The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-12 00:00:00

PRICE OF SUGAR.

EFFECTS OF MONOPOLY.
LONDON, Nov. 12, 1842.
The following average prices of Brown or Musco-
does British Sugars, exclusive of duty, were pub-
lished in the Gazette of last night :
West India 365. 41d. per cwt.
East India 37 6
Mauritius No returns.
The average price of the two descriptions, taken
jointly, is 365. Bid. per cwt.
The actual weights of Sugar sold on account of the
importers, in the week ending the Bth inst., accord-
ing to the returns made upon oath by the Sugar bro-
kers, in compliance with the Act of Parliament, and
on which weights the above prices are computed, con-
sisted of 31,374 cwt. West India, 13,878 cwt. East
India.

About 400 cwt. of very dark unsound sugar has been
sold in the same week, which, having been classed in
the returns as East India, unfairly depresses the
average prices of that kind of Sugar, as well as the
total average price. Foreign Sugars, equal in quality
to the average of West India Sugar may be bought for
18s. per cwt., they are consequently 18s. 4d. per cwt.
cheaper. The total sales for the week in Atincing-
lane were 45,252 cwt.; taking the sales at the out-
ports to be together the same as the London market,
the consumers bought 90,500 cwt. ofsugar at 365. Bid.
per cwt., amounting in round numbers to 166,0001.
sterling; they might have bought the same weight,
90,500 cwt. of foreign sugar, at 18s. per cwt., amount-
ing to 81,4501. sterling; they have therefore given the
monopolists over and above the real value of their
sugar 84,5501., which, added to the excess shown last
week, 76,7501., makes 161,3001., being the fruits of
the sugar monopoly for the last fortnight.
We cannot too frequently impress upon the public
mind the important fact, that a protecting duty of ls.
per cwt. in favour of British Muscovado Sugars is
equivalent to taxing the consumers of them indirectly
to the annual amount of 200,0001. sterling, the weight
of Sugar taken in the year for home use, is in round
numbers four million cwt., four million shillings are
exactly 200,0001. If protection were altogether re-
moved, the consumers would buy foreign Sugar, of a
quality equal to West India, at 17s. 6d. per cwt.; as
there is an abundance of it, it follows as a matter of
course, that British Sugars must inevitably fall to
that price, or remain unsold on the importers' hands ;
but if a duty of 255. per cwt. be imposed on foreign,
and only 245. per cwt. on British Sugars, the con-
' sumer would not be able to buy, the former duty
paid, under 425. Gd., namely, 17s. Gd, and 255. duty,
per cwt.; the present monopolists would also sell their
Sugars, duty paid, at 425. 6d. per cwt.; but as they
would have to pay a duty of 245. per cwt., they would
obtain 18s. 6d. per cwt., in lieu of 17s. Gd., upon all the
Sugar they sold. The enormous average price quoted
last night in the Gazette, is entirely the consequence of
a stinted supply, which limits consumption, by deny-
ing the use of Sugar to numerous classes, who cannot
afford to pay the high price. It is well cribwn to the
retail distributors of Sugar, that when the price rises
from sd. to 6d. per lb., immense numbers of persons
who have been in the habit of using Sugar at 51. per
lb., cease to purchase it altogether ; and when the
price rises from Gd. to 7d per lb., the same thing ocs
curs with those who have been consuming Sugar at 6d.
per lb., rather than pay the advance, they will teach
their families to abstain from the use of Sugar.
There are, of course, exceptions to the rule—these
for the most part are wealthy people, who would
have Sugar at almost any price; they are, how-
ever, the few, compared against the great hulk
of the consumers. Thus it is, then, that through
a restricted use of the article, the duties on
Sugar diminish as they did in the last quarter, to the
great detriment of the revenue. This diminution is
not only a vast annoyance to' the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, who has formed his . calculations for
various disbursements on the expectation of receiving
the usual amount of Money, but likewise to the pub-
lic at large, who are called upon to make up the de-
ficiency by some other tax. Had the duties on
Sugars been equalised five years ago, and the powers
of consumption brought into vigour by low price,
there would now, for instance, have been no need of
an Income-tax ; the Government would have had the
ten or twelve millions from Sugar duties which that
tax is intended to replace. If the differential Sugar
duties are not altered—that is remain. as at present—
for three years longer, it stands to reason that another
Income-tax will be required to make good
the deficiency in the revenue which will in-
fallibly accrue. Perhaps, by way of disguising the
operation of giving undue protection to the colonists,
the Minister will hit upon some such expedient as he
has upon corn. 'With regard to that article, if the
accounts from Canada are correct, a merchant may
exchange his goods at New York for wheat, provided
the wheat, in lieu of being shipped direct for a Bri-
tish port, be sent via the St. Lawrence, the merchant
will have to compete with the costs of transport to
Canada, which will be probably about 3s. 6d. a quar-
ter, which, added to the duty to be imposed for.the
benefit of the Canadians, 35. per quarter, and Is. 6d.
per quarter extra for freight from Canada, instead of
New York,,amount to Bs. per quarter, the corn to be
then received here duty free., The only difference
between the plan proposed by the late Government of
a fixed duty of Bs. per quarter and the scheme in
embryo is, therefore, that, in one instance, the whole
of the duty would have gone to fortify the British
revenue, and, in the other, the Ss. per quarter are to
be divided between the people of the United States
irtedr.
and the Canadians, which the consumers here, in
eh way, will
ahnanveer tthde Ministers who concocted
pay in the price of their
bea
the foregoing precious scheme for importing wheat at
something similar to a fixed' duty, may take it into
their heads to encourage the importation of Sugar from
all parts of the world into the British Sugar Colonies,
provided the colonists will undertake, for their own
especial, benefit, to impose a given amount of duty per
cwt. upon such imported foreign Sugar, with the
condition that the colonists may re-ship the said Sugar
for the British markets, the Government here charg-
ing it with a duty equal to that levied on colonial
Sugar, granting thereby a protection to the British
Sugar producers, and raising the price of it to con-
sumers to a value equivalent perhaps to that proposed
to be conferred by the differential duties propounded
to the House of Commons last year by Lord John
Russell, the main distinction being that the money
raised by the portion of duty levied in the colonies
going anywhere but to the British Exchequer. The
landed interest, now that the protection on their pro-
duce is considerably diminished, should in justice to
themselves, and to their dependents, insist upon a
corresponding reduction in the prohibitory duties,
which unnaturally bolster up the prices of all colonial
produce.

