The Sun.
London, England, 1827-03-27 00:00:00

TOBACCO DUTIES.

Mr. CALCRAFT. rose for the purpose of presenting a
petition of considerable importance, in his opinion, and
worthy the attention of the Right Hon. Gentleman oppo-
site (the Chancellor of the Exchequer.) It was the petition
of Mr. Robert Morgan Price, a gentleman residing in
Vauxhall Road. From the communisations which he (Mr.
Calcraft) had had with him, respecting some plans which
had been submitted to the Treasury as to an alteration of
the law respecting Tobacco Duties, he should pronounce
him a very intelligent gentleman. The Treasury had re-
ceived his plans, but nothing had yet been done towards
carrying them into execution. The 1-lon. Member then
read long extracts from the petition, frem which it would
seem that the petitioner had had some interviews with
Mr. Carr, the Solicitor to the Excise, with regard to
the adoption of the plans which he had submitted ;
that Mr. Carr at first listened to him favourably; but
when it was found that the plans which were proposed,
would alter the law as it um stood, Mr. Carr did not give
him that encouragement. From Mr. Carr's character, he
(Mr. Calcraft) was inclined to think that there mutt he
some mistake in the petitioner's statement.—(Hear.)---
The petitioner went on to assert, that he had never been
allowed to explain to the Treasury the papers which he
hail submitted to develope his views. The petitioner then
rent on to state that snurzgling had been carried on in the
article of segars to a vast extent ; that he had suggested a
mode by which that article was brought through the Cus-
tom-house, from SIM. to 60,0001b5. in the short space of
four months. The smuggler in that article obtained 1200
per cent., which was a great inducement. The petition
stated that tobacco in America, where it was grown, was
one penny a lb. ; in Holland it was 2d. ; in England, 2Ad. ;
but the duty in England was three shillings a pound. 'The
Hon. Member said that he conceived the facts stated by
the petitioner to be well worthy the consideration of Govern-
ment. The field for smuggling. was large by the present
laws; and he (Mr. Calcraft) would most cheerfully give
up his time to an investigation, with a view of carrying
into effect any plan by which the inducement to smuggling
might be lessened.
On the motion that the petition be brought up,

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER could
not pretend to say what answer the Hon. Gentleman ex-
pected from hiri upon the subject of the petition ; but be
really thought that more importance had been attached to 1
it than the petition deserved. He did not vestion any 1
part of the petition ; nevertheless, he was inclined to be-
lieve that the petitioner had net stated the facts very fairly
with regard to his plane, as far as could be collected from
the extracts which the Hon. Member had read to the
House. The petitioner wished to impress upon the
House that no attention had been paid to his plans. This
was not by any means the fact.—(Hear.) The plans had
been laid before the Treasury, and before the Board of
Excise. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) conceived
it his duty, on looking at the plans proposed, to see Mr.
Price on the subject. But whether it was owing to any
apprehension on his (the Chancellor of the Exchequer's')
part, or what he could not say, hut be really did not com-
prehend the propositions submitted. The main principle,
as he collected from the plans was, imposing restrictions
'..a those engaged in the tobacco trade. He felt it to be his
duty to oppose any new restrictions, conceiving that al-
roady that trade was too liable to restrictions. Onthis ground
Me. Price's plans were doubted to produce that benefit
which he seemed to think they were calculated to
that produce. Mr. Carr seemed to be an object of the pe-
titioner's dislike, who insinuated, that because Mr. Carr's
Act was likely to be altered if the new plans were adopted
that therefore they were objected to. Mr. Carr had him-
self proposed over and over again modes of collecting
' duties, which, if they had been adopted, would have much
diminished his emoluments as Solicitor to the Excise.—
(Hear.)—He (the Right Hon. Gentleman), believed that
imposing restriction upon restriction was not an advanta-
geous mode to be adopted. With respect to Mr. Price's
complaint that his plan had not received that attention
which it deserved, no just ground for such complaint exist-
ed, for it had been repeatedly under consideration.—
He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had at all times re-
probated, and would ever set his face against the imposing
of such restrictions, as would by the partiality of their ope-
ration, have the effect of driving the smaller capitalists out
of the trade. He would assure the Hon. Gentleman, that
if it were his (Mr. Calcraft'a) lot to have occasion in the
discharge of such functions as his (the Chancellor of the
Exchequer's) to examine all the details of every new code
of customs, and every new scheme for the collection of the
revenue, which could be suggested by ingenious, and some-
times as he might say, fanciful men—he would have little
time to attend to the other duties which appertained to his
office. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) did not on
the whole consider Mr. Price's plan calculated to produce
advantages equal to the inLJnveniences which it would create
to the trade.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT insisted upon the necessity of
economy in the collection of the revenue. In Ireland, the
r.-ao. 1,,r, 11,r,n, ~,,,-,-.A. r,,,, of i nn nnni. rnis.,l fur

the revenge, 200,0001. was paid back to the preventive
service. He was satisfied, that if the duty were reduced to
one shilling and sixpence, the consequence would be not
only an improvement of the revenue, but what was still an
object of higher interest than any consideration connected
with the revenue—he meant the prevention of that demora-
lization of society, which arose from the prevalence of
smuggling, and which neither the duty nor preventive ser-
vice, nor any other remedy, save the removal of the in-
ducement, would correct.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied in
a few words, vindicating the conduct of Mr. Carr, who, he
stated, so far from being influenced by personal motives, .a
the recommendations which he had given to him (the
Chancellor of the Exchequer) had suggeo-cd measures
which militated materially against his own interests.
After a few words from Mr. MAPERLY and Mr. Wil.
LIA M SMITH, the petition was read, and ordered to lie on
the table and to be printed.