Star.
London, England, 1828-04-03 00:00:00

CARDS AND DICt.

On the motion cif Mr. DAWSON, the House went

into a Committee on the Cards and Dice Acts.
Mr. DAWSON said, the measure he was about to
submit to the Committee was determined on in conse-
quence of the complaints of the manufacturers of play-
jog cards, and the frauds and evasions which existed
ith respect both to the sale of cards and to the duty
on them. The measure was founded on the Report of
the Commissioners with respect to the insufficiency of
the present law. His object was, by lowering the duty.
to remove the temptation to fraud, to simplify the mode
of collecting ir, and to supersede the use of smuggled
cards, by allowing the sale of second-hand cards with-
out a fresh stamp. The Acts upon this subject, as they
now rood, were injudicious and inefficient, with a
view either to the protection of the duties or the pro.
tection of morals. They were productive of fraud to
the revenue, and injury to the fair dealer. The first
duty imposed on cards was in the reign r f Queen
Anne, and it amounted to sixpence; in the reign
of George 11. it was raised to Is. in the year 1777
to Is. 61 in 1790 to 2s. and in 1802 to 25.61 the pre-
sent duty. This duty was made up in the following
manner. The ace of spades paid Is. 6d. duty; there was
besides 6J. on the wrapper, and 6d. on the label over
the wrapper, so that it was impossible legally to sell a
secondhand pack without a new wrapper and label.
To prove the inefficiency of the present law, it was only
necessary to say, that at present a pack of cards could
be of no use exc pt to the person who first purchased
them, for he was not allowed to sell them. It appeared
very hard that a person, alter paying two hundred per
cent. duty, should be prevented from selling the article
when he thought fit to do so. By lowering the duty,
he had no doubt but the produce to the revenue would
be increased; for it appeared from the first imposition
of a tax on cards, that in proportion as the duty was
increased, the total amount received became less► No.
thing could show more clearly than this the impolicy of
raising a duty too high. He had no return for the reign of
Queen Anne; but in 1750, when the duty was Is. the
number of packs sold was 291;861, and the amount of
duty 14,5931. In 1756, the number sold was 519,166,
the duty 26,6711. Tt.e duty was then raised to Is. 6J.
and the sale tell to 390,456 packs, the duty to 24,1331
In 1720, the duty was increased to 2s. and the sale fell
to 289,779, the duty paid being 28,4771. In 1802 the
duty was further raised to 2s. 6d. the number sold was
181,093 packs, the duty collected 22,0001. In 1826,'
the number of packs was 146,407, the duty 18,300L—
.Nothing could more clearly prove that a rise of duty
led to a diminished consumption. Not only this, but.
it naturally led also to great frauds on the revenue. One
source of fraud was the sale of second hand packs. In
clubs and Gentlemen's houses they tell into the hands
of servants and others, who disposed of them, anu
thus the revenue was defrauded. Another source
of fraud was this. Cards for exportation paid no duty.
The ace of spades only was brought to the Stamp
Office, and the word exportation stamped upon it. The
consequence of this practice was, that many went and
gave a bond for exportation. They.then received back
the ace of spades, which they placed at the back of a
pack intended for home consumption. The revenue was
thus defrauded. There was besides another mc,de of
defrauding the revenue. At Brussels there was a house
employed in the manufacture of cards 3 they made the
caras, they stamped them, and put on them the names
of British makers, and thus they were smuggled into
the country. Thus the Committee roust see, that the
fair trader as well as the revenue must be motel ially in

