Star.
London, England, 1824-05-22 00:00:00

WOOL DUTISS.

The CHANCELLOR of tile EXCHEQUER moved
the reading of the Order of the DAy for going into a
Committee upon the Wool Importation and Exportation
Duties Bill.

Mr. CURTEIS opposed the motion. Although the
measure had arrived at this advanced stage the House
had never had an opportunity of discussing it. lie
trusted he should be supported by the Irish Gentlemen,
as wool was a most important article in the trade of
Ireland. He thought the doctrine of free trade had been
put forth to a kind of frenzy. He opposed the motion.

. -
On the CHANCELLOE of the EXCHEQUER moving that the Speaker
do now leave tlig Chair,
Mr. CURTEIS moved u an amendment that the word" now"
be altered " to this day six months"-- Loud laughter).
The SPEAKER begged the Hon. Member would be good enough
to alter the form of his amendment—(Renewed laughter).

Mt. CURTEIS apologized for Lis mistake. and moved
House should " go into the Committee" that day six months.

Sir E. KNATCHBULL thought there would he no
inconvenience in going into the Committee, though he
concurred in the general view taken by the Honourable
Member for Sussex.

Mr. S. WORTLEY opposed the motion, though hefor one should not stand against what appeared tote
the general opinion of the 1-louse.
Mr. BENETT (of Wiltshire) was convinced that tliz
Chancellor of the Exchequer had taken cortect view;
of the subject, but he thought the Inapt): t and Etprt
Duties should be equalized.
Mr. T. WILSON fully concurred in the general p-hl.
ciples which had been adduced respecting free Ira t„.,
but he did not approve of the giving away a [(hit:ye
benefit on the mere expectation of receiving froal a riv,;
a corresponding benefit in return.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE.-1,1:1,1t said
the principle of the Bi:l was, whether I:I:: 1)!Ity
Wool should be reduced, and whether the exportation
of Wool should be allowed, leaving die quantum and
the detail of each to be disposed of in a Ccinmitte...—
This was the usual and more convenient cour,e.

V

Lord MILTON toully differed lions his Honourable
Colleague (Mr. Stuart Wot tley), and thought the mei.
sure was a wise one, and likely to be beneficial to tse
country. He %idled to encoarage the inicortation of
every description of foreign wori, in order that it might
be mixed up with the English. This as his view of
the principle of the Bill, and he di 1 1-i we himself
much trouble about the detail. II r t‘;i- ,ati,fied that
foreign competition would he ~c,
Sir JOU NEWPOW:, Mr. Al ter,. si,
H. SUM N ER, Mr. Cut PI'S, and Sir Jou N Fi ER, sup.
ported the Motion.
Mr. H. DAVIS opposed the Miition, and no!iced 11:e
partiality, which he said had Bern .hewn to the OA.
manulactureis, when the Silk Duty was altere.l, while
the wool-dealers wei e left with •ut any protection at all.
The latter were entitled tux honns as much as the for.
mer, though they had not brought a lirge audience
round the House.

The Amendment was negative.l without
and the House went into a Co'mui:t:ee ;

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER sue.
gested that it might be better for the House to discuss
each part of the Bill by Used. The first clause merely
provided for a repeal of the pre:.elit duties on the
im-
portation of wool, leaving the amount of the alteratiaa
(which was in the nature of a reduction) to he derided
afterwards. He did not concur in opinion wish tbe
Honourable Member for Su;sex on this put t, ;hough
that Honourable Member appeared to think the dial-
was so precious a rclique of our antiquated system.
The duty had always been tteated as an article of le-
venue, and was never intended (as was erriare(lisly
suf-
posed) to be merely a prn!cction to the a.,.:icuitural
interest. He believed its repeal, however, %‘0,11,1 be as
beneficial to the agiicultist as to the martin:glair:cr.—
The question then was as to the time for carrying the
reduction into effect. Upon this pail of the st.biret he
denied that there was any parthility. The date lie pro.
posed to fill up was that which was reccmmcaded by
the Wool Committee. He admitted this; Ate' ards,
these Gentlemen saw new lights, and wished the time
to be extended, saying, that so early a day as the halt
of September would he ruinous to ti:e trade. Ile wiis
rather sceptical on this point—(n lough)—particularly
when the Gentlemen, in imitation rf the silk-dealer:,
called out for compensation as to the 10,s upon stock in
hand. He therefore thought himself jultatieJ in pre•
posing the day first metiuoued by thcoselves. I!:
moved, therefore, that the blank in the clause be fined
up for the 10th day of September.
Mr. BRIGHT called up.m the House to make a cFs-
tinction in this clause for the benefit of those who held
wool which had actually paid the duty. This was the
case with many of his constituents, who would be se-
riously injured by the unqualified operation f the pre-
sent law. As to the proposed date he would only sag,
that the later it was the better.

