The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-11 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 10
Their Lord >hips met at Four o'Clock.
ROYAL COMMISSION.

The LORI) CHANCELLOR announced that a Com-
mission had been issued to give the Royal Assent to cer-
tain Bills, and directed the Commons to be summoned to
their Lordships' bar by the Usher of the Black Rod.
The Commissioners were, the Lord Chancellor, the
Duke of Buccleuch, and the Earl of Shaftesbury.
The Commissioners, having taken their seats at the
foot of the throne, the Speaker, accompanied by several
Members of the House of Commons, appeared at the
bar, when the Royal Assent was given by Commission,
in the usual form, to the under-mentioned Bills :
The Exchequer Bills Bill, the National Copyright Bill,
the Dean Forest Inclosure Bill, the Great Western and
Cheltenham Railway Bill, the Norwich and Brandon
Railway Bill, the South-Western and Guildford Railway
Bill, the Midland Counties Railway Bill, the Manchester
and Leeds Railway Bill, the Norwich and Yarmouth
Railway Bill, the Manchester and Birmingham Railway
Bill, and the Derby Junction Railway Bill.
Their Lordships then adjourned during pleasure.
Their Lordships resumed at Five o'Clock.
CONFERENCE.

LANCASTER AND CARLISLE RAILWAY.
A Conference with the Commons took place respecting
some amendments which had been proposed in the Lan-
caster and Carlisle Railway Bill.
The Duke of RICHMOND reported to the House that
the Commons agreed to a portion of the amendments.
Messengers from the Commons brought up several
Bills, which were read a first time.
Several petitions were presented in favour of the York
and Scarborough Railway Bill,
The Courts of Common-law Process (Ireland) Bill,
and the Bail in Error Bill went through Committee.
The Earl of MOUNTCASHEL presented petitions
from Donegal, Coleraine, and several other places against
the Dissenters' Chapels Bill.
DUTY ON WOOL.

The Duke of RICHMOND, after presenting a peti-
tion from a place in Sutherland, in favour of agricultural
protection, said he wished to call the attention of their
Lordships, in consequence of a notice which he had pre-
viously given, of a motion to order certain returns upon
the subject of the wool trade in this country. He was
the more anxious for the production of these
returns in consequence of the proposed re-
duction of the duty upon this article, and be-
cause he recollected that the facts adduced before
the Committee, appointed in 1828 at his suggestion, am-
ply proved that the reduction of these duties would tend
materially to injure the farming interests of the country.
He disliked this measure much, not because it met the
support of his Noble Friend, who presided at the
Anti-Corn-law League, but because when this re-
duction was mentioned in another place it was
loudly cheered there. Another reason was, that,
at the present moment the greatest distress pre-
vailed all through Australia, and they all were aware
that by taking off one penny from German wool,
they would do much to injure that colony. He
would ask _the 'Coble Lord, the Vice-President of the
Board of Titule, whether her Majesty's Ministers had had
any communication with foreign Governments on this
subject—whether the Austrian Government were con-
tent to allow the manufactures of this country to
enter Austria withrequal facilities—or, if that Govern-
ment would tali English long wool as well as short wool?
Be would also ask whether they had received any
assurances of reciprocity on the part of the
French Government, so far as trade was concerned ?
He only hoped that the same result would not now take
place as when the sixpenny duty was reduced to a half-
penny. The United States immediately put on a higher
duty upon our woollen cloths.—(Hear, hear.) He con-
cluaed by moving for several returns relating to the im-
portation of foreign wool.
Lord DALHOUSIE had no objection to. the motion
of his Noble Fiiend, accompanied as it was: With an
undertaking to abstain for the present front going into a
discussion of the substantial question. At the same
time, he would not object to the returns, because
he also was desirous of more exact information on the
subject. However, he was not prepared to answer the
question of his Noble Friend as to whether her Majesty's
Government had communications with Foreign Powers
in reference to the reduction of their duties on our
woollen goods. He had not received any information
on the subject, but he was able to say that whether
foreign nations would or would not reduce the duties
on our woollens, that would not affect the question.
His Noble Friend had alluded to the Committee of In-
quiry in 1828, on the effect of a reduction of the wool
duty, in 1824. But his Noble Friend did not inform
the House that it was clearly made out before that
Committee that the depression of the wool masters was
not traced and was net traceable to the reduction of the
duty.—(Hear, hear.) As his Noble Friend was not
going into the question at present, but only wanted the
papers for information, he (Lord Dalhousie) would
also abstain from going into it. But it was right that
he should acquaint their Lordships with the fact, that
£be depression of the wool masters was clearly traced to
the high duty imposed in 1819, which caused our woollen
goods to be thrown out of competition in the foreign mar-
ket, and necessarily to lessen the demand for home-grown
wool. He had lately had a communication with Mr.
Bishop, a gentleman who was well known in connexion
with this subject, and from whom he learned that when
the duty was raised in 1819 he knew a nobleman who
was.a large grower of wool, that nobleman told Mr.
Bishop that he would not sell his wool at 2s. 6d. a lb.,
kut would keep it till the next year, when he would get
ss, Mr. Bishop however told him that if he kept it
for one year the price, instead of being raised by the
duty, would be lowered, and instead of 2s. 6d. he
would get no more than Is. 6d., and if he kept it for
two years he would get no more than one shilling.—
(A laugh.) The nobleman had kept the wool for three
',cars ss Ole prices wore going down, and at last he sold
his wool for 9d, a lb.—(Laughter, and cheers.) The
high tax remained f.r nearly six years, and in con-
sequence the export trade in woollens was reduced to
one-half.—(Hear, hear.) The duty certainly was reduced
afterwards, in 1824, but it did not follow that by re-
moving the cause you redressed the injury. • However,
since the duty was lowered, the importation of foreign
wool had increased from 14 millions to 40 millions, and
the pries of South down wool was atthis moment a half-
penny per lb. higher than it was in last year,
when the high duty was imposed.—(Heitr, hear.)
This was 'a proof that the importation of foreign
wool instead of lowering the Free of home
grown wool was the means of raising it, by in-
creasing the foreisru,,o7*--- `-^fiP
Hv _

