The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-18 00:00:00

a redaction of duty, a greet increase in manufacturing
exports, and if they recollected that there could not be
an increase in our expert of manufactures without an increased
demand for labour, that would be some compensation for the,
less of revenue. So it was with the duty on wool. Would it
not be irrational to regard as lest the 100,000/. s'ibtracted from
the revenue, in consequence of the reduction of duty on wool,
ober, that reduction was known to have spread over our wool-
len districts an activity in the manufaoture, and a comfort
among those employed in it, seldom known before ; and would
not the Noble Lord fi id in the increased demandfor Industry, and
the increased demand for the articles of necessary consurnptioe,
ample compensation for the reduction of the duty on wool.
He could foretel that the loss on coals would amount to
600,0e0/. ; but if that loss were incurred, they had the
satisfaction of knowing that they entered into competition
with their formidable rivals in trade upon better terms;
and the advantages which they would derive from so en-
tering into competition would more than compensate theta,
as be calculated—would compensate them in a three-fold
degree, for the loss they might sus. air. The Noble Lord might
be entitled to say, on reviewing the tariff, that he said that
taxes had been reduced, and that there had not been an in•
crease in the revenue in consequence. He had told the House
on a former night what might possibly be the advantages de- 1
rived from a continuance of the income-tae. He did not wish
to say that the tax ought to be continued for a longer period
than that which he had stated. for he did not think it likely that
the House would wish nor consent to it as a permanent tax. i
He thought that, previous to an experiment on what consti- '
tuted a very onerous taxation, that the House would con-
sent to the renes al of the income-tax—he hoped that it
would do so during a period of peace ; and hoped, too,
that in a period of peace they would not impair its efficacy '
during a time of war by too many exemptions..—( Hear,
hear.) At the same time, he mutt say, that the tax
now was much less onerous than it had been felt to
be during the years le4l or 1843. There were much less
complaints now made at the Stamp-office ; and he must also
:say that he did not expect tha', from the payment of the tax
itself, any urgent demand would be made on Parliament to re-
peal it immediately. The Government was deeply convinced,
seeing the nature and importance of some of the duties that
were about to be repealed—seeing that the duties on glass pre-
vented the success of the manufacture of that article ; and see-
ing the dangers that threatened their cotton trade from the in-
creasing competition to which it was exposed, they were, he
,repeated, decidedly of opinion that the duties on glass and
.cotton should be repealed, that both required that repeal, and
star the most urgent reasons.—(Hear, hear.) It was from that
conviction—it was from the well-founded belief that all classes
of the community would be benefited by the remission of taxes
that interfered with manufacture, that they had come to the
conclusion that it was necessary to propose for three years the
continuance of the income-tax, and he did hope that such a pro-
position would be supported by the almost unanimous concur-
ranee of the House.—( Hear.)
Lord FIOWICK (who rose amidst cries of " Chair, chair")
said that he would not occupy the House many minutes—
( Hear, hear)—but he could not, after the speech of the Right
Hon. Baronet, avoid expressing his disappointment. After the
statement of his Right Hon. Friend near him, as to the ge-
neral doancial condition of the country, and after the state-
ment of the Right Hon. Baronet himself, he could not but
express his disappointment that the Right Hon. Baronet had
not answered the statement of his Right Hon. Friend in the
!whole course of his speech.—( Opposition cheers.) He (Lord
Idowick ) would ask what, according to the Right Hon. Baronet's '
pawn figures, incorrect as he thought they were, what was the
state of affairs ? His Right Hon. Friend had shown what that
was upon the figures of the Right Hon. Baronet. It was this,
that although they were renewing the income-tax for three
years, And that their getting rid of that tax was a prospect
further and further removed, like the visible horizon on a large
plain, retiring tee the same distance from the vision the more
you expect to approach it—( A laugh)—for it was now inti-
mated that it might yet be continued for five years instead of
three. Notwithstanding this, there would still be a surplus in
the next year of only 90,0001.—( Hear, hear.) At present the
Right Hon. Baronet had a surplus of 3,400,0001. to deal with,
and out of that surplus he at once disposed of 310,0001.
( Hear. ) He (Lore! H•) would ask was a surplus of 90,0001.
sufficient to calculate uptie for the emergencies of this country ?
—( Hear.) The year which has! Passed was one of a great
harvest and unusual prosperity; and was .
it advisable to run the
balance of the expenditure for the next year s•-; close and fine?
