Star.
London, England, 1824-02-24 00:00:00

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Mr. CALCRAFT felt much obliged to his Hon.
Friend who had just sat down, for what he bad said en
the subject of those law taxes. They were of a charac-
ter the most odious and oppressive, and were among the
very first effects of taxation, which the people of this
country had a right tb expect would be now done away
with. But he particularly wished to ask the Right
lion. Gentleman what was meant to be done about the
rfpral of the present duty on salt ? ( Hear.) The pledge,
the solemn engagement that Parliament was under to
• the people, was not to be for a moment forgotten.
Tat was—that on the sth of January, 1825, this tax
was to terminate; and he (Mr. Calcraft) was still of opi-
nion that Parliament oteght to redeem its pledge by
taking especial care that at the appointed time the duty
sho•ild be wholly remitted— ( Hear ). . •
Tee CH AgGSLLOR of the EXCHEQUER observed, that as
to the different items which he had selected in kis'statement as pro.
per for the purposes of reduction or Improvement, it was possible
he might have made, out of the number to be moldered, a wrong
choice; It might seem strange, but experience.proved that there.
Was ar much difficulty to be eneriontered in deteAniniug what taxes
ought to be taken off, as there was in ascertaining what might be
put on, 'with the least possible injury to the public interest. lie
begged to assure Honourable Gentlemen that it was Matter of
much difficulty to weigh the reasons fog repealing one tax, against
those whie,h might be urged for the repeal of another ; and the
principle upon which he had acted, in the selection he had made,
was, that the result of his plan would enable ParliantZto to pro.
. vide the means of effecting, at a future time, a further reduc-
tion of taxation ; whereas he conceived that the repeal of those
other duties and taxes that had been adverted to, if effected,
would not leave to Parliament the means of future reduction.—
Ile begged to assure the Honourable Member for blidhurst (Mr.
Smith) that the subject be had addressed the Committee upon, had
not escaped his phservation. He was quite aware that there was a
degree of oppresaion about the operation of the duties in question.
In balancing, however, one duty ag. Tint another, he (the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer)"had been led to think it nould ho more ad-
vantageous to begin by endeavousiug to effect the other objects to
which he had called the attention of the Committee, than by at-
tempting the attainment of other ends, which, however desirable
they might be, would not enable Parliament to repeal either tams
in future. The course be had that nigist recommended, he still con-
sidered to be that which would prime most beneficial to the Public.
Mr. BROUG HA NI felt considerable disappointment at the pro-
ject which had been that night laid before the Committee--(Hear).
IN so saying, let it not be torn moment supposed that be wished to
treat with the slightest disrespect those very sound and enlightened
principles of commercial policy which the Chancellor of the Excise.
quer had so clearly and broadly recognised. Nor weerd he deny
that i t was seldom possible to effect any girt alterations—Ms-
provements, though they might be—in local and commercial
property, without much present injury—(liter, bear, hear).—
It was impossible for them to trace. back their steps frum the exer-
cise of wrong principke to right principles, without working in-
jury or mischief to some extent. It , had been well said, that one
of the miseries of a had system of government or commerce was,
that they could not find their way back through former errors
without, during some intervals, doing still greater injury than wuuki
have been worked in the same space of time had the old system
cold:turd. But if viedrs of commercial improvement, founded upon
filth principles as the Hight lion. Gentleman had been stating, could
• I be carried Into effect, consistently with the good of the whole na.
• tom—(that deposit which was intrusted to the caret/11%6a' inentj—
it would be the duty of she Legislature stoutly and manfully to sup-
port the Covet ninent io effecting them--(Hear). tteservingbis opi-
nion, however, of `the proposed measures In their details, he wished
to be understood as at present expressing his approbation of their
principles only. His great objection to the project which had been
°pent d to the [louse was—not as to the repeal of the fishery and linen
lii.onties, for of that he must approve; not al to that repeal of
dirks which was to be effected on silk by the taking off the duty
on the raw material, and thereby giving to our manufacturer the
benefit of the repeal ; not as to the repeal of the coal duty,
which was called for by so large a proportion of the people, and es-
pecially by those of this metropolis and the adjoining counties; not '
tyro the repeal of the duty on wool, accompanied by a prohibition to
export'the raw material; but his Objection, at present, was to one
or two points, on which he wouldoffer a few observations to the
'louse. He understood, then, that on the hems specified the Might
lion. Gentleman reckoned that there would be a growing' surpius
-tot the protein year of about A 73,0,000, and about double that
arnout.t we. to be calculated on some other branches of the revenue.
Ntiswahis being the statement of the surplus which was to be mail.