THE SUGAR MONOPOLY AND THE AGRICULTURISTS.
—The tenant of a large landed proprietor in Oxford-
shire wants to know why the agriculturists are to be
the only class to suffer by those principles of trade
which Sir Robert Peel has lately adopted for
the benefit of the consumers ; and why they who
are all consumers are not to have some corresponding
relief? They ask, he says, for no money compensa,
tion for depreciation of the incomes by measures
adopted for the public good. They want no twenty
million from the public purse to pay for their losses,
but they want to know why, if their monopoly is mo-
dified for the relief of other classes, other monopolies are
not to be modified also ? Why are the West India
proprietors, with their twenty millions in their pockets,
to be allowed to keep their monopoly, that agricul-
turists should be obliged to go on paying them twice
as much as they ought for their sugar, &c. ? This
is a most reasonable inquiry, which we hope other
agriculturists will repeat. The bearings of the sugar
monopoly on their interest has been fiequently ad-
verted to in The Sun, and we agree with the tenant, that
the sugar monopoly should be abated as well as the corn
monopoly. It is plain,
however, that the same influ-
ence in the Cabinet which preserves the sugar mono-
poly, allows ships to be victualled at free trade prices.
If the tenant, or the tenant's landlord, will ask Mr.
Gladstone for a solution of his questions, and press
that Right Hon Gentleman for an answer in the
surfCo ma Teo rot
u tohfe thetr a tl
deepm aNyv
epl
lo so-f
sfai Ic) ley obfe ttlh'er olNiv °nu t ofe
his mind.

Her Serene Highness the Princess of Lichtenstein
has forwarded to the Royal Belgrave Lying-in In-
stitution a handsome donation, with permission toplace
her name with the patronesses of the Charity. The
Dowager Countess of Westmoreland has sent a second
liberal subscription ; the Earl of Liverpool and Lady
. Mayoress Pine have also lately become contributors
to its funds. This institution commenced in 1832,
under the especial patronage of her Royal Highness
the Duchess of Kent, and was then confined to the
out-ward of the parish of St. George but from its suc-
cess, its operations have since been extended to the
eight west-end parishes, and ul)wards of 300 poor
married women are now annually attended gratui-
tously in their accouehement.
There must be either something impracticable in
the Poor-law Bill which renders it unfit for Ireland,
or some flagrant mismanagement on the part of the
Commissioners and Central Board, which nullifies its
operation—when we find the consequence of its appli-
cation in so many places either a refusal on the part of
the people to pay the rates, or debt, embarrassment,
and bankruptcy in the particular unions. It is not
lona ago since the secretary of the city of Cork Union
declared that concern to be bankrupt ; and now the
Board of! Guardians of the Middleton Union, in the
ounty of Cork, announce themselves, by public ad-
vertisement, in a similar predicament ; and have fairly
cut and mu from the concern—abandoning the poor
to their fate,
hands of the unfortunate master.—Dublin ltfail.
and leaving the establishment on the
The Commission of Assembly meets in Edinburgh
on Wednesday the 16th, and the General Convocation
of Ministers on Thursday the 17th.—Scotch Paper.

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