The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-07 00:00:00

AN ENGLISHMAN.

SUGAR DUTIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
....

SlR,—When Sir Robert Peel announced his intention
of reducing the sugar duties, he stated that the con-
sumer would be benefited to the extent of lid. per pound.
He surely must have meant that this reduction of price
might be expected in the course of time, say next year,
when we should be in receipt of large supplies to meet
the increased demand, for the reduction of duty proposed
by him is rot qui* five fat Ming, per pound. The impor-
ters have already obtained an advance of 4s. to ss. per
cwt. from the lowest point of the market, so that the con-
sumer will not be able for a considerable time to buy
sugar more than a half-penny per pound cheaper.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
March 6, 1845. FOND OF SUGAR.

THE AUCTION DUTIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Being a constant reader of your impartial
journal, I take the liberty of addressing you in the
hope that you will give your powerful assistance in
making known, and thereby averting, a grievance which
the contemplated augmentation of the auction license
will effect in districts where employment in that business
is not of every-day occurrence.
In this part of the country a considerable proportion
of the income of an auctioneer is composed of fees for
making inventories and valuations of the goods and
effects of persons who have either died, or been seques-
trated by the Court of Session ; in the former case, for
the purpose of ascertaining the amount of legacy duty
payable to Government ; and in the latter case, to en-
able the trustee to make up a correct state of the bank-
rupt's affairs. Tradesmen and others have, however,
been allowed to perform such duty on payment of a
license of 10s.—a sum always miserably inadequate to
the important privilege conferred by the license. And
now that the expense of an auction license is to be in-
creased three-fold, the appraising license ought, in all
fairness, to be at the same time largely increased. But
should that not be done, a manifest advantage will be
given to the tradesman over the heavily-taxed auctioneer,
who must labour under powerful competition in that de-
partment of his professional duties, by persons acting as
appraisers, many of whom do not take out a license at
all. It is thus evident that in small towns and country
places, this cause will operate to prevent parties
from embarking their money in an auction license, where
the field for realising an adequate return is so very
much narrowed, and, in a financial point of view, the
result will be that the increase in the number of auction
licenses, anticipated by the Minister, will not be realised,
and, consequently, the revenue arising therefrom will
come far short of the estimated sum.

I have no doubt that those who now take out the ap-
praiser's license would net object to its being raised to
about SL, and the poorer classes of the community
might, by the produce of that duty, be benefited in the
remission of taxes on the necessaries of life to the ex-
tent of nearly 10,0001. per annum.
I earnestly hope that the Government will yet attend
to this matter, which, from not having consulted the
parties interested, must have escaped their notice.
I inclose my address for your satisfaction, and remain,
Sir, your most obedient servant,
Dundee, Feb. 28. AN AUCTIONEER.