The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-24 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY.

The consideration of the report on the new tariff was
resumed.

On coming to the article of timber,
The Marquis of WORCESTER moved its omission from
:he schedule. _ _

Mr. H. HINDE was of opinion that this measure would
prove ruinous to the Canadas, and said that the foreign
shipping trade with the northern ports of the kingdom had
largely increased, while the British shipping trade had di-
minished in a precisely similar ratio, since the former re-
duction of the differential duties on timber.
Mr. CARDWELL quoted several returns to show the ge-
neral increase of British shipping, and contended that the
housewshould he governed by the large majority of the Bri-
tish shipowners, who had become converts to the doctrines
of free trade, and who were prepared to support the mea-
sure of the Government.
Mr. A. CEO APM AN quoted returns to show that the
whole of the Canadian timber trade with Sunderland had
been, since the former reduction of the timber duties,
transferred to Norway. He believed the measure under
consideration would, if adopted, be productive of serious
mischief to the shipping interests.
Lord G. BENTINCK contended that the house was
called upon to agree tdithe amendment by three most im-
portant considerations—the maintenance of the revenue,
protection to our colonies, and protection to our shipping
interests. The noble lord contended that the whole of the
former reduction of duties had gone into the pockets of
the foreign producer, without having in the slightest de-
gree benefitted the consumer. The activity of the Baltic
trade he attributed to the construction of railways, but
when these were completed that activity would cease. He
thought Canada had great reason to feel alarm, and he un-
derstood that in those colonies they were already beginning
to discuss whether they would not be better off if under the
government of the United States. Surely, when America
was arming her seaboard, and John Quincey Adams was
impiously and blasphemously invoking the Word of God
in aid of the hell dogs of war—surely that was not a happy
time for them to alienate the affections of the faithful and
attached Canadian subjects of her Majesty. The proper
answer to send to America would be from the naked sides
of our men-of-war, which would :speak to them in lan-
guage not to be mistaken (great cheering).
Sir G. CLERK was surprised to have heard any argu-
ments in favour of a higher duty on Baltic timber, for
nearly every article in the tariff had been reduced to a
duty of 10 per cent., while a duty of 20 per cent. was con-
tinued on this article. This he thought ought to satisfy
the advocates of protection that the interesfs of those con-
nected with the Canadian timber trade have not been lost
sight of. He begged to inform the noble lord that in con-
sequence of the high price of Baltic timber it had never
been used in railways until within the last year.
Mr. C. BULLER deprecated the language used by Lord
Geo. Bentinck with respect to America, and thought the
course adopted by Sir R. Peel far more dignified than that
of bandying bombast with the braggarts in America, in
the manner resorted to by the noble lord. It was far
better to seek to lay the foundations of peace by the
adoption of a liberal commercial policy than to seek
a rivalry with Mr. Quincy Adams by adopting a tone of
congenial bluster. (Cheers.) The hon. gentleman then
contended that Canada would be well contented to forego
its monopoly of the timber trade provided that the mar-
kets of Great Britain were thrown open to its corn, and
there never was a time when the change :could be made
with such facility and such slightly injurious consequences
to any party whatever as at the present moment.
The house then divided, and the amendment was de-
feated by a majority of 232 to 109.