The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-02-11 00:00:00

FRAUDS IN THE TOBACCO TRADE.

(From the Newcastle Journal.)

The disastrous state of our financial affairs so clearly dis-
played iu the luminous speech.of the Earl of Ripon, is not
Ad- be attributed to increased expenditure alone, however
profuse a whit administration may be to its creatures and
dependents. The energies of this country have of late years
been so wonderfully developed that the old taxes would, in
the natural course of things, have produced an increase in
the revenue, sufficient to counterbalance even whig extrava-
gance, if public affairs had been managed with anything like
ordinary ability and diacretipn.. In our last publication we
had occasion to animadvert upon the gross incapacity of the
government in respect to Chinese affairs, by which we shall
lose at least four millions sterling of revenue in tea duty, and
to-day we shall show how the same incapacity and inattention
diminishes our revenue from tobacco, notwithstanding that
tl-e consumption of this article is notoriously increased. This
fact is so clearly established in the petition of the manufac-
turers of Newcastle to the House of Commons, after all their
efforts to induce the government to do its duty had proved
fruitless, that we shall content ourselves with merely pub-
lishing that petition, and allow it to produce its own effect,
without the aid of further comment from us : _ _

To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled,

TILE PETITION OF THE UNDERSIGNED MANUFACTURERS OF
TOBACCO IN NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE,
Humbly Sheweth,—That a system of adulteration of to-
bacco has for some years been practised to a considerable ex-
tent, to the manifest injury of the revenue, and to the ruin
of the fair trader. That your petitioners, in reiterated peti-
tions to the Board of Excise, and to the local officers, have
prayed that the law against adulteration might be put in force,
for the protection of the revenue, and also for the due protec-
tion of your petitioners, who do not themselves practise such
fraud. That, in consequence, several seizures of adulterated
tobacco were made about two - years ago, but Were subse-
quently restored by order of government, without the inflic-
tion of any penalty, notwithstanding that no doubt could
possibly be entertained that the tobacco so seized was in an
adulterated state. That in consequence of these restorations,
the local officers have inferred that it is not the intention of
government to prevent or punish similar frauds ; and, not-
withstanding these local officers are perfectly aware of, and
fully admit the extensive existence of this illegal practice, yet
they refuse to take any steps to punish or prevent it, and
state without disguise (in answer to the urgent remonstrances
of your petitioners), that they are convinced that any exer-
tions on their part for its suppression, would not be accept-
able to their superiors, and that, consequently, they will not
venture to act until distinct orders to do so shall be issued
by the Board of Excise. That your petitioners have in con-
sequence implored the interference of the Treasury, and of
the Chancellor of her Majesty's Exchequer, but that no
attention has been paid to their earnest entreaties. Your
petitioners have prayed a reference to the local officers,
who are ready to bear testimony to the truth of these
allegations, the practice complained of being notorious.
Your petitioners have respectfully represented that the
weight of tobacco upon which duty was paid in the year
ending October 10, 1839, was 1,143,681 pounds less than in
the preceding year, and that the consequent loss of £171,552
to the revenue is altogether caused by this fraud ; it being
the full conviction of your petitioners that the consumption
of tobacco has not decreased. Your petitioners have ie-
spectfully stated that the existing law 1 and 2 Geo. IV. cap.
119, is sufficiently strong to meet the evil complained of, and
have represented that the revenue is defrauded, not only in-
directly, by the non-payment•of duty on the materials mixed
with adulterated tobacco consumed in the kingdom, but also
directly, by the drawback allowance of 2s. 71-d. per pound
claimed and received on tobacco so adulterated when ex-
ported as ships' stores. Your petitioners have prayed the
interference of the local officers of her Majesty's customs to i
check this last-narned fraud, but have met with the same re-
fusal in that department which was given by the officers of
excise, because these officers of customs had previously re-
presented the case to their superiors, and no notice was taken
of their representations. That your petitioners have conse-
quently been left without any protection from ruinous loss in
contending against opponents who have no advantage over
them except the very large profits they derive from defraud-
ing the revenue, and the time is at length come when your
petitioners have only the choice of two evils—either to be-
come fraudulent or to abandon their trade. Your petitioners
therefore pray, that their case may be fully, and at an early
period inquired into, and that they may be allowed to offer
proof of the allegations herein contained ; and further, that
strict orders may be issued forthwith to the officers of excise
throughout the kingdom to enforce the laws for the preven-
tion of adulterating tobacco.
And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c.
ROBT. & WM. JOHNSON. THOS. GRAY.
WILLIAM HARRISON. I JOHN & JAS. S. HARVEY.
ROST. COLHOUN. W. 0. DICKINSON.
JOHN THOMPSON. FEATHERSTON & ELDER.
PRIN GLE & TATE.