The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-26 00:00:00

cable to all bacon ? He did not wish to go back to the
discussion of the general question of differential duties,
but he must say that he believed it to be im-
possible to place our colonies on the same
footing as English counties. To propose any was to
propose the same rate of duty upon all articles, come
from what country they would, and not give the colo-
nies any advantages by a false principle of differential
duties.—(Hear, hear.)
The resolution was then agreed to.
On the resolution for imposing a duty upon butter
and cheese being proposed,
Lord J. RUSSELL said, he wished to ask why the
duties on butter and cheese had been maintained
exactly as they were.. It was desirable that the
principle announced by the Right Hon. Gentleman,
by which the Customs Duties were to be reformed,
should be applied to those articles.
Mr. GLADSTONE said that it was necessary
that those duties should continue permanent under
present circumstances. In the first place they brought
in a considerable amount of revenue, and, secondly,
although they were high, they admitted of very con-
siderable relief by allowing of large importation.
Mr. LABOUCHERE thought that it would have
been much better for the Government to have made
up their minds as to what alterations they would make
in all the protective duties. The Right Hon. Gentle-
man said that, in those articles, a considerable
amount of revenue was in jeopardy. Now, it was
quite plain that, from the increased consumption pro-
duced by the lessening of the duty, the revenue would
suffer little or nothing. On all grounds, it was to be
regretted that Government had not made up their
minds as to what was the course which it was j usti •
fiable to pursue towards all interests.
Lord J. RUSSELL thought it would have been
better to have adopted at once a more enlarged and
liberal system in our tariff.

The 'CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said that the Government system embraced all the
main articles of consumption.
Lord HOWICK said that the argument of the
Right Hon. Gentleman as to the necessity of keeping
up the revenue was conclusive that they were not
adopting a system which would give relief. The revenue
would suffer to the whole extent, as though relief were
given to the consumer. If they were to make a re-
duction at all, it ought to be such a reduction as would
afford relief to the consumer. He should, therefore,
move, that the duty on butter from foreign countries
be 10s. instead of ll.—(Cheers.)

Sir R. PEEL said, he was surprised that the Noble
Lord did not carry out his own principle, and propose
that there should be no discriminating duty between
colonial and foreign butter.—(llear, hear.) This
was a question involving 400,0001. of duty,
and the Noble Lord said, that if the Go-
vernment were making experiments in reducing
the revenue, they (the Opposition) ought to have a
hand in it.—(Laughter.) That was a perfectly legi-
timate course of proceeding ; but the Government had
as great a defalcation in the revenue as the finances
would bear. The Noble Lord said they were about
to obtain four millions by the Income-tax. Before
he made any further reduction in the revenue he (Sir
Robert Peel) would like to see it. When they
got four millions and a half, or five millions,
then let them consider further reductions, but when
he brought forward the additional estimates, it would
be found that he had not overrated the financial de-
mands of the country.