The Sun.
London, England, 1819-03-19 00:00:00

SALT DUTIES.

Mr. CALCRAFT was not aware that there would
be any opposition made to the motion he had I'lo%l'
to mike, reipecting the Ditty on Salt. After the
%trim's applications which had been made to him
on that subject, he thought it his duty to• state
the course he intended to follow during the pie-
sent Session. Of the impolicy and hardship of
that tax he was sufficiently aware; but at the
same time be felt it impossible not to look at the
great loss which its immediate abolilion, io the
present state of the Revenue, would occasion.
When the produce of this tax, riz. 1,500,000 l
was taken into consideration, 'he thought there

ttal An absolute necessity of being criiiiiOira be-
fore any measures were taken fur its final aboli-
He-therefore was convinced, that he dis-
charged his ,duty best to his fellow countrymen,
to induce them to bear this tax a little longer. At
the sante time
.there wtte certain regulations
ivhich might be adopted, and which would prove
of the highest advantage. Among other branches
of trade wbiCh had suffered from the effects of the
tax, none had perhaps suffered 1110 re than the
bleachers had done, tor in the evidence before the
Committee one of them had stared, that no less a
qaantity was to be issued than 50 bushels, the
consequence of
,which was, that tt.e large manu-
facturer could purchase his salt at seven shillings,
while others. were obliged to pay 11. 17i. for it
It was therefore necessary that some alleviation
should he granted, though, as he said before, it
was not possible to lose sight of the deficiency
which the abolition of the tax would occasion iu
the revenue. Ile did not intend to make any too.
tion this Session kit the repeal of the Tax ; and
in stating this, he begged to be understood as
not declining that from arty dread of want of sup-
port, but solely tioln a sincere conviction of the
duty being to cu nary in the preset!' state of the
revenue. lie hoped, however, the time was not
for distant when irs final reveal niiglir safely take
place. lie concluded by moving for an Aceo,nt
it the Quantity of Salt delivered free of Duty in
England, specifying also the purposes for which
such Salt was delivered.
Mr. IVALLACH concurred with the Hon. Gen-
denial-) in considering that the present abolition
of the tax would he highly injurious to the reve-
nue. The Committee appointed on this subject
bad dilly investigated all the evils said to arise
from the tax, and the objections which had been
matte to it ; and they had found many of thEseeo
be highly exaggeiated. Certainly salt was a very
fair (Hee( for raxation; and he did not see how
it produced any disproportionate weight on any
class of the community. When a more favourable

state of things took place, lie would sincerely re-
joice to see the tax lowered, especially as he was
convinced of the great adviantage ising to cat-
tle twin the use of salt, and its equally great ad-
vant.ge to agriculture.
Mr. Cu lin'eni must dissent from the statement
of the Hon. Member vtho spoke last. Tie tax
sho,ld be denounced as the most inequitable
amongst all duties imposed by the Legislature,
failing with equal Severity on the poor family in
the hrmblest cottage as in the houses of the
wealthier class. Much had been done to assist the
coasting fishery, and whatever had been the re-
sult of his -application to Parliament in behalf of
the agricultural interest, had been adopted at the
suggestion and by the advice of his departed but
enlightened friend, Sir Thomas Barnard. The
consumption of salt in agricultural experiments
last year had not exceeded eight tons ; itt the
present it had been stated to amount to 203 tons;
and had been applied with considerable success
to various branches of husband; y, viz, cattle,
sheep, and horses, in which last class it hail al-
most completely extirpated a disease hitherto hut
too fatal. He holed next year it would he full
40 times greaten; than in the former year. Of the
viitht tons delivered last year, five had beet) de-
livered to himself for experiments which he had
successfully tried ; the remaining three tons alone
bad been solicited by other al.:,,ricillturists.

Mr.DivENPOaT stated he had the greatest pos-
sible interest, as Member for Cheshire, in the
proposed alteration, and was particularly happy to
find the proposed change or modification in the
duties vvas not about. to be abandoned by the
Hon. Gentleman, who hats formerly taken so
active a part in this business.
Mr. Kk:NNEDY. stated as a fact, that the means
resorted to for collecting the Duties on Salt, on
obtaining it duty tree, were.so vexatious that the
parties frequently preferred foregoing the advan-
tages resulting from it, rather than subject them-
selves to the expected inconveniencies.
Dr. PHILLIMORE argued at some length, that
the principle of this tax was directly in opposition
to the primal prineipies of political economy, mi-
litating against the arts, manufactures, anti in-
dustry of a country posses-sing so considerable a
trade in articles requiring in preparation a vast
consumption of this article, and, above all, pos.
sensing so extensive a military marine. He hoped
that it would be shewn to the [louse, that in less
than five years, a tax at present being a census of
21. a man, let him be ever so poor, might be by
degrees diminished to a tax merely nominal, if not
altogether abolished.

Mr. Boekrrox in a very low tone of voice, sup
ported (it was believed) the representations ant
sentiments of his colleague for Cheshire (Mr. Da.
venport.)

Mr. (SALCRAFT had no idea of creating any
thing like a premature discussion of the subject
by the very few observitioos he had made pre-
facing his motion. He must, however, state; in
reply, that the first l,tesolution of the Committee
had been a recommendation to bring in a Bill to
repeal those duties altogether. In the ensuing
year the Irish Duties would be a subject of re-
vision; it would (bet) probably be suggested to in-
troduce some measure more equable as to those
duties now imposed in this respect, Salt bearing
a duty in England of 131. per bushel, in Scotland
of 65., and in Ireland only of 2s. Ile did not
despair of something beneficial being then gene-
rally adopted.
Mr.V. FITZGERALD regretted the allusion which
had been so incatnionsly made to any increase of.
Excise Duties in Ireland. The best hope of Ire-
land ,consisted in her fishing, anti in the provision
trade, and he should most strenuously oppose
every attempt to impose upon a kingdom so em-
barrassrd in bet financas as Ireland had been for
sometime--a tax so obviously tending to criple
her resources, even if Parliament were compelled
to impose fresh taxes upon the wealthier part of
the empire in lieu thereof.
Sir JOHN NEWPoRT hoped, that, at the period
alluded to, all the Act of Union wonid be sub-
jected to an accurate and scrutinising revision.—
If parts of it were broken through rashly, it would
perhaps be found out as a consequence that others
must be broken, which would not be so accessible
to the Legislature. Many ervoneotis enactments
had characterised the acts of the period of the an-
nexation of the Irish to the British Legishttire,
which bad been equally derogatory to the national

as iniutiouA to the ft:l6ndl and
industry. It a partial revision should be pro-
posed, he would submit theliropriety of a gene-
ral revision of the various subjects of cotnplaint to
which he had alluded.
Mr. CALCR4FT lead not made tie allusion tO
Ireland with a view to propose hereafter any spe-
cific equalization of the Duties on Salt, or other
articles in use in these different portions of the
empire.

Mr. GRRNFELL believed .the T►►x could not be
given up without some substitute, in the present
stare of the country.
The motion was then nut and agreed to.
MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS.

A Message from the Lords was announced, re-
quiring the attendance of Mr. DAvid Ricardo on
the Committee !respecting the I?esnittption of Cash
l'Esyments by the of L'nglatiti. To be an-
swered in the nstial manner.