The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-18 00:00:00

DUTY ON STAVES.

Mr. LABOUCHERE said he felt it his duty to take this
opportunity of calling the attention of the House and the
Government to one branch of the trade of the country,
which, if prompt measures were not taken by the
Government to support it, would be utterly and
completely destroyed, he meant the cooperage trade. He
had to express his regret that no alteration had taken place on
the duty on staves. It was a question of much im-
portance, and if the Government did not intimate its inten-
tion of taking it up themselves, some other member would do so.
lie would not go into the details, but merely state the principal
points of the subject. In consequence of the manner
in which the timber duties had been arranged in 1842,
by which a disadvantageous duty had been left on
staves imported into the country which furnished the raw
materials for the coopers' trade, while the duty on
staves imported from North America into our colonies was
entirely abrogated, the cooperage trade at home was nearly
destroyed. Even manufactured casks from the United States
were introduced at a duty of 7i, ad valorem, into the colonies,
in consequence of which the exports of casks into the colonies
were put an end to. The British cooper was, therefore,
deprived of the trade with the West Indies, because he was
not able to compete with his American rival. If this had taken
place on the principle of free trade, he would not com-
plain, but he complained that it was not properly
applied. But the colonial trade was not alone ruined, '
the foreign trade was likewise destroyed. It must
be obvious that this must be the case. The cooper
now paid between 60 and 70 per cent. ad valorem, en stave)
imported into this country. In consequence of this heavy duty
they could not export casks, and he believed that foreigners were
able to undersell the home manufacturer in the home market.
This was not the result of any natural advantages on the part
of foreigners. When they paid between 60 or 70 per cent.
upon foreign casks, it was impossible the trade could exist
under those circumstances. The consequence was that
ruin was impending on the coopers. The journeymen employed
in London, nearly bOO, were not fully employed.—( Hear.)
The coopers of London were a most respectable class, atal he
entreated the Government to take the subject into their con-
sideration. There was no question of revenue involved—
( Hear)—for the whole amount obtained was not more than
20,000/. It was a question of arrangement, not of revenue ;
and ho intreated the Government not to allow the coopers to
'be crushed. The duty on furniture now had been
reduced, to the great advantage of the country, and
instead of being undersold by foreigners in Liverpool,
they became an exporting country in furniture.
He hoped they would maturely consider the effect of those
duties on this va!uable branch of our trade, before they de-
clared their intention not to alter the duty on foreign staves.
Mr. GLADSTONE said the statements of the Right Hon.
Gent'eman were greatly exaggerated. He seemed to censure
the Government on the ground of certain allegations made by
a certain class of traders. He (Mr. Gladstone) should like to
know on %she, ground the Right Honourable Gentleman
had made Lis statements. So far es the law
was concerned the trade was much better than it had
been when the Right Honourable Gentleman was President
the Board of Trade, and when he had made no proposition in
their behalf. He (Mr. G.) granted that the case of the
coopers was a serious one, and that the whole trade
in wood was under serious disadvantages. Ho admitted
that the reduction of the timber duty, for which his Right
Honourable Friend had been so censured on the other
side of the House as an improvident sacrifice of revenue, was not
sufficient to place the workers in wood in this country in a po-
sition to stand on an equal footing with the rest of the world.
But the coopers had derived considerable relief from the
the operation of the law of 1842, though he did not
say their case was of such a natute as to preclude its being
again brought under the consideration of the House. The
Right lion. Gentleman had stated that the charge on the im-
portation of foreign staves was sixty or seventy per cent—that
was a great exaggeration. He (Mr. Gladstone) believed there
was a very short supply of staves from the Baltic ; and that the
trade was greatly embarrassed in consequence of the high
price. But colonial staves were never lower in price than they
were at present, and the trade was consequently in a better
state for competing with the Americans than it was five
rears ago. With regard the export trade, it might be relieved
by the repeal of the duties or by the adoption of a system
of substitution—a system of working in bond, which was under
the consideration of the Government. lie thought all diffi-
culties might be removed by allowing the parties to week in
bond for export till the other descriptions of workers in wood
were put in a better position.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL defended the statement of his
Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Labouchere). Petitioners to that
House complained that, by the alterations made he the law,
they were suffering great distress, and his Right lion. Friend
then put it to the Government whether, when
considering the Customs' Duties, they would leave
out the question of the duty on staves. It was
very obvious that great inju-y was inflicted upon our
own merchants by the present duty. It was not so much a
misapplication of the principles of free trade as an application
of the principles of monopoly and protection for the benefit of
foreigners. Having made these remarks, he would now put a
Euestion to the Right Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the
xchequer on another subject. In the course of his financial
statement, the Right lion. Gentleman laid great stress on the
article of chicory in connexion with that of coffee, and an-
nounced his intention of proposing an additional duty on that
article. Perhaps the Right Hon. Gentleman would state in
what way he meant to proceed, whether or not he meant to