lured. Under thes, circumstance. the nsanuf.un„ e,
prayed for protection, and u consider .tion it ss;,
thought that the most efFecto .1 u ay of do:wy, this wooli
he tó reduce the duty. Ile should not trouble the IN,
further at present, but propose that the present dote
on cards and dice, and the regulations affecting them
portation of these articles, should be repealed.
• The Resolution being put,
Sit JOHN NEWPORT said he did not mean is
oppose the principle of increasing the consumption ti
any article by a reduction of duty. It naturally, hot
ever, must attract observation, that cards and die
should be the first article to wt ich Government appl of
the experiment of reducing duties. It would have bes,
much better if they commenced with the duty on it
surances. The public would, perhaps, be disposed h
think that cards and dice were the vet y last subject is
which Government would direct astir attention in the
way of reducing taxes. The Honourable Gentleman
(Mr. Dawson) alluded to the proposed measure as one
for the protection of moral,. He ni ver heard of any
writer upon morals, who maint tined that seducing the
price of cards and dice had a tendency to improve the
public morals.
Mr. HUME said, he quite differed from his Right
Hon. Friend who spoke last. It appeared to him that
the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Dawson; had made out a
very strong case, and he hailed, the proposition at a
first approach to sound and just principles, even with a
view to morals. Would the prevention of smuggling
in this article have no tendency to improve morals?...
(Hear, hear.) The use of cards or dice would se
be increased by reducing the duty, but they would core
legally into the hands et all who wished to use thee
It was not the people of Brussels who were to Walk
for the manufacture of cards, nor those who smuggle
diem into this country; they had to blame themsehe
for keeping up such a system of law as naturally ledt
smuggling.
Sir C. BURRELL said he was disposed to commit

what fell from the Honourable Gentleman who spok
last. He rose principally for the purpose of makiat
one or two observations on the House Tar. It was no,
so very irregularly assessed as naturally to lead to sots
suspicion of unfairness. There was a friend of his, who,
while a bachelor, was assessed at 2001. he afterwards
married, and took a house, one third larger, in thesauri
street, and then he was assessed at only 1001. Witl
respect to the duty on policies of insurance against fire
it appeared to him impolitic to keep it so high. Hi
knew a person who, on being informed that if he in
sured three-fifths of what he paid would go in the shape
of duty, said he would sooner take all the risk ca
hims-If—(Hear.)

The Resolution was agreed to.
Mr. DAWSON said, that it had been remaikedi•
the Hon. Member for Waterford that it would bar
been better not to have commenced the experiment w:
cards and dice. The truth was, that when it was fi

propcped to him (Mr. Dawson) to bring forward tr
reduction of the duty on cards and dice, he express
his unwillingness, a, Secretary of the Treasu►y, to cr
mence with cards and dice, and stated his desire to be
with some more important object in the reduction
taxation. However, as the complaints of the mar
facturers of cards were ♦ery urgent, and as the cl,
was clearly excessive, he was induced to introduce t
subject at once to the consideration of the House.
was his intention to propose a reduction of the dr.
from 2s. 6d. to Is.—(Hear, hear, hear).—He wisps
particularly to state, in answer to an of serves
which had fallen from the Honourable Baronet, tt
one great reason which weighed with him in reduo
the duty on cards was this—by the law the penal

for forging the stamp on the ace of spades was the
as that attached to any other forgery, and he cone
that he did the public benefit by decreasing the d
and thus lessening the temptation to commit
offence. He hoped this explanation would be satisia
tory to the Hon. Baronet, for whose opinion he env
tained a very great respect. With respect to the cis
cumstance of this being the first act of the Govel met
having for its object a remission of duties, he begge,
leave to say, that the Government were not remiss it
the consideration of that subject. The House must lit
aware, that his Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, on the occasion of a Petition being pre.
seated, playing for a reduction of the duties payable on
insurances, stated to the House that he had that subj ct
under consideration. If that consideration should kid
his Right Hon. Frienel to consent to a reduction of thrse
duties, he, for one, should receive that decision sib
much satisfaction—(hear); for he certainly considered
it to be a very hard case to make individuals pay take
as much to the Government as they paid to the iner-
rune office. The subject was, however, under cosy
deration. The Hon. Gentleman then moved a Resit,
tioa, imposing a duty of Is. on every pack of play':
cards, and a duty of 20s. on every set of dice.
Mr. HUME asked whether the duty on dice was 3:t
to be repealed by the present measure ?
Mr. G. DAWSON answered, that the diminution

the present duty on dice was not included in these lie.l
solutions; though when he remembered that the dim'
on dice was twenty shillings on each set. and the vslu!
of a set of dice only Is. 6d. he could promise IF'
Hon. Gentleman that the article of dice should mew
his consideration.