.—(Hear.) If they did so, they would run a greai !ilk of a
positive deficiency. Not only that, but the Right Hon. Brues-
net, on the most favourable showing, expected only a surplus of
90,0001. Small as that balance was, it was entirely problema-
tical, and depended entirely upon the raising of a large addi-
tional sum upon sugar.—( Hear, hear.) He believed that no
one gentleman, on one side of the House or the other,
would venture to nay that such a surplus would be rea-
lised. The Right Honourable Baronet calculated it upon no
less than one-fifth of the whole consumption, and upon no less
a sum than one million, the receipt of which was entirely pro-
blematical. If there were any disappointment in the receipt of
that sum, there would be no surplus but a deficiency. When
they consented to the continuance of the income-tax, was it a
satisfactory state of things, that they should have
We f a posoritione
ve
deficiency instead of a surplus?—( Hear, hear. )
thought it most unsatisfactory.—(Hear, hear.) He like his
flight Hon. Friend objected to the continuance of the tax, but,
U. him, he did not see how it was to be dispensed with.
'l,';ey were willing to vote for it as a tem-
porary measure. But they thought that in so
voting
.for it, the country was entitled to such an arrangement
as to give a well-founded hope that at the expiration of threer
years they would be able toget rid of it.—(Hear, h
There were two descriptions of taxes which were certain to
give great relief without loss to the revenue—he meant, first,
the protecting duties.—( Hear, hear.) Now, what was a pro-
tecting duty ?—( Cheers.) It was a duty which levied much
money from the people which never went into the Treasury.—
(Cheers.) For instance, the duty on sugar.—( Hear, hear.)
Sugar could be obtained from Brazil at 12s. or 143 a lundred
weight of an equal quality to colonial sugar, and the people of
this country were compelled to use colonial sugar. They were
levying the money which ought to go into the Trea-
sury, and as the Honourable and Learned Member for
Bath himself said, part went into the pockets of the
West Indian, and part was absolutely wasted.—( Hear, hear.)
There were other duties which might be repealed with ad-
vantage for financial purposes. He meant those duties which
were too high, and which encouraged smuggling, and the re-
einction of which would cause an increased consumption and an '
improved revenue. The public would gain and the treasury
would pot suffer. if they were to put the duty upon sugar
upon a fair and reasonable footing, and get rid of the distinc-
tion between slave-grown sugar and free-labour sugar. he be-
lieved that in a financial view the revenue would gain. But
fla would go further, and say that when they made any redac-
t-kin on sugar they ought to take the opportunity of equalising
the duties wherever the sugar came from. Instead of loosing
3 500,0001, as was proposed now, and which was wantonly thrown
sievay, the revenue would gain. The protecting duty on cheese and
lettster, and other articles, might be abolished with advan-
tage. There were other duties of extravagant rates, and great
cost in collection, such as the duty on tobacco, which ought to
have been considered on this occasion.—( Hear, hear.) The
last mentioned ditty was exorbitant and was productive of in-
finite smuggling. The Right Hon. Baronet would have done
great benefit to the country if he had dealt on the principle of
common sense—that is, of free trade.—(Cheers and a laugh. )
And if he did not de so. how could he expect that, in the abort
space of three years, ha would be able to make a surplus
(Ilsart hear.)
sufficient to dispense with the income-tata.?— e
gut he did not object to the vote the Cl irmaheld in
most his
' eseaelee, He only took that opportunity of sayingnhe did
on& protest against the measures by which the renewal of
the ineoreeetase was to be accompanied. The people of this
were going to be builred with a most oppressive tax,
gountr;
1,2 aright to expect that it :..,old be accompanied
and they hold out a reas-onah4i expectation
by measures whe"ll would
years there would he a prelsebi-
that at the expiration ....s.! three
•Cheers.)
