The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-15 00:00:00

Min

*LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1845,

The House of Lords sat for a short period last
evening, but transacted no business of importance.
The House of Commons met at Four o'Clock.
Among the petitions presented was one by Mr. T.
Durscomna from Mr. MAZZINI on the subject of
post•office espionage. The Hon. Gentlewan after-
wards gave notice of a motion on the subject for
Tuesday next.

In answer to Dr. llowattiG,
Sir itonnaT PEEL stated that the Government
Was not satisfied With the manner in which the
commercial treaty with Turkey was carried into

execution. .
'rhe Rouse having resolved itself into a Committee
of Ways and Means,
Sir R. PEEL rosfl7.the purpose of bringing for-
ward the Budget.
it forward,
alluded to the early period
at which he brought
speech orard, he said that, after the
announcement in thethfrom the Throne, that it
was intended to continue iincome•tax for a fur-
ther limited period, he felt thate e hadl no alternative
but to submit at the earlitq '0
iews of Jlesscvle period to the
country the general v
subject of financial policy. Ile then referred on
the
referred to the
speech of the CHANCELLOR of theExcHEQUERr in
,caonndsidshowed
bringing forward the Budget of last ye
that his estimated surplus had been very
exceeded. On the sth Jantutry last there was arably
sur-
plus of 3,3.57,000/. The amount of the net revenu
received up to the sth January was 54,003,0001., in-
stead ‘..f 51,790,0001, the amount estimated by the
CHANCELLOR of the,Exc itEgu ER. The increase was prin-
cipally from the Cu •toms. The total expenditure up
to sth January had been 50,646,000 Z., leaving a sur-
plus of 3,3.57,0001., and he had every reason to believe
that by the sth April next the surplus would amount
to 5,000,0001. on the year. Of course, a very con-
siderable portion of the revenue was produced from
the income-tax, which hal I..roduced
.5,100,0001 For
the entitling year, on the supposition that the '

House would not continue the income-tax, he
estimated the revenue at 47,900,0001. being
for the Customs 22,000,0001; for the Excise

13,500,0001.; for the Stamp Duties 7,100,0001.;
for the Land and Assessed Taxes 4,200,000/. ; for the
Post-office (the actual receipts from which last year

amounted to 691,0001.) 700,000/., for Crown Lands

1,500,0001., and for Miscellaneous 250,0001. This,
with 600,0001. to receive from China, and the half

year's produce of the income-tax, would make the
amount of revenue for next year 51,100,0001., even if

;he House should refuse to continue the income-tax.

The total charges, assuming the present system to

remain unaltered, would be 48,557,000/., leaving still

a surplus on sth April, 1846, of 2,543,0001. He
admitted that there was the same stringent obligation
on the Government to avoid unnecessary expenditure

when there was a surplus, that there was when there
was a deficiency, and that it was their duty to re-
move, at as early a period as possible, such increased
taxation as pressed on the public trade and the public
interest, at the same time he thought the public were
under very erroneous ideas as to what was really
necessary for the public service. The Right Hon.
Gentleman then went through a detailed statement of
the various fixed charges on the public revenue, and on

alluding to the civil list took occasion to pay a
well-merited tribute to the judicious controul ex-

ercised by her INIAJESTY over her own expenditure—
a wise economy, the only source of true magnificence,

by the exercise of which her MAJESTY had been
enabled to meet the increased expenditure of her

growing family, and to entertain the Sovereigns of
other States who had visited her, in a style of magnifi-
cence worthy of them and of herself, without incurr-
ing a single debt, and without adding one tittle to
the burdens of the country, beyond the Civil List
voted to her on her accession to the Throne. This
well-merited eulogium was received with loud cheers
from all parts of the House. The Right Hon.
Gentleman then alluded to the importance of our
colonial possessions, and of the necessity of keeping
up an adequate military force for their defence. The

present force of the army he could not consent to
diminish ; and the vote proposed for the Army Esti-
mates during the present year would be the same as
last, viz., 6,600,000/. He proposed to submit

an increased estimate for the navy—the increase
would be of 2,500 more men than were at present
actually employed, or about 4,000 more men than the
number voted last year. The expense caused by the
proposed increase in the naval force would be about
184,0001. He also proposed to ask for a vote of
187,0001. for the formathn of the basins for steam-

