were in
a sound state, than to destroy an industry the
absence of which must eventually retard the pro-
gress of the country. in America the cost of convey-
ing cotton by way of the Laken was 1-9 d. to 2-9 d.
per ton per
mile; by the Erie Canal, 3-9 d.; hut
in India, down the Ganges, it was id. to Id. ; and
the cost of conveying cotton from I3erar, the great
cotton-producing land of Bombay, on pack bullocks,
was no less than 10j d. per ton per mile. The Go-
vernment ought to give us cheaper conveyance.
The same obstacle was in the way of taking our
goods to the interior. India was the country to
which we had to look for increased consumption of
English fabrics, and if India could give its betot.,
cotton, both countries would be enriched. We not
only wanted roads to bring cotton cheaply to the