We to the !tight lien. Gentleman, what were the effects that
were to blow everts the execution of his plan? The only advantage
that he (Mr. Ilrougharn) could understand as arising from It was,
that coats and silk would be cheaper ; -wool would noz.be mach af-
fected. Now the lightening the duty on coals was p very good mea-
sure, and would be extensively felt by the poor; but the alteration of
the duties 'on silk afforded no such general relief. Then as to rum ;
the proposed reduction of duty was not even suggested to be for the
relief of the consumer, but only of the producer; and as to any -trues.
sure which would have a tendency to render ardent spirits cheaper,
Le confesied that he was one of those who would rather support
that which should make them dearer, for the sake of public murals.
With respect to coals—the other subject an which all persons must
• be pleased on finding there was to be an alteration of duty—it was
to be remembered that it was a benefit that would not extend to
thepoor generally, but patilaliy only ; but to the poor of this city,
and this and some other counties ; it being clear that the poor
..of London were persons,for the most parts better able to pay for this
article than the poor elsewhere. He felt, therefore, that however
sound the principles were upon which some of these duties were
about to be reformed, the application of the surplus revenue that had
been spoken,of was not such as to justify.the public in hoping for
any present relkf front the pleasure °ltasca ; or to give them any con-
fident expectation, that in the course of a few years any other fund
would be realized tbatwould furnish themeans of future and increased
relief. There was yet one mode of obtaining for the people relief from
the taxes that mon heavily pressed upon thetumbkh was not noticed
fn the statement of the Right Hon. Gentleman, hut might be most
salvantageously resorted to--he meant the appropriation of some part
of• the Sinking Fund. Now, a Sinking Fund, especially with
compound haerest—(alaugh),—be took to be one of those errors
that were observed to be daily upon the wane. A very few years,
,pethaps months, would not pass away before a return to the true
/milky would sweep away this anomaly; and his Majesty's Minn-
tees would grant—(grant he would not say, for it would be their
duty to extend)—oot to the prayers of the People (for it would be
their right), the fuU benefit of those just and sound principles, and,
that comprebensiveamlicy, the value and necessity of which had
been preached so long to them from that side of the House, and
had been pressed upon them from ont of doors, day lifter day, by the
- discussions of better educated, and better informed, and more en-
lightened persons than themselves—(A la ugb, and cries of " Hear").
lie objected next to the appropriation of the X 500,1100 received
from Austria, that perfect God-send, as the Right Honourable
Gentleman had described it, to the building of churches. Let it be
remembered, that Parliament bad already granted £1,000,000 for
building churches; and granted it with singular unanimity. There;
was not a murmur from any of the classes from whom the money
was raised—not even from the Dissenters; oho, of necessity, were
excluded from taking any direct benefit in the object of the grant.
It would be a most ungracious return for the liberality of the Dia-
seaters and Sectaries of all denominations, to say—that this " God-
send," should be applied to the building of more churches, fruit
which the whole of their respectable, industrious, religious, and en-
lightened. classes should be excluded : for if they were to be built
upon the same principle as the other churches had lately been, these
sects would virtually be abut out. On these grounds, he should up.
peer this vote, and be rejoiced to find that he should not stand alone.
He would certainly press hip opposition; he trusted the project
would be equally opposed out of doors; and that they who had
acquired equally with churchmen a right so to do, by not opposing
the fine vote, would bring their complaints before a Parliament
talks to redress them, as bearing in its mind the liberal way in
sow pada had acted on a former occasion. Then as to
s* a this half million, if k should be otherwise ypplied,
erekilleMbd as present quite in the way of Ministers, he would sug-
gest dist Sheen Issold be no better means of getting rid of the money
that, tba India* of schools. With the 1,000,0001. already sub-
serlbedjen few churches had been built: to be sure they were
rather awalifittelat strictures, and, indeed, the thing seemed to have
Wen senevellat oveselonealtogether. But he was very sure, that
en the maw Petal leak, 5,500 schools for the education of
youiviogit hat with the mow, In- thatevent there
a le wish in this country. whiCbsu the sum were
•dotrosid, not have its whoa. The money might
• net to be paid, or to be paleY
the won of the feadi, allot ehe erection of the schools, prg ade-
quate ta fuerdsh the secessary compensation. Upon this proposition,

ra11PF.11.7.11.....• -'
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iissurcrviamos.
, - hear/ em ire some mercy upon thitir country-
• men; and, meanwhile; he could no; refrain from observing
upon such a proposition as this, that there was some-
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thing too much like cant in the whole of it—(Hear.)