The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-05 00:00:00

(LEFT SITTING.)

HOUSE OF LORDS.
Their Lordships met at Five o'Clock.
ANATOMY. ACT.

Lord STANHOPE gave notice that on Thursday
next he would present a petition respecting the Anatomy
Act, to which be would call their Lordships' attention.

RAILWAYS BILL.

A message from the Commons brought up the Rail..
ways Bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be
read a second time on Friday. -
EMPLOYMENT IN MINES.

Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from persons
employed in mines in a part of Yorkshire, praying that
the House would not assent to any enactment for regu-
lating their employment without inquiry.
CUSTOMS' DUTIES ACTS—(THE TARIFF.)
On the reading of the Order of the Day for the third
reatling,of the Customs Duties Acts,
The Earl of RIPON said that from what had been
stated by Noble Friends of his on the opposite side of
the House, and more especially by his Noble
Friend on his left (Lord Stanhope), he anticipated
many objections to the alterations in the tariff proposed
in the Bill which stood for third reading this evening ;
but he did not think, from the appearance of the House,
that the objections would be very seriously pressed, and
certainly he thought that they would not be adopted.
But notwithstanding this anticipation, the measure in•
volved matters of considerable importance, both
as regarded principle and detail, that their
Lordships might naturally expect that he should
lay before them the grounds on which her Ma-
jesty's Government were led to adopt so extensive a
change in the customs' regtilations of the country.
This subject had from time to time attracted the atten-
tion of Parliament ; nor was it wonderful. For in the
twenty-five years of war which closed the last century,
the necessities of the country had compelled the Govern-
ment to lay on duties on commodities of foreign
production for purposes of revenue. These duties,
which were first laid on for fiscal purposes alone,
created, in course of time, protected interests,
hich Parliament did contemplate when it im-
posed the duties. On the return of peace,
which altered the position of this country in respect to
the rest of the world, the attention of Parliament was
(after the restoration of the currency in 1819) to
the state of the import duties. Two petitions of great
importance were presented—one by the Noble Marquis
opposite (the Marquis of Lansdowne), on whose
motion a Committee was appointed to inquire
into the whole question of the import duties.
That motion was most cordially acceded to by
the Government of Lord Liverpool, who, at the same
time, stated that there was no difficulty in con-
sequence of the interests that had grown up
during the war. In a word, no one could doubt
that the view of Lord Liverpool was, that as soon as
the circumstances of the country would allow, it
would be necessary to revert to a more free and
open system of fiscal regulation in respect to com-
tuerce.—(Hear, hear, hear.) , . That principle was
admitted by every person on every side of the House
as the rule by which the commercial policy of
the country should be governed.—(Hear.) The pro-
gress of the alteration had been slow, and perhaps more
slow than was consistent with good policy. He
was not one of those, who thought so, for he was
of opinion that all such charges should be
gradual, and ought not to be introduced in opposition to
the general feelings, or, as some considered them, pre-
judices, of the people. Yet the principle did progress,
and alterations were made in the tariff: A Committee
was appointed by the other House, and whatever might
be thought of the prepossessions of that Committee, and
the interested motives of some who gave evidence before
it, •it was impossible to look in the tables
which were appended to the Report of that Commit-
tee, without being convinced that it was ab.olutely neces-
sary to revise the tariff.—(Hear, hear.) They had then
to consider the principle upon whtch they should attempt
the revision of the tariff. This was a work of no small
difficulty. The first consideration was, what proportion
the existing duty bore to the average price of the article in
bond It was quite clear that unless they did this they
could not come to a just conclusion. One principle
upon which they went was to pat away all prohibi-
tions. Another consideration was relative to the articles
necessary for our own manufactures, and the foreign
manufactured articles, which would come into competi-
tion with our own. On all the articles of raw ma-
terial, with but few exceptions, the principle they
adopted was to limit the duty within 5 per cent.
on the value of the article, and as much below it
as wos practicable. In the case of articles of peculiar
manufacture which were likely to come into competi-
tion with our own manufactures, such as thrown
silk then it was proposed that the amount of
duty should not exceed ten per cent. upon the
value, and that on the manufactured articles themselves
they laid it down as a general rule that the duty should
be trom 12 to 20 per cent. Mr. Huskisson, in the atera-
tion introduced by him laid the protective duty at 30
per cent. The duty on cotton wool was 10 per cent., and
on woollen stuff 15 per cent., which was. not a prohibi-
tion, although it was a protection. They, therefore,
beg,ti by reducing the duty 'on all articles necessary for
the execution of manufactures to the lowest possible
rate.