pity of their being released t::72 it' —4
the
.House that at that late
Sir JOHN TY II RELL assuret:
but for a very few '
period of the evening he would detain tie:"
1'
minutes. It seemed to be the general consent t.. at this was to
:.7.erest
he the final and closing debate as far as the agricultural'
was concerned ; and, as a humble representative of that body,
he thought he had reasonable claim upon the attention of the
House. He must say that, notwithstanding the able speech tat
the Right Hon. Baronet that night, and the three hours'
speech of the previous night, in which not only had the Right
Hon. Barouet taken a must able and comprehensive view of every
interest in existence, except that greet interest of which he
was an extremely humble representative. Still, he must say,
that he participated in the opinion of those who thought
that that interest had been hardly dealt with. It was some-
what. ominous that the 14th of February—viz., St. Valentine's
Day—(Laughter)—was a most unfortunate day for the
agricultural interest. because, when the Right Hoe. Baronet
on the 14th of February, 1834. was paying his addresses
to that interest he .said—(Continued laughter)—and the lan-
guage that he used upon that occasion would not, he was
sure, be tedious to the House. —( Hear.) At any rate it
would be intelligible to the country, and would
let them know what they were to expect from
any future Minister. It would', show, too, on what grounds
the agricultural interest had been led to entertain those hopes
which he regretted to say had been blasted by her Majesty's
Government, who had n e felt it their duty to show their feeling
for the agricultural interest of the country in the shape of their
financial interest. He held in his hand a sufficient proof to
justify the agriculturists in their expectations, and he hoped
it would receive the beet attention of Hon. Gentlemen oppo-
site. The Right Hon. Baronet was a very difficult bird to lay
salt upon his tail—(Laughter)—he could not expect those
lion. Members would think over the obtuseness of any agri- 1
cultural member whose hand was confined to the plough
and whose conversation was of oxen. But still he did think
that the Right lion. Baronet had used the agriculturists
with extreme hardship after taking the cheers and confider-ice of
that interest at Cambridge. It was glaring, not only from the
language of the Right Hon. Baronet, but from the fact that a
Noble Lord was translated to the other side, for no other
serviees than those which he he had rendered to the agricul-
tueal interest.
Several HON. MemilEashat Noble Lord?
Sir JOHN TYRRELL alluded to Lord Ashburton. He
'maid take the liberty of reading one or two short ex-
tracts, expressing, as they did, what that body had a right to
expect. The Right Hon. Baronet hail objected that no means
had been suggested for relieving this interest, but they had relied
upon his devising some measures for this purpose. He did not
say that any direct remission of taxes would have such an effect,
but still he thought some commiseration ought to have been
expressed, for the sufferings of the agricultural body. He
quoted frinn a debate which took place on the 14th of February,
1834, en the subject of the Budget, brought forward by Lord
Althorp. On that occasion the Right lion. Baronet had
shade use of the following expression--" It was admitted that
there was the sum of 1,200,0001., which might be appropriated
to the reduction of taxation. It would be difficult to show how
that could be employed se as to give relief to the agriculturists.
tut if it could be shown that relief could be given, the I,o' 10,000/.
ought undoubtedly tobe appropriated for that purpose. He could
say that relief ought not to be given at the expense of the
puhlic credit, but if it could be given without injury to the
p.blic credit he should most certainly
.advise it." The Right
Hon. Baronet concluded by expressing this opinion—" He
hoped the Noble Lord would keep his eyes open to the opinions
expressed in his, lealnale,V
tural interest s speech wile regard to the agricul-
oot allow the session
trusted the Noble Lord would
effect to them." Zge to terminate without giving
thatrlanguage of that kind they
bad a right to expectsomething would be done for
them. They relied upon his wisdom, stl'iiat sdns his acuteness, and his
aud they expectedingenuity, beforen that time some relief
woald have been afforded.causes l:ad been assigned
for the agricultural distress, but Manye believed in the prevailing
opinion amongst agriculturists that the , whether
founded in mistake or not, was attributatetreto"the course
of measures which had been introduced into that House
by the Right Honourable Baronet, tending
done to depreciate the value of agriculturalas they had
The language of Lord Ashburton, also, or, the occjornod whneen
e.
corn was proposed to be introduced from the Channel islands,
was worthy of note. The Hon. Member then read an extract
from a speech by Lord Ashburton, deprecating the introduction
.of so much corn from Canada, the greater part of which, he
Said, cane, no doubt, from the United States. He did not
Wan -to argue that any conclusive opinion was there ex-
,:vmsed ; butir,thet.ngricultural interest were under the im-
presaion that they
. , e suffering from that cause, surely it was
Wet.
st reason why great `disappomtment and anger should be ex-
e,., pressed and Oreat grievances stated by the agricultural inte-
e,... t ,
-- ~ sea -,,e(i, .Wence of the measures of the Right Hon. Ba-
Y- ' ~
t;:, -,-:Aisri: .OW no hesitation in saying, also, that he
-:\- ... ii-lisk .:i* 41 interest had been hardly dealt with by
; ~-elii- '. , - .. • ofimber for the City of London. He had
401'4;46
s.- -Aebonilaii 'Wick with the Noble Lord on this subject.

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