The Sun.
London, England, 1828-10-04 00:00:00

I must begin my remarks by stating, for the
information of Many persons who will read this
paper, what the duties affecting newspapers are.
They consist first of a duty of Ad: per pound
weight to the paper, which, for the qualiq cont-
molly used; comes almost exactly to one farthing
per sheet. Second, of a stamp duty.*bich is
nominally fourpenee, but is reduced to Sid,
(more aecitrately threepence and four-tenths) by
a discount of 15 per cent. Third; of a tax of
3-8.6 d. on each advertisement, whether long or
short. It must be kept in mind, that the news-
paper proprietor pays-the ‘two first of these duties
in `ready money betote lie draws a sixpence—
that he gels-onl), three Months' credit oti tile last.
while hegenerally gives twelve—and that he is
subject to all these ditties oft the papers and ad.
vertisements for which he .never gets a farthing,
as well as on those for which he is regularly paid.
The,paper and stamp duty together come to 34d.
but the loss from spoiled- stamps, duty never re-
paitho him, and interest on money advanced,
raisesit to 4d.. fully,
Thus the newspaper proprietor is burdened
witka tax of 4ftl. on each copy, and all that re-
mains to him to cover the expense of collecting
news, paper,. printing) distributing). and the -loss
arising from bad debts, is lid. out of the Id.
paid by the purchaser+
A person would perhaps hence Cdnclude, that
if' all the duties were abolished, newspapers would
be sold at 21. d. or 3d. instead of sevenpence ;
hut, this is a mistake. Without the profits de
lived from advertising the 24d. Which falls to the
proprietor at present, would not cover his ex-
pellees; and were the advertisements greatly in-
creased, as they would be were the duty abo-
lished, newspaper could be sold at a much
lower priCe than threepence: This is a point
which the evidence of facts has placed beyond
dispute. In the United States, where. there is
neither advertisement nor stamp duty, the largest
daily paper, which is about the size of the Times,
costs only ten dollars per annum, and the smallest
which is about the size, of the Globe or Courier,
costs only eight. The general price of a weekly
paper there is two dollars. Taking the value of
the dollar at par, at 4s. 4d., the price of a single
copy is as follows:
Of the larger Daily:Papers 1 pence.
Of the :smaller ones l- do.
Of the Weekly Paper.,
The-mean price, therefore, of a newspaper in
the United States scarcely exceeds three halfpence.
The paper used, admit, is a little coarser than
ours ; but the saving on this item is more than
counterbalanced by the higher wages paid there
to compositors and pressnien,,a point as to which
I speak from good' authority. I think myself
therefore fairly authorised to conclude, that were
all the duties repealed, a newspaper which now
costs sevenpence in this country, Could be sold
for three 'halfpence. In other words, the-tax' on
our papers has increased the price fourfold.
The object of the preceding remarks is to show
how the duties on newspapers affect the price. 1
now proceed to state my main proposition—that
were Government to reduce the stamp duty to
twopence, .and the. adyertisetnent duty, to 0110
shilling,these two taxes would
,yield as much to
the Treasury as they dO 'at present, and a great
boon would be conferred upon the tradingamiciedlatissesiiz.::
I need not dwell on the mural advaptages of
newspapers.' However ,hUmble the, talents of
ttihtioosuegwhhowicloicnhclumaufethhl
futli7yagarereeabtlitee;
proving, infosaritittanrpattetcito,ioolfti.psiisg4ti,.iveehlytr
bthoeeltpmhneogstptuioihlilieroeitsiiiaiitilitigdg
ietihiLey'llionh4Ohrkee:in the volumes of Scott and:Cooper,
are thrown aside. when the journal -makes
its apyearance! There no exaggeration
in saying that every grown, up person in
the empire who can read, would have a news-
paper if he or she could. obtain it.' They are,
in truth the literature 9f the working classes
wherever they are within their reach—the retail
shops of -knowledge, Where: it is-Cut into' mitt--
sels for the. use of those who could never ;buy it
in the. bulk. There is scarcely, a subject of any
novelty connected with philosophy, science, art,
literature, trade; religion,' or morals, of which
they.do not give us some account ; and however
deficient this may be for the purposes of the
rich 'and the learned, it is highly useful to those
who have neither nioney to htiV, nor .leisure to
read, extensive treatises. Even the mental sti-
mulus
,which a newspaper supplies, has an excel-
tern
temptera
trlacal
eep. freer
slcott
niilnetoedwsithdrawmg men
arc exhausted by ten from in-
manual labour, for there are few things in the
shape of a volume 'which he will take the trouble
roetraldiet,iix,voceisteehmoaeuitms oaolc
sNp.hie4rteirtcssi
evening,to open. K}iowillg, as I-de, how eager work-
men of the hutnblc~t classes
"arc to have'the,Use
have often thought; when I have
Sofjournal,een e
that
I themi
.i; reeling ]Home drunk in ail
oven] urient , in denying.
the only species of reading suited to' his habits-f;
by taxing newspapers so heavily, had been mai:ill:y-1.
instrutnental in driving him to the alehouse.,