introduce a Chicory Bill.—(Laughter.)
Mr. HUME thought the question which had been intro-
duced by the Right lion. Gentleman was one of very great
importance. The trifling sum derived from this source ought
not to stand in competition with the employment of coopers in
so many large cities in the empire. He had one or two peti-
tions from Glasgow, and other places, in reference to this impost.
They said that the duty on colonial staves, which was in-
tended to be nominal, averaged from three to five per cent. on
the cost of the raw material. The duty on staves imported
from the Baltic was 33 per cent., from the United States, 66
per cent. on the cost of the raw material ; the duty on foreign
manufactured work, was 25 per cent, whie it might be intro-
duced into the colonies, from the United States, free of duty.
With respect to the delay of the whale fishery it was a mat-
ter of deep regret to see the manner in which it had latterly
fallen away. At the present moment the United States had
49 ships engaged in the trade. Some time ago England
had nearly double that number, now she had not one-third.
This falling off did not arise from any want of energy on the
part of the shipowners or mariners, but arose solely from the
existence of bad laws. The only fault ho found with the
schedule of the Right lion. Baronet, so far as the importa-
tion of timber went, was, that he did not go far enough. All
the raw material for manufactures should be allowed to be
imported duty free. The want of employment, of which all at
present so loudly complained, arose solely from bad laws. This
Bill should not be allowed to pass without amendment. Ile
contended that great advantage had accrued to the timber
trade generally from a reduction of duties, and that ships were
now not only cheaper, but much superior, to what they had
been ten years ago.
Mr. AARON CHAPMAN said the Hon. Gentleman
seemed to think that ships had never been so cheap or so good
since the days of Noah, as they were at the present moment.
With regard to the question before the House, he would oh.
serve that the value of the staves was at present extremely low,
and that the distress of the coopers was attributable to the want
of demand in the West Indies for coopers' goods, consequent
upon the diminished produetion of sugar and rum.
Mr. HUTT regretted that the Right lion. Gentleman op-
posite should have considered this a party question. It signi-
fied little to the cooper which party was in power. What
he complained of was, that he was placed in such a position
that it was impossible for hint to gain his livelihood ; and he
appealed to the House to take his case into consideration. The
coopers of the United States could import their productions
into the West Indies free of duty, while the production of the
coopers of this country were subject to a duty of from 30 to 6
per cent. They had heard a great deal of protection, and
when certain articles were the subject of debate in that House,
there were not wanting plenty of advocates to stand up for pro-
tection. Now if any species of property was more entitled to
protection than another, it was labour. He trusted the see
sion would not pass away without the adoption of some mea-
sure for redressing the grievances of which the coopers so
justly complained.
Lord SANDON believed the coopers were reduced to a
state of the greatest distress, in consequence of the recent alte-
rations. They were better workmen and their wages were
lower than the wages of coopers in the United States, but they
could not compete with the United States coopers as long as
the duty on staves was from 30 to 60 per cent. against them.
They were, in fact, giving a protection to the coopers of the
United States at the expense of the English cooper. If they
would follow the same course with regard to staves that they
had adopted with regard to mahogany at the time of the altera-
tion of the tariff, he had no doubt but that a similar reduction
of the duty would be followed by similar effects, and as the re-
duction of the duty on mahogany had brought back the cabinet-
making to this country, so would the reduction of the duty on
staves restore trade to the coopers.—( There was some confu-
sion created during the course of the Noble Lord's speech, oc-
casioned by the breaking in of one of the skylights of the House,
the broken glass falling with a tremendous crash into one of
the galleries appropriated to the use of Members. Fortunately,
no one was near at the time, and beyond the breakage of glass
no damage was done. )
Sir JOHN HAMMER trusted that the Government would
take the distressed state of the coopers into their serious con-
sideration.

Lord HOWICK said this was a most important proposition,
and aught not to be hastily considered. The Government was
thrown into this difficulty by their own inconsistency, and by
endeavouring to tinker up and " potter" the system of restric-
tion, the principle of which they had long since abandoned.
He certainly had voted against the reduction of the timber
duties, and given it his strenuous opposition, but it was because
the Government plan took largely from the revenue, without
conferring adequate benefit on the consumer. But he was
most anxious then, as well as now, to got rid of these restric-
tive duties altogether.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
reduction on the timber duty had been considerable, and had
been, he believed, attended with advantage to the community.
Mr. EW A RT advocated the abolition of the duty altogether.
Mr. BARING put a question regarding an inquiry which
had been directed into the conduct of one of the officers of
Customs, and when the result of that inquiry would be made
known to the House. (So much noise prevailed in the House
at the time, that the precise import of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man's observations did not reach the gallery.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was under.
stood to reply, that the inquiry had taken place, but the result
had not yet been attained. The character of the individual
whose conduct had been made the subject of inquiry had,
however, in no degree suffered from that inquiry.
The House then went into Committee on the