The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-01-18 00:00:00

MEETING ON THE TEA QUESTION

On Friday, at noon, an important and influential meet-
ing was held in the Sessions House, for the purpose of
endeavouring to induce the government to reduce the du-
ties on tea. The chair was occupied by the Mayor, T. B.
Horsfall, Esq. Amongst those present were William
Rathbone, Esq., William Jackson, Esq., M.P., Sir Thos.
Birch, M.P., William Brown, Esq., M.P., H. Winch,
Esq., Robert Gardner, Esq., of Manchester ; Messrs.
Jones, Harrison, Jas. Lawrence, H. Bright, J. B. Moore,
Stitt, J. T. Crook, J. Lockett, Farrar, W. Earle, Steins,
Robertson Gladstone, J. Fryer, W. Hill, G. H. Horsfall,
Dr. Hume, Messrs. J. R. Jeffery, J. Smith, H. Littledale,
J. Turner, L. Heyworth and J. A. Tinne.
The MAYOR stated (amid much applause) the objects
of the requisitionists had his entire concurrence. The re-
duction of the duty on tea was a question of great com-
mercial importance, and one that affected the social wel-
fare of the people. He trusted the subject would there-
fore be discussed dispassionately, apart from politics, and
in such a manner as to command the attention of govern-
ment. The duty they sought to reduce was an exorbitant
one on one of the almost necessaries of life. The mer-
chant said, if the duty were reduced, he could export a
much larger quantity of our manufactures : the manufac-
turer, that, in the same case, he could give more extensive
employment to labouring population ; the operative, that
the change would give him comforts and enjoyments in
his home, now almost confined to the wealthy. He called
on

Mr. S. HOLME, who (as well as every speaker who suc-
ceeded him was received with much applause throughout)
moved the first resolution, (for which, and those that fol-
lowed, see the advertisement.) The resolution, he said,
set forth the injustice of the present tea duty. Tea was
now an article not merely of luxury but of necessity to
rich and poor; yet the same duty was levied on the lowest
qualities as on the highest. He illustrated the operation
of this by a hurnourous anecdote, showing that a duke,
with his £150,000 a year, paid only the same duty on the
tea he consumed as the various grades of working men
throughout the kingdom. Here there was great injustice.
It might be said that in seeking a reduction of the duty
the merchant and dealer sought merely to benefit them-
selves ; but as society was here constituted they could not
do so without also benefitting the masses. When he
looked atthe recent commercial depression and its effects,
still felt, he considered, it praiseworthy in every ,man to
endeavour to benefit his condition. He himself was not
a merchant or tea-dealer, hut he employed a large number
of people, and would do all he could to cheapen the neces-
saries of life to the working classes. It would be a great
boon if the reduction induced the consumption of more
tea and less of intoxicating drinks. In Liverpool, too,
there were not fewer than 6,000 females who derived their
pittance by the use of the needle. These poor women
suffered much, and any addition to their comforts would be
itself an act of benevolence. The present duty was also
unjust, as preventing the barter of commodities that would
otherwise give in making them employment to millions.
Increased consumption would make up for much of any
deficiency that might arise from a reduction of the duty.
China contained 300,000,000 of inhabitants, willing to
take our manufactures if we so admit their tea as to in-
crease its consumption on the system of barter. The
Chinese admitted our goods at a duty of 5 per cent. ; we
tax theirs as high as from 200 to 300 per cent. Our ex-
ports of cotton manufactures declined between the years
1845-6 from £1,755,141 to £1,246,518 in value ; those
of woollens, i❑ the same period, from £539,223 to
£139,668--(Hear, hear.) What a commentary on the
legislation of England ! China v,ould also supply us
with silk, if we would take their goods. What England
ought to do to redeem herself was to give every facility
for commerce, so that it might be extended to China,
Australia, and all the boundless coasts washed by the
Pacific. If well managed, there might be found in the
eastern ocean commerce sufficient to pay the whole re-
venue of England. Increased consumption of tea would
also increase the consumption of sugar, and thus redeem
our West India colonies. The wealthier of the commu-
nity must make some sacrifices ; and he for one, rather
than ti.e tea duty should not be removed, would willingly
submit to an increased property tax to make up the defi-
ciency. He alluded to and quoted from the report of the
parliamentary committee on the duty, which was entirely
in favour of reduction, and concluded by saying that there
was with nations, as well as individuals, a moral as well
as commercial responsibility, and if they carried out our
fiscal regulations and laws as England ought to carry
them out, a glorious reaction would take place, and all
classes would be benefited, from the merchant to the
lowest labourer who earns his bread by the sweat of his
brow on our dock quays.—(Loud and prolonged cheers.)
The motion was put and unanimously

