Star.
London, England, 1821-04-06 00:00:00

For the Committee -
Against it - -
- Majority
_ ARMY ESTIMATES.

-

- - -34

On re-admission to the gallery, M 1;. RUHR and
Lord CASTLEREAOH were engaged in a conversation
respecting the discussion of the Army and Navy
Estimates on Friday next. The Noble Lord declined
a suggestion of the Hon. Member, for bringing on
these Orders on separate nights, viz. the Navy on
Friday, and the Army on some future day.

REPEAL OF THE TAX ON HUSBANDRY HORSES.
Mr. CURWEN rose to make his promised motion
respecting the Repeal of all Duties on Husbandry
Horses. These taxes pressed heavily on the small
farmer in particular. They were more direct in their
operation, and, therefore, more immediately felt than
the Taxes on. Beer and. Malt. Small as was their
produce, the good effects of taking off this tax would
be acknowledged. He did not expect that its in-
fluence in relieving the Agricultural Interest would
he very extensive, yet-it would be a great ho as to
the smaller farmer. It was a custom, indeed it was
a law, to charge a farmer for a saddle horse, if he
was known to have used any of his horses on any oc-
casion in that way. Now, it happened that there
were few farmers who did not, at one time or other,
ride some of their horses, but surely the law only
meant to bear on those who kept the horse exclu-
sively f.a. the purpose of riding. Again, the horse
which worked the plough was charged. The plough
itself might as well have been taxed, so might the
spade, or the loom ; but was it not against the rules
of political economy to tax implements of trade or.
husbandry? The working horse, he asserted, was
an implement of husbandry. The tax was unequal,
because the pasture lands did not pay a shilling.
Here, then, was the party least able to pay taxed se-
verely, whilst his more opulent neighbour was left
untouched. Suppose a poor man with a farm of 50
acres of clay land : he requires four horses to till
this, in some counties more; he has some little busi-,
ness, perhaps, occasionally to ride one of his horses ;
and what is the consequence ?—for the three working'
horses he pays 17s. each, and for his riding horse
1.:2 10s. He is also charged 10s. 61 for a groom,
though perhaps the horse had never been rubbed with
a wisp of straw, or if he had, it was done with the
farmer's own bands. Besides this, there was the
greatest inequality in some of the counties in Eng-
land, as to the time when the ploughing season could
begin. He asked the Honourable Member for Nor.
folk (Mr. Coke) if there were not in the year full 60
days more for ploughing in Norfolk, than there were
in his (Mr. Curwen's) county (Cumberland)? In or-
der to shew the hardship of taxing a man for a sad-
dle horse, becauseat one time or other of his life he
rode his horse, perhaps, for pleasure, he told a curi-
ous story of what had happened, not long since, in
Cumberland. An old man, who, in his early days,
had been a great fox-hunter, but who was subse-
quently reduced, was going to market with some
commodities, the produce of his little farm. He
jogged on lazily enough, until the thrilling cry of a
pack of hounds, at no great distance, struCkillrear:
The spirit of his youth revived—he flung away his
cabbages and turnips, and despising alike tax-makers
and tax-gatherers, he made his steed sweep the plain
in all the pride of the chase. But the reckoning day
was to come about—the poor fox-hunter was not. to,
bear away the brush with imp Unity—an informer
beard the tale, and made it known at head-quarters
—the poor man was taxed for his spirit, and never
was tax exacted more unfeelingly. This was only
one instance of the hardships which these taxes- pro-
duced. He hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would consent to their repeal, and he way sure the
Right Honourable Gentleman would find no difficult;
in getting a substitute for them. The Legislature
ought not to discourage the cultivation of poor soils;
for, in his opinion, the poor soils supplied two monthi°
corn to the country. The Monarchs of Europe were
now become the corn merchants; and he asked,
would they take our manufactures in return? The
King of Denmark had now a large stock of corn in
Holland, and suppose we should want it, which he
hoped we never should,. would he take our hardware
or pottery in return ? If these men. were thrown out
of work, they should be provided for in some other
way; and he asked, were the landholders Able to
bear any more burthens? The Honourable Member
then took occasion to object to the mode of sun:
charging, and amongst other things, he said, that if
a farmer put a metallic axletree to his cart, which
would enable one horse to do the work of three, he
had to pay for it as a gig, the tax being £6 12s. for
a gig. Ile hoped the Noble- Lord would not refuse
to make some abatement in this tax, and at least he
thought its operation ought to be more equal, and,
indeed, he would recommend all taxes to be taken
off the necessaries of life. He would have an In-
come tax of five per cent. obtained. He would give
his cordial and hearty support to a tax of five per
cent. upon incomes, as it would bring in the fund-
holder as well as the agriculturist. It also appeared
to him that considerable advantages might be de-
rived from taking off the tax upon salt, malt, soap,
and leather. What could be more severe than a tax
imposed upon articles consumed by paupers? Yet it
was an undoubted fact, that this tax amounted to
the sum of £2,000,000 and upwards. The present
system of taxation was most injurious to the morals
of the poor. He must also observe, that by the land
falling off in value, the small towns in the country
must suffer materially. The Right Honourable Gen-
tleman ought to begin the work of retrenchment by
giving his boon to the farmer. The Honourable
Member concluded by moving for leave to bring in
a Bill for the Repeal of so much of the 48th of Geo.
111. and the 2d of Geo. IV. as imposes a Duty upon
Agricultural Horses, and. upon Horses employed to
convey Coaland Sand.
Sir W. W..WYNN said, that the Tax fell heaviest
on poor lands, and on those in which the carriage of
manure was most difficult.
Sir CH AXLES BURRELL observed, that the Tax
fell peculiarly heavy on the poor lands; and in many
cases it was ithpossible to 'substitute oxen for horses.
He hoped Government would take the subject into
their serious consideration. The Tax was wry un-
equal; and, in some grounds that paid five pounds
I per acre, nothing was paid for this Tax. He would