The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-30 00:00:00

' (Cheers.) With regard to Ole propositions made t 0
the House by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
he must congratulate him on the surplus he was able to
announce. It was gratifying to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer and to the country, and it must be owned. it
placed the country in a proud and high position—
(Cheers)—to have such a considerable surplus of revenue
over expenditure, and this he thought, without at all
agreeing in the criticisms which were made upon the
military establishments of the country. Ile did not
think they ought every year to keep up the same
amount of expenditure, but with regard to the present
year he thought the vote of the House was not
beyond what was necessary.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
His Right Hon. Friend, the Member for Portsmouth,
stated that he understood from the Right Hon. Gentle-
man's statement that it was his intention to keep up
the income-tax during the five years originally men-
tioned by the Right Hon. Gentleman (Sir IL reel), and
if such was the intention of the Government the better
course would be to make larger reductions iu the pre-
sent year. Ile (Lord J. Russell) certainly thought the
Right Hon. Gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
had better take one of two courses. If the Right
Honourable Gentlemaa thought it probable the
income-tax would be taken off next year,
and that that was the best thing for the public
welfare, he was quite right in taking off but a small
amount of taxatioh in the present year. He could not
_ _ _

help thinking that Government must have a strong opi-
nion on the subject, knowing the wants of the country,
and the present state of the finances. But if, on the
other hand, they thought it most probable they would
continue the income-tax for two years, it would be better
to propose such reductions as would be of use to the
trade and industry of the country in the present
year rather than postpone them till next year.
Ho said that even with a view to the income-tax. Be-

cause if that reduction were proposed in the present
year, we might hope in the course of three years from
this time the revenue would have so far recovered, that
there would be no doubt about the repeal of the income-
tax. Whereas if next year the Right Hon. Gentleman
would say that, upon the whole, it was necessary to con-
tinue the income-tax two other years, and then should
propose other reductions, the public would have lost a year
of increased consumption at a lower price of the articles.
and the revenue would only have two years instead of
three to recover itself. He thought, for both those rea-
sons, if the Government had at all made up their minds,
they would have taken a better eourse in deciding in
the present year whether the reduction was to take
place. He was sure the Right Hon. Gentleman had
done nothing that was at all dangerous to the country
in the reductions he had proposed. With regard to
wool, he had much gratified the manufacturers of York-
shire ; and with regard to coffee, he had at least shown
that the principle of the tariff of 1842 was not aban-
doned. He hoped as soon as the Right Hon. Gentleman
could make up his mind to it, they would have an enlarge-
ment of the principle of the tariff of 1842, and greater
approximation to the principles of free trade.
Col. SIBTHORP congratulated the House and the
country on the statement of the Right Hon. Gentleman
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, though it might not
meet with the entire approbation of the Noble Lord
(J. Russell) opposite, and the Hon. Member for Taunton
(Mr. Labouchure), who worked together in regular
harness—when one pulled the other pulled, and when
one gibbed the other gibbed.—(Laughter.) The late
Administration were very good at promises ; for ten
years together they invariably promised everything.
Prosperity was coming always, and everything was cut
and dry for bringing about success in their proposed
plans, but still nothing was done ; until the people
would at last no longer bear their promises, and they
turned them out never to come back again. He (Col. S.)
highly approved of the proposed reduction of the
duty on marine insurance. It was one of the most
oppressive taxes, inasmuch as it was a tax nponprudence.
When the present Lord Bexley was Chancellor of the
Exchequer, Mr. Barber Beaumont sought to have the
duty on fire-insurance reduced, as the removal of such a
duty would tend to encourage prudence, and he (Colonel
Sibthorp) was glad to find the principle now brought
into operation. He was sure that the reduction would
rather add to than diminish; the revenue derived from
this source, and he was so convineed of that
that on one occasion he had himself offered, if
a reduction were made, to be answerable for
the deficiency.—(A laugh.) With respect to
other reductions which had been made in the
tariff, he thought it but justice to the Right Hon. Ba-
ronet (Sir Robert Peel), to state, that he had ascer-
tained from his own (Col. Sibthorp's) agent, who was
one of the largest farmers in the county of Lincoln, that
at the great annual fair in April held in that county—
which was one of the greatest fairs in the United King-
dom—there had been a general improvement in the sale
of stock. That was a satisfactory announcement, and it
was but common justice to the Right Hon. Baronet to
make it laugh.) He congratulated the House and
the country on the satisfactory statement of the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer. It would teach the Hon. Gen-
tleman opposite a long lesson of repentance, and they
would sit upon the stool of repentance all their lives.
Me. MARK PHILIPS did not feel any jealousy at
the success of the application of the principles of free
trade by the Right lion. Gentleman. He heartily re-
joiced that a step had been made in the right direction
by Hon. Gentlemen opposite, and that the country
would be relieved from the weight of some burdens that
pressed upon the poor. When they considered the
enormous extent of the duty on raw cotton, and the dis-
advantages which that duty placed upon 11 engaged is
that important branch of manufacture, he trusted he
would be excused if he pleaded the claim of the manu-
facturers to have the duty reduced. The consumption
at present was 400,000 bales of cotton per
annum, and the duty imposed on that
amount was saved to our foreign rivals.
It must be recollected that we came into competition
with foreigners in the foreign market under the disad-
vantages which the payment of that enormous amount
of duty caused, for the proportion of our manufactures
consumed in this country was but comparatively small.
We had nothing to throw away or give to our foreign
rivals, and he knew of no other duty which could be re-
duced with so much advantage to the country than this
duty on the raw material of cotton manufacture.
The duty was imposed when the duty on
printed calicoes was taken oft'. It was imposed as a sort
of compromise for the removal of the other daty ; but
now that there was a surplus in the revenue they ought
to remove a duty which was so injurious in its operation as
this. We were manufacturing cotton at a greater dis-
advantage than the Americans by .20 per cent. If
we were to have the price of the raw material
raised against us, our foreign trade would mate-
rially lessen, and it therefore became a matter of im-
portance to reduce this duty as much as possible.
There were those who believed, that if this duty were
remitted, the Americans would add to the cost of the
raw material. He was not of that number, and he
strongly recommended the Government to sweep away
the duty at once in order to give this important branch
of industry as full and free a scope as possible. He
congratulated the House on the alteration
which had been proposed in the duty on
marine insurances. He had sometimes observed
with great pain that the merchants of this
country had been obliged to seek insurances in foreign
countries instead of Lloyd's a,pd other places, although
he had yet to learn that the merchants of foreign coun-
tries had in that respect manifested a higher degree of
honour than those of our own. He desired to see a ge-
neral reduction of the duties on insurances, lie
thought the present law was such as oftenlo induce
parties to run risks which they were not war-
ranted in daft and he thought the revenue was
such as fairly to allow of extensive alteration. He
hailed with great delight the proposed reduction of the
duty on glass, a reduction which was rendered necef-
sary by the competition of this country with Bala
and other countries on the Continent. With respect_
~0
the article of coffee, though he could not but express his
approbation of a reduction of the duly
uannydergrsteaantd wathrtjiteale of
ll
the
settle in the sugar basin, and be dissipated
morality and no
pot--(Laughter.) He could seeedno
rth referent* to
consistency in the course pursu
cmoonrasulmityptoiofn,theheel:ctortiedscoho;flni:dt
wsuhgaierh.,
in was
no
humwouli it he for
ail, were
got rid of, the better would e
reality, se en
every step which
the country at large.
they took in sooner all these pros oaft
that country with whom it was
selves retaliated upon by.
the closest intercourse. It
their interest to maintain
to the h
was not o pledge himself as course w
• the wrong direction, they would and them-
f r him to
•
he would pursue with respect to the income tax, if such
a remission of duties were to take place as to
render it necessary to continue that tax.
re had expressed his opinion to his constituents