Mr.. W. RATE-1;0\E proposed the secoud resolution,

and ably: commented upon it at some length. Many mer-
chants had given rip importing teas from Chinar because
there was a loss of from 35 to 40 per cent. upon the re-
turns. Ruch a trade could not continue. The• Chinese,
too, had been losers, and they were not an uncivilised
but a shrewd mercantile people, and would also give up
the trade if it were not relieved. There were three
hundred millions of people to be clothed in that vast
empire, and we could carry our manufactures to their own
door, and clothe them cheaper than they could themselves ;
therefore,. he asserted, there was an almost illimitable
market. (Cheers.) But unless the Chinese could pay
for our productions, he should like to know whether our
manufacturing friends would send them. They-could
-only pay-in the produce of the raw material in their own
country, and' if we taxed that produce from 200 to 400 per
cent., how was it likely they would continue to trade with
us ? The Chinese, it was expected, were about to charge
a dollar a piece on our goods, in retaliation for our heavy
_duties. He entreated the people to take up the subject,
as Englishmen. When lie saw the country reduced
to such a state that policemen were obliged to go in
couples, and to go armed ; that many of those who wt-re
driven to commit outrage were more sinned against than
sinning, be did think he might be allowed to be the advo-
cate of the country in saying, for God's sake, don't let
this state of things continue longer. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. BRODERIBB, in seconding the resole-ion, fur-
nished' a variety of statistics, showing the reduction of
exports to, and trade in general with, China,,,- essing to
our impolitic duty on tea. The committee of the House
of Commons relative to this trade had come to the con-
clusion that nothing would make the trade of Chiva pro-
fitable, but either a great reduction in the amount of
goods exported to China, or an increase in the exports
oftea to England. Our trade to China must/consider-
ably fall, or entirely cease, or the object which the
meeting had in view, namely, a groat redaction of the
duty on tea, must he carried into effect. They could not
retain the tea duties at their present amount; and retain
the present amount of employment for our labouring
population►. One of the two was entirely incompatible
with the other. He gave statements of the-prices of tea
in China and here, showing the ruinous stare of the trade.
The resolution was carried by acclamation.
Mr. JOHN SMITH, in a humorous speech, moved the
third resolution. He advocated, in lieu of; the heavy tea
duty, the taxation of real property, and said that the late
Mr. Leyland had stated that if there was a tax upon
real property, he would undertake to collect it for the
twenty-one days' interest and bankers' commission.
Mr. Churchwarden FERGUSON seconded the motion.
In China, he said, there was no foreign competition
against us. The people of that country would take our
manufactures if we would take their tea.

The motion was passed.
Dr. HUME then came forward, and, expressed his strong
concurrence in the sentiments of the meeting. He had
visited 1300 poor families, and was pained to see the poor
man at his humble meal—generally dry breal and coloured
water—for it was a misnomer to call it tea. He had also
observed the prevalence of drunkenness. if we would
improve the humble meal of the poor man, or abolish the
drinking habits amongst the immoral, let us give them in-
stead a good tea. He defended? the use of tea as a whole-
some beverage. He held in his band a document that
showed that it was useful in a medical point of view, and
that its sanatory effects are visible, mainly in the class of
diseases which are common in this country. The evidence
is given before the committee of the House of Commons,
by a physician, eminent also for his knowledge of botany.
Dr. Hume concluded with quoting the ()pinions of Sir
George Staunton and other gentlemen in favour of a repeal
of the tea duties, and moved the fourth resolution, which
was carried.

Mr. J. R. JEFFERY moved the fifth resolution. After_
giving a variety of statements, relative to trade and com-
petition generally, he said that taking the consumption of
46,000,000 pounds of tea, at 2s. 21d., that would give a
revenue of more than five millions to the revenue. A
reduction of the duty, to do any good, must be made of
one shilling and twopence farthing per pound. It must
be cut down to one shilling at once. If it was to be done
bit by bit, he would give up all responsibility of the mea-
sure. The present consumption was 11b. 9uz. per head.
In the Isle of Man it was 21b. 12oz. per head, the duty
there being one shilling per pound. In Australia, where
the duty was ten per cent., the consumption was 71bs. per
head. A population of thirty millions, at 31bs. per head,
would consume ninety millions of pounds, which, at a
duty of one shilling per pound, would yield four-and-a-
half millions. The present consumption being forty-
four millions of pounds, this would be an increase of
forty-six millions. This would require one hundred and
seventy-six millions of pounds of sugar to sweeten it—
he had calculated four pounds of sugar to one pound of
tea, instead of five pounds, as was generally the case, and
this would yield an additional revenue of £1,100,000, or
a nett revenue of £5,000,000. (Cheers,) The reso-
lution was passed.

Mr. JOHN TAYLOR then proposed a resolution, object-
ing to any substitute for a reduction of the duty on tea.
A WORKING MAN seconded the resolution.
Mr. RATRBONE objected to the resolution as unne.
cessary.

A memorial, founded on the opinions expressed by the
several speakers and on the resolutions, addressed to the
Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, was then read by
the Town-clerk.

Mr. TURNER moved, as an amendment, the adoption
of the memorial, and named Messrs. Robertson Glad-
stone, Ratl bone, Crosbie, Ferguson, H. Littledale, and
himself, as the deputation.
Mr. CROSBtE seconded the amendment, which was car-
ried with one dissentient.

Mr. H. LITTLEDALE moved a vote of thanks to the
Mayor, and the motion hint well geronded by WTI T_YAM
BROWN, Esq., M.P., the MAYOR expressed his acknow-
ledgements, and the meeting broke up at three o'clock.