The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-19 00:00:00

The policy most advantageous tb the country, as far as the
mere supply of timber is concerned; . would be, to obtain it •of
the best quality, and at the 'lowest price, without reference to
the quarter from whenceit might be derived ; and the course
of your Comnittee has been to.in.qttire, first; to what extent the
operational this policy is infringed by the system of ditties now
ru•force ; in the next place, to examine how far the limits im-
po_led on its operdtion are sustaiucaby adeqUate considerations
of expediency ;• and 4astly, to. determine whether; by the adop-
tion-of any andivitat alterations, the duties might be rendered,
as far,as-circumstances allowed, More consistent with the regard
due to the principle on which this polick proceeds, and generally
more beneficial to the -commercial interests of the United
It appears, that previously to the imposition of the duties in
the sripPlics of wood required for-the consumption of
the country were principally furnished. by the- .Nprthcrn states
Of Europe'; that subsequently to that, peod, a great and gra-
dually increasing proportion •of its supplies has 1)1:en drawn
from the British North American Colonies ; 'that at present
the useof the timber from the North _of, Europe, owing to the
pries it bears in :comparison to American timber, is in a great
measure confinetCto the higher and more valuable description
of buildings, 'andlo purposes fOr Which incfeased strength in
beSring •is necessary or desirable; that for less. substantial
buil:Lines, and -for the inferior purposes to which wood is ap-
J...lieable, the American timber and deals- have been generally
brought into consumption; and althott;h the Red Pine of Arne-
rica (o.: which the quantity is relatively small), is said by seve.-,
ral•wit7,l2TP-1 ttYb2 equal in quality to the Fir from the North
of. Europe, yet the Yellow-Pine, of which the great importa-
tion -cons-Lts, is stated, when used in this country, to be infe-
rior to ic, except for paiticular purposes and in particular si-
tuatiolis, from its SuppiosA greater liability to dry rot, and
o-pniisrative deficiency in strength and durability. At the
,sAine time there is reason to belie,e, from 'other evidence,. that
irnuelt- prejudice subsists on this head, and that in Lancashire,
where Yellow Pine has been a longer time in-general 'use
'th4ri in any other part of, the kingdom, a well as irr.the neigh-
- bourhood pf-ShiAds, its qualities are considered. as more va-
lnable than they are gNiierally esteemed ; and there is repeated
tesdrnoriy,
,that when used in America, both in the construct-
Con of ships and buildings, it has been found to he free from
tbe particular defect alluded to, and 6F A DU.R..A.BILITY

rta..ll. TO THAT BEST TIMBER OF ErROPE.
The scale of:comparative, value attached by diilerent wit.
'nesses to the wood dra-Jn from each particular country, will be.
seen in the evidence of Sir R. Seppings, Mr. Hollaad, Mr.
taiitai. Mr. Copland, Mr. Churchill, Mr. Smith, Mr. Haigh,
Belthouse and others, to which your Committee think it
suffkient to refer.

