Star.
London, England, 1827-03-02 00:00:00

Hoo.Geith. congratulated the House and the country on
•ng state of trade and manufactures, at this
moment flourishing
of
universal happiness and content the price of
„m 635. Now, on the other hand, when wheat
:,I,;,o:iya ats 535. universal distress prevailed. In every
ounce sioce 1925, it woul,t be found, that as
csre flourished, trade and manufactures flourished also,
sad that when the one decayed the others decayed with
it He fully agreed therefore in the observation of the
eight Hon. Gentleman, that no case could be produced
when one had decayed and the other flourished. He
was convinced that any measure effecting a reduction
Iron the present prices would be the ruin of thou-
saod, upon thousands of farmers. He knew that
paws were at the present moment an impoverished
class, and that the system of tillage now going on was not
wellcalculated to promote production as the system in
oc a few years ago. These were considerations which
tight to make them cautious how they tried experiments.
By an unsuccessful experiment they might reduce thou-
pads of farmers to ruin, and greatly increase the
present distress of the manufacturing classes. With
ibex views he had felt disposed to deprecate any expe•
rinient whatever; but, as the propositions of Govern-
ment appeared in a considerable degree to conciliate
the favour of the House, he felt that it would be but
justice to the Right Hon. Gentleman to refrain from
pronouncing a decided opinion in opposition to them
till he had given them a more ample consideration.
Mr. FERGUSSON thought that the interests of the
Agriculturists whom he represented, would be pro-
moted by the proposed change of system. The prin-
ciple now about to be introduced, was infinitely pre-
ferable to that of prohibition up to 80s. and unlimiteli
competition above that price, to the system which
turned only upon one pivot. In the details of the plan he
apprehended that some amendments would be found nes
cessary. The prices and duties fixed for oats and barley
were too low in proportion to wheat. If the measure
were carried into effect, taking as it did the proper
remunerating price of oats to be one-third that of wheat,
much land in Scotland would be driven out of cul-
tivation. He hoped the question would not be hurried,
so as to deprive Scotland or any part of the country of
the opportunity of being heard. He agreed in the
principle of the measure, but he thought that oats ought
to be calculated in the proportion to wheat, at a half
instead of one-third, and barley at two-thirds instead
of a half. If he understood the Resolutions correctly,
whenever oats reached 28s. per quarter, they might he
imported duty free from every part of the world. The
price taken as the average for oats was 21s. being no
more than one third of that taken for wheat. If this
proportion was adhered to, the measure would accom-
plish the perfect ruin of a large class of agriculturists.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT expressed his approbation of
the principle of the measure, but thought with the Hon.
Gentleman who tad last spoken, that the relative pro.
porti as of the different sorts of grain were enormous,
and that oats ought to be rated higher. He objected+
to the importation of flour on account of the injury it
would produce to the millers of Ireland, and because
the duty being the same upon all descriptions of flour,
the finer kinds only would be imported, by which benefit
would accrue to the rich, and not to the poor. He
trusted that this would be attended to when the Bill
was before the House, and the opportunity arose of
discussing its provisions in detail.
Mr. BANKES would ask the Right Hon. Gentleman
what effect he anticipated upon the price of Corn from
his plan if it should be carried ? Did he think the pre-
sent price too high at 535. per quarter ?
Mr. Secretary CANNING said, that as it was a mat-
ter of opinion it might be presumptuous in him to answer
the first question. With respect to the second, an
answer to it might be inferred from what he had already
said. He had taken 60i. as the medium from which the
oscillation of price was to proceed, and this certainly
did not indicate that they thought the present price of
535. too much--(Hear).
Sir JOHN WROTTESLEY wished to ask if the
system of bonding was to be persevered in? He op-
posed the principle of the plan, but agreed with the
Hon. Member for the Stewartry of Kircudbright, that
the relative proportion of Barley to Wheat ought to be
taken at two-thirds. He beleved that very cogent reasons
night be adduced against the argument of the Hon.
Baronet in favour of srohibiting the importation of flour.
Mr. GRANT replied that the Bonding System would
not be at all altered by the Resolutions. The assertion
of his Right Hon. Friend as to the extreme fluctuations
since 1815 had been disputed; he would, therefore,
take the opportunity of stating, from the returns he
held in his hand, the price at two different periods
since that time. In June 1817, the price of Wheat was
112 r. 7d. In October 1822, the price was 38s. Id.—
with respect to the ins ortation of Flour into Ireland, if
it was now admissible it would continue so. if inadmissi-
ble, it would remain the same.
Sir J. NEWPORT had been informed that an al-
teration in this respect had been unintentionally effected
by one of the clauses of a recent Statute. Such an
occurrence ought to make them extremely cautious in
their proceedings.
Mr.W. WHITMORE approved of the measures pro-
posed by the Right Hon. Secretary, but he was of opi-
nion that the country would not be so well satisfied
with the proposals which were made to-night as it ought
to be, considering that those suggestions had proceeded
from the Right Hon. Gentleman. The Hon. Member
was proceeding to state his objections in detail to the
scale of duties proposed by the Right Hon. Secretary,
when he was interrupted by loud and repeated
coughing. Having waited until the noise subsided, he
observed, that if he had come down to the House
for the purpose of proposing a counter resolution,
he should not have been so much surprised at the in-
terruption he experierced ; but as that was not the case,
and as he merely expressed, or was about to express, a
very limited opinion, he owned he felt at a loss to ac-
count for the interruption. He conceived that the evils
of the present system would not be alleviated by the
new measure (renewed coughing); considerable flue-
tuations in agricultural produce would be one of its re-
sults, and he was convinced that in the end it would
prove extremely detrimental to the country. He
would not at present, however, go into any details
respecting the propositions of the Right Honourable
Uentleman, but he hoped that when those propo-
sitions came to be considered, that the House would not
attempt to stifle the opinions of those Members who
might colisider it their duty to give a free opinion on
the subject, boa eier t!)at opinion might be opposed to
the senuments of those who thought proper to intel-
laPt—(Hear, hear).
S'r EDWARD KNATCHBULL said, that the ques-
tion at issue as this—vi hither the system of prutsibi-
tiun should be extended or not? From the best judg-
attic he could loom of the subject, he owned he should