The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-24 00:00:00

COPYRIGHT BILL.

The Copyright Bill was then pro forma, and
ordered to be re-committed on the 16th April.
EXCHEQUER BILLS BILL.
M:r. C. BULLER wished to ask the Right Ho,
pourable Baronet what course he intended to pursue
with regard to the Exchequer Bills Bill ?
He believed there was no difficulty about the Bill ; the
discussion would be very short; and it was not fair to the
holders of Exchequer bills to delay, from day to day, the
appointment of a Committee to inquire into their claims.
Sir R. PEEL said that he understood that the late
Solicitor-General had intended to introduce some
amendments into the Bill regarding certain legal
questions that might be likely to arise. No
unnecessary delay had occurred in passing. the mea-
sure ; the House had sat night after night until
nearly two o'clock in the morning—(llear, hear)—
and there had been no opportunity of discussing
those amendments to which the late Solicitor-General
attached great importance.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, his Hon. and Learned
Friend the Member for Worcester wished to in-
troduce certain amendments. The discussion would be
but short, and he thought the best way would be to fix
an early hour on some particular day for the discussion.
He wished to ask another question with respect to the
Act that had so often been referred to, the Act of 1806.
As the Right Hon. Baronet had relied 'on that Act for
the chief machinery for raising the income tax, and as
that Act had been repealed, it would. be very desirable
that the House should be enabled to see what the general
machinery of that Act was. He therefore wished to ask
the Right lloti. Baronet if he had any objection to print-
ing that Act in a separate form, for the use of Members
of that House ?

Sir R. PEEL said ho should not have the slightest
objection to move that the Act referred to should be
printed.

EXCHEQUER BILLS.
Sir R. INGLIS. asked when the Exchequer Bills Bill
would be proceeded with ?
Sir ROBERT PEEL said, with respect to the Ex-
chequer bill inquiry, it was a peculiar case. With
respect to the Exchequer bills' Bill, he cotild not do better
than propose that the Bill fshOuiddOtlie oil at five o'clock
on Monday fortnight, ill the hope that he. should then
be able to proceed with other questions.
INCOME TAX.

Mr. BLEWITT then rose, and said he had at last
got an opportunity of . asking the attention of the
House ; he still thought, as lte• did on Monday last,
that the proposed income tax was being pressed
on with indecent haste,- and that the Right Hon.
Baronet was only relying on his majority in that
House to carry a tax upon which the people had no
opportunity of expressing their opinion. He really
thought the Right Hon. Baronet was proceeding against
the principles and constitution of the House. He un-
derstood that the object of a Committee of Ways and
Means was to raise money for the purpose of supply ;
but the object of the income tax was to raise money for
taxes which the Right Hon. Baronet was going to take off.
Being of the opinion that the measure was pressed for-
ward with indecent haste, he would move that the Order
of the Day on Public Works be read.—(Oh, oh.)
The SPEAKER said the Orders of the Day should
be taken in regular succession. The question was, that
he should leave the Chair, and it would not be in accord-
ance with usage to take another Order of the Day into
consideration.

Mr. BLEWITT, then, would beg to move that the
tariff be considered before they proceeded with the in-
come tax.—Laughter.,

The 'SPEAKER 's-aid that would not be a regular
course.

Mr. BLEWITr---May he beg to know why it was not
usual?—(Continued laughter.)
The SPEAKER, explained,
The question that the S.litalter do leave the Ohitir wns
then put, and agreed to amid eonsideraße laughter:
The House then went into a eenthaittee of Ways and
Means, Mr. Geetzte. in titteoiihir.
INCOME TAY.
The resolutions the Committee haying been mixt,'
Lord R. GI3,OYENOIt said he fzlt how Mine:lilted
he was to eur:f„ge the attention Of the House on the all-
hriportant, question which now engageli. its' ttention. lie
would not have ventured to iatrune on the Masa at all,
did he ;tot feel that he eutortained 'opinions Nu the sub-
ject. different from tiossa o'f all the spenkers who preceded
Atm, and it was on that account, teat he solicited the in-
( diligence 4 the -House while he endeavoured briefly
ito state the course he meant to pursue. The case of the
Right Bon. Baronet was, he believed, that in consequence
of the deficiency in the revenue, ,as compared with
the expenditure, and the absolute necessity that tkisteil
of devising some means to raise the revenue to the
amount required for exigencies of the State ; that on
account of the disturbed condition of our Indian posses-
sions, . and also o our relations - with China ;
and besides, by. reason of the alteration .alich
her Majesty's Government contemplated vnakiug
in the commercial tariff; and, moreover, in conse-
quence of its not appearing practicable to raise
any considerable amount of revenue from lowering
the taxes on articles of consumption ; that for all thisSe
reasons, recourse Must be had to iiirett taxa-
tion, and of all other mules of -taxation nT,al
an income tax, which it was proposed t 9 inipase at filo
slic.c";rully as
it was iatelidvA to lay
seemed so likely to- operate,
tax,
rate.. of 7d. in the pound. rte *as tweets thit'it
stamps and traits in Ireland ;
ino n a n additionadditional
also the export of coal the aneennt of 4s.' per ton. With
respect to the incone tas: tt had been urged by Hon.
Gentlemen on the,t the Opposition) side of the
tc
duty this
House, that it his an unjust tax, an odious and
inquisitorial one, and intolerable in whatever shape
it might be imposed. 'lt had been also said that the
Right honourable Baronet had greatly exaggerated
the necessities of the case. In proof of this, it was al-
leged that there was a long :list of taxes producing
many millions annually, which might be modified so'as
Alto give the required amount to make up- the deficit.
though he (Lord Grosvenor) was aware that the
Right Hon. Beronet was at issue on most of those with
Gentlemen on that side of the House, yet there was tine point on. which the Right- hen.' Gentlertihrt-doneurned
with his opponent, and that was, that. nothing but the.
greateat • necessity could call for the impoitiou of
•