. That the supfly of wood tomecitheoemands of the British and.
market night be obtained with greatsr facility and cheap-
thesto the consumzr, (ifthe means ofputchasing and transporting
it at thelowes.t rate were the only considerations to be attended
too' a reference to the account of the charges of obtaining and
transporting it frOm the Northern ports of Europe, iiidepend-nt
of the duty, will Jeave no .doubt; and although under. the
pressure of the duty, the demands of the court for for superior
purposz:i may have been such as to lead to the importation to a
certain amount of timber from the Baltic, it yet must be ob-
vious, that while, this duty beats upon it with its. present weight,
it is to those higher purp-;ses alone to which that species of
.imber can be applicable; and that a great proportion of wood'
an inferior quality must be forced into rofisumption, both in
wed subetitittion for the superior tintl4-ir: buildings,. which
by becomi.fess solid and lasting; and in a fraudulent ap-
,n of it, when.that of a superior kind has been cohtraeted
according to the Ovidalco, if practised, can be with
detected;. expedients of this nature would probably
rted to if the difference of price was reduced, and the
to prefer the American wood were less powerful.
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REPORT.
THE SELECT COMMITTEE appointed to consider of the Mean s
of maintaining and inapreeing the FOREIGN TRADE of
the Country, wed, to report their opinion and observations
thereupon from time to time to the House ; and to whom the
' Report relative to the Timber Trade, which was communi-
cated from the Lords- in the last.SeSsion of Parliament, and
the several Petitions .respecting tide- Duties on Timber, pre-
sentee to the 11-oitse in the present Session-, Were re-
.-(erred.;—have, pursuant..to the Orderof ilte.Hontee.conei.:
dered the. Matteis to them referred.; and have meeed to the
following REPORT
Your Committee have deviated from the Course wench their
former Report appeared to prescribee and instead of pro-cceding
• to examine some of the burthens that were stated to press with
t'eneiderable weight upon the Foreign Trade- of the Wintry
generally, hive applied, their consideration to that 'particule.
branch of it, which embraces the ire:petation of Timber frprie
Cie Northern States of Europe, aria the British Colonies )in
• .North America. This They have done, as welron account of
toethranch having (AS APPEARS BY A REPORT REFERRED
Td TIIESI) already occupied. theattention of a fooa-exur TEE
01' THE OTEER HOUSE OF PailiamENT, appointed for
.' similar purposes ; as of the anxiety they understand to prevail
among the-Commercial and Shipping interests, conne.cteti with
the trade in qnestion, and the inconvenience of a continued sets.
-pence in respect to the system .which -P&liament may deem it
eXpedieet to adopt, on the expiration Of the existing lawzwhich,
accoreiino to the late-at extension of it, will terminate on toe 25th
.01 3ler:r; is the present-year.
In to imposition of the several duties, at present in force, On
• tie iMpecoition of timber, the consideration of the Legislature
appears to have been directed to two distinct objects ; firste to
tee motes:a-ion and eneettragethent of the wood trade in the Bri-
t Ctildnies-e anti s-econtily, TO THE AUGMENTA-
TION OF ouir Iteive.-oetiTe
Rigaeding tleeen in this point of...view, the first question that
• • obVieusly presented itself was, to the maintenance of what part
-.ofeheseoluties, if of -any,- TH PURLIC FAITH might be sup-
posed to !recommitted ; a short reference, to the laws which
:reposed the respective duties, and to the circumstances attend-
- • ingene periods at which tkey were imooetl, has been sufficient
to satisfy your ConirnitteO onthis head. -
Although the. policy of eiving encourao;emer t to the trade
:timber from the Beitish American Colonies, al.aY he inferred to
have been previously entertained, from the Acts 3 and 4 Anne,
'and 5 Geo. 3, by which bounties upon the txpoit of -it were
granted; IT noes NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN ACTED
LIE 0 N WITH M tr eftbct before the yeat 1309; at that time
the course of events had placed our relations with theallorthern
. States (from whose. territories -.our supplies-of timber, as well
for domestic as for naval purposes, had been chiefly derived) in •
a situation Which gave rise to a well-founded apprehension,. lest
the resources in that quarter might entirely cease to be available '
for the demands of this country. •
Under, THE INFLUENCE,OF THIS APPREHENSION, it was,
deemed atiiisable by Parliament to resort to the etrenrEnero
;NEGLECTED' THOURII ABUNDANT supplies to he found in
-our American Colonies,. and by ADEQUATE eitoTEcTioee to
encourage the transport of them to meet the exigeney with which
we were threatened ; teo accomplish this object, at t7'itrr UAL ex-
emption from duty was granted to the • timber imported from
our North American possessionse while a large addition was
made to that levied on. timber from the North of Europe, first,
by the 49th Geo. 111., c: 93, and in the ensuing year by the
• Pith., c. 77, by which the duties of the preceding year were
. doubled, making the whole ditty on northern timber, including
the temporary duty imposed in the same years, for the support
and during 'the continuance of the war, amount to 21. 1.1. e- Bd.
per load. These duties were again augmented by an addition
-of 25 per cent. to the periniment duties. on timber, in common
•with' ell other duties of customs, for the ekpress purpose of
assisting the,revenue. The whole of these duties WERE CON-
'sonroaTED by the 59:11 of the late King, and now amount to
31. ss. (per load,) when imperted in British ships,
• From this statement it will appear, that of these duties (how-
'ever they may all-alike have operated- in the way of protection
to the colonial timber trade,) a part only can be said to have
been intended for that puvose, viz. those which were imposed
by the acts passed avowedly with the Object of giving eficou-
racement to that trade, amounting to 21.1s.per load, and which
may be contended to have led to its extension by the application
of 'capital, -which except 'for such induzement would never have
been so invested. With respect to the exemption from duty in
. favour of colonial timber,: that advantage was ORIGINALLY
• TEMPORARY, and has been since continued-from time to time
for limited periods and although the p:rsons concerned in the
...colonial timber trade may have had a JUST EXPECTATION
• that they eheold enjoy, for a considerable period thl advantages
affbrded them, as well by the exemption granted as by the du-
ties imposed by the 49th and i Oth of Geo. JII. ; so FAR FROM
ANT EXPECTATION, BEING held out that the encouragement
so given had , been considered by Government as permanent, or
was intended to be indefinitely continued to them, that means
' seem to hare been studiously taken to produce by explanation
-a conviction of a contrary. tendency, and to impress them
with the ,assurance that previously :to the expiration of
the existing law, the timber trade would be brought
under consideration 'of Parliament With the view of in.
troducing an alteration into the scale of :the present duties, that
should render them more e9ual mid more favoureble to our in-
tercourse with the foneignStatee with whom - it was carried on.
Yonr Committee are 'tht‘re-fore of opinion- that there is nothing
which precludes the consideration of these duties, nor any part
of them which in strictness line not he open to tiny modifies-
tien, either in respect to the rate at which-they shall continue,
or the mode -which -they shall be levied, that Parliament un-
der a sense of the public interest, may deem it prudent to in.
teoduce.