psepsil;eabutto Itiehethreomugishstiotnhaotf tdhuet
in favour of a property-tax as that which pressed least
oonn
hand
dwornrilgtiiiiitgbceleas
isesurwpliuths
great advantage to the country at large.
Sir IL DOUGLAS expressed
satisfaCtion at the
reduction of the duty on currants—a satisfaction which
was increased by his long connexion with those islands.
Mr. C. WOOD said he was convinced that from the
stimulus which would be given by the remission of the
duty on wool in the manufacturing districts, many would
reap a rich harvest. If they were not able now to
judge of the effect of the reduction which had taken
place in 1842, they could not be able to judge of what
the effect would be in five-y,ears.
Lord HOWICK thought there was good reason to
complain of the conduct of the Government in respect
to the export duty upon coals. It had matertally
affected a very important branch of trade, and he thought
they were not justified in retaining that duty with such
an excess of revenue above expenditure.
Captain PECHELL was one of those who wore ;dis-
satisfied with the Budget. He thought that with so
large a surplus the Government ought to have taken off
the window-tax.,—(l,lear, hear.)
An HON. MEMBER begged to ask the Right Hon.: the
Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the instalmenOs of
the compensation from China hadbeen,paivd.,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that.
the instalments had. been duly paid at the stipulated
times.
Mr. HINDLEY was rejoiced that there was such a
surplus of revenue, and tie more so, because it came
from those who were best able to bear it.--(Hear, litter.)
After a few words from Lord HARRY VANE, •
The resolution was agreed to. •
The House then resumed, the resolution was brought
up, and the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.
THE FACTORIES BILL.

Sir J. GRAHAM postponed till Friday the Ordei• Of
the Day on the Factories Bill.
Mr. S. CRAWFORD gave notice that he would; on
'Friday, upon the motion for going into Committee Upon
the Factories Bill, call the attention of the House to a
petition from Belfast against the Bill.
BAILIFFS OF INFERIOR COURTS BILE
The Bailiffs of Inferior Courts Bill was read a third
time and passed.