vessels at Portsmouth and Deptford. He also pro-
posed to take a vote for the purpose of enabling them
to keep the steam navy in a respectable condition, and
on account of the naval service and the ordnance
connected with the navy, there would be an in-
crease in the estimates of nearly a million. The
following was the estimate of the total expenditure :
The charge for the Debt, 28,395,000/. ; the charge
for the Consolidated Fund, 2,400,0001.; making a
total of 30,795,0001. The vote of supply for the
army, 6,678,000/. ; for the navy, 6,936,000/. ; for the
ordnance, 2,142,0001.; for the miscellaneous esti-
mates, 3,200,0001., being, together, 18,895,0001., and
added to the charge for the debt of the Consolidated
Fund, 49,695,000/. ; for the revenue of next year
he would take 51,100,0001. The charges for the
present year, 49,690,0001. And, even with this in-
creased expenditure, there would be a surplus on
the sth of April, 1846, of between one and two
millions. To meet this increased expenditure he pro-
posed to continue the property-tax for a further period.
Suppose the property-tax to be continued, the
estimate of the revenue for the next year, on the
sth of April, 1846, aided by the 5,200,0001. of the
property•tax, would be 53,700,0001., and as long
as the other sources of the revenue remain equally
productive, and as long as the property •tax con-
tinued, 53,700,000/., subject to a reduction of
60:.),000/., will be the amount of the revenue. This
600,0001. was the amount received as Chinese money ;
it would be received for one year more, but

for the purpose of calculating the revenue, it had
better be struck out altogether. The revenue for the
year, then, on the sth of April, 1846, would be
53,100,0001. The charge for the debt, and on account
of the different branches of the public service, would be
49,690,000/. ; so that there woul 1 be left, as long
as the income-tax should be continued, and de-
ducting the Chinese money, a surplus of 3,409,0001.
If the House acceded to his proposal, he did not
propose to maintain any material surplus of revenue
over expenditure, but to devote it to the reduction of
those taxes which pressed more onerously on the com-
munity than the property-tax. He proposed a re-
duction of the sugar duties in the following manner :
In respect of brown Muscovado sugar, which is now
subject to 255. 3d., he proposed to make a reduction
of 11s. 3d., and to reduce the duty to 14s.—(Hear,
hear, from the Opposition.) With regard to Mus-
covado sugar, that reduced duty would apply
to all British plantation sugar—to sugar the
produce of the Mauritius—to sugar the produce of
our West Indian Colonies ; and with regard to the
produce of those districts in British India, with re-
gard to which a different rule now applied, he pro-
posed, in the case of those districts, to retain the
same relative proportionate duty, and that duty
should be 18s. Bd. This was applicable
to those countries of India which were
permitted to import sugar. He proposed that
'he amount of protective duty should not exceed
9s. 4d., and the duty on free-labour sugar will, there-
fure, be 235. 4d. Of course, in countries with whom
existing treaties are in force, we could not deprive
them of that which was their right. 'With regard to
white, or clayed sugar, or sugar which by some pro-
cess is made equal to clayed sugar, he proposed that
the duty on British Plantation East India sugar should
he reduced from 255. 3d. to 16s. 4d., and that the
duty on sugar imparted from India, or those parts of
India from which sugar might be imported, should
be 21s. 91., and that the duty on free-labour fo-
reign sugar—that is, clayed—should be 28s. Thus re-
taining the whole amount of discriminating duty,
which last year was 10s. 61., but applying it in a dif-
ferent manner, giving 9s. 4d. protection on Muscovado
sugar, and increasing the protection to 1 I s. 4d. on white
sugar. The amount of discriminating duty would re-
main the same as it was last year. The duty on molasses
he proposed to preserve in the same proportion. He
proposed on refined sugar that it should be imported
at a duty of 145., instead of 18s. Bd., and that
double-refined sugar should be imported under a
dnty of 215., the 14s. including the 5 per cent.
The effect of these reductions would be to decrease
the price to the consumers lid. per lb. He proposed
to abolish all duties generally upon exports, including
the export duties on coals ; and he trusted that the
proprietors of coal-mines would give the people the
full benefit of the reduction. If it were true that a
combination existed amongst the coal proprietors to
enhance the price to the home-consumer, there
could not be a greater argument against mono-
poly. He also proposed to do away with
the import duty on a variety of articles (430 in
number) being principally raw materials used in
manufactures, such as silk, hemp, flax, yarns, &c
Ile also proposed to abolish the duty on furniture
wood, on animal and vegetable manures, on ores and
minerals, with the exception of copper ore, on iron
and zinc in the first stages of manufacture, on dye
stuffs, and drugs, and on staves. With the exception
of staves he did not propose to interfere with the
present timber duties. He also proposed to repeal
altogether the duty on cotton-wool. He ad-
mitted that each one of the Excise duties
presented a prima facie case against its ex-,
istence in its present shape, but it was impossible
to deal with all of them. He proposed, with regard
to Excise duties, to abolish altogether the ,auction
duty, and to charge 151. for the auctioneer's licence
generally, for which he would be enabled to deal with
every description of property, instead of making it
necessary for him to take out a variety of particular
licences. He proposed also to do away with the duty
on glass, a duty which amounted to between
200 and 300 per cent. on the price of the
article, and which sunjected the manufacturer
to the most vexatious regulations. He anticipated
the most beneficial effects from this latter re-
duction, both in a commercial and a sanatory point of
view, and considered the abolition of the duty on
glass far preferable to the removal of the duty on
windows. He believed that from our superior facili-
ties for manufacture, this country might almost supply
all the world with glass. These were all the reduc-
tions which he proposed to make, and the fol.