Mr. HART DAVIS supported the opinion of tL
last speaker.
Mr. BENETT (of Wilts) denied that there was any
sound reason tor entertaining the distinction called r
by the Honourable Members for Bristol. There would
he no end of such a principle: if it were enter tamed at
all, it must be extended to the drape:- and the taih:r.
The motion was agreed to, and the suhsequesit
were filled up in the clause, and the clause itself e.ls
also agreed to.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER their
proposed the clause for allowing the expo! tation of woe 1
after the 10th day of December next. He had pro7osed
this late day out of respect to the manufacturers,
though he did not think there was any reason for tl.eir
fears if an earlier day was fixed.
Mr. W. WHITMORE supported the clause, wrc:e
he conceived, would lead to the exportation of heel
yarn. He thought the measures of Government en
this subject were wise, and likely to prove beneficial.
Mr. T. WILSON opposed the clause. Yarn was al-
ready exported to a considerable extent, so that the ar-
gument of the Honourable Member did not appear to
him (Mr. Wilson) to bear upon the question.
Mr. CRIPPS thought the measure ought to be qua-
lified as much as possible.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY opposed the clause. He
thought it quite anomalous in leL.islation, that we
should give away an article of which we had the ex-
clusive growth, and from which we derived an exclnsivc
trade. By adopting this clause, we 'should be giving
away without any return. Free trade had been talked
of, but there was nothing of free trade in this, for there
was nothing of reciprocity. Foreigners wanted long
wool, and wherever long wool could be grown, it had
been introduced. He had endeavoured to persuade
Government that they had been acting on wrong prin-
ciples in this measure, and as a Country Gentleman
who derived his income from this source, he declared
that he deprecated the whole measure.
Lord MILTON supported the clause. He conceived
that it was a measure calculated to benefit the whole
country, without reference to one class or another. He
was convinced we could take this wise measure with
safety, from the silence of the farmers, who would cer •
tainly complain if there were any danger to their in
terests. The tendency of the existing laws was to check
and cramp the growth of wool in this country. Being
of this opinion, he could not do otherwise than support
any measure which had the effect of repealing then
laws. He was convinced that the adoption of this claw
would have that effect, and he should vote for it.

Mr. Cll AR LES GRANT observed, that prolubitiorq
were no part of the ancient policy of the Kingdom•
But putting this aside, Le should like to know wlia:
could be advanced in favour of the present prohibitr.,
system with resrect:io wool ? It could not be deferide,,

ercept upon the grrmnd taken by the Honourable
Member for Yorkshire, that there was something pe-
culiar in the soil of this country exclusively favourable
to the growth of long wool. In answer to this, he
could only refer to the conviction formerly entertained,
that the Sdanish wool could not be grown in any
country hut Spain. Not only, however, had this been
disproved, but the Saxon wool was absolutely an im-
provement upon it.
yr.& WORTLEY denied that such good wool could be pro-
duced in this country u in S.:xony or Spain.
Mr. BENETT said, that the denial of the Honourable Member
for Yorkshire, had no sort of effect whatever, unless he produced
proofs of what he said.—After a few words from Mr. S. WOILTLIT,
the clause was Agreed to.
The Committee divided upon the Export Clause.:
For the flame, 180 1 Against it, 20 I Majority in favour, 160.
Sir E. KNATCH BULL moved that the duty, instead of being
tyro-pence, should be one penny—The House divided.
For the Amendment, 102 I Against it, 83 I Majority, 19.

The Clause as amended was agrekd to.
The CH A NCEI.I.OII of the EXC.; H EQUERtben consented to
le the Duty on Yarn be the same as the Duty just reduced on Wool.
The Bill having passed through the Committee, the House re-
sumed, and the report was ordered to he received on Monday.
The remaining Orders were disposed of, and the !louse adjourned
at One Mock.

Ti 14; EV ENING STAR.

LONDON.

SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1824.
THE FUNDS.

STOCK MCC!' ANC R. TWKLV IC O'CLOCK.

Consols opened this morning at 96 for the Amount, but soon
aßerwards became heavy, and lowered to 95i to 9G; for nekt time
961, e, with little business doing.