• ~‘t

4

4„ ' ...00te Friend
r . • • Riehtnond) would
the Vice-President of
3._ • : . • ~it save him trouble to hear
_ -.) statement, so as to be able to
once. The Noble and Learned Lord
r-- aft extract from a publication of Mr. Bishop's,
show that the effect of the increased duty
in 1319. had been to injure the wooltnasters
The average exports of wool in the three years previous.
40 Isl 7 were 7,650,00016 i. weight, and the average of
ow lad Nears following the imposition of the duty
.a
only 6,50,000. The price of the wool diminished inn as
greater ratid. The average price of Kent long wool for
the two years before the imposition of the duty v•as
28. Id. per pound, while in the two years following the
imposition of the duty the price fell to is. 3d. The
average price of Highland wool before the duty was im-
posed was sog. the double stone, and in the five years
following the imposition of the duty, the price fell to
15s. the double stone, being just one-half.
_Lord I3EAUMONT did not look upon the duty on
woo/ jn the same light as upon other protective duties
upon agricultural produce. Ile thought the proposition
of the Government would prove very beneficial both to
the farmers and to the manufacturers of the country.
He most heartily approved of this measure, but in . say-
ing this much, he begged also to state, that ho did not
at all abandon those principles of agricultural protection
which he always advocated.
Earl KINNAIRD said he felt eonscious that what
annoyed the Noble Duke most was, that this as one of
the first steps towards free trade. He (Lord Kinnaird)
had been informed that, at the commencement of this
session, certain gentlemen of the party to which the
Noble Duke belonged, waited upon the Right Hon.
Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Government, and
stipulated that' neither the corn laws nor the Irish
Church were to be touched, but the Right
Honourable Baronet, with his usual caution, would
not
give definite pledge upon those subjects.
(Earl Kinnaird) denied that the reduction of these
dutille
es would tend to improve the filriniug interests, for
they had proof that when the import of any article was
large the price of it rose. The Noble Duke seemed to
be-very much afraid of Austria,- but if they took a large
quantity of wool
of
mthat country, they also exported
a large quantitymanufactured goods to it. He (Earl
Kianaird) also denied that the tariff had produced that
injurious effect which sometoNPLrtems had prophesied.
The Duke of RICIINIOND, in explanation, said he
thought that no one, outside the walls of Covent-Garden
Theatre, would believe the assertions which had been
made to his Noble Friend who ha just sat down. He
-
certainly saw no reasons to changehis opinion b y
an y
thing which had fallen from the isTo'ile L,r
After a few words from Lord BROUGIIAM and the
Duke of RICHMOND,
Lord DALHOUSIE said the only source that he had
from which to make up the returns sought by the Noble
Duke, was from the wool-brokers, as he had no
means
of gaining official information.
Lord MONTEAGLE thought the Government could
not have selected a fitter article upon which to reduce
the duty than wool. lie denied that the agricultural in-
terest would suffer by it. It was no new measure, be-
cause many years ago the Government had pledged
themselves to reduce this:duty. He was confident that
all artificial measures of protection tended to the injury
of both the agricultural and commercial interests.
The returns were then ordered.
- PUBLIC WORKS (IRELAND).
Lora CLONCURRY rose to move for the appoint-
ment of a Select Committee on the subject of public
works, and proposed territorial improvements in Ire-
land, founded on reports- presented to Parliament, and
the
Government, particularly on the subjects of railroads
sad drainage, with a view to the mare effectual deve-
lopment Of the resources of that country by a well-
considered !conomical application of labour. Sow).-
al schemes had been ;"vested for the purpose of
preying the condition of'lreinne 4.
eyi.teri,sive system
ja
i.)
of drainage had -been recommended
Which MIS entitled the
Bog Commission. Others ..'"".1