The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-06-08 00:00:00

COMMITTEE: OF WAYS AND MEANS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER,
in a very low tone of voice, unposed some Resolu-
tions on the new schedule. As to the stamps on the
law papers used in the proceedings of the inferior
Courts of Scotland, they had been carefully revised,
and he did not believe they would he considered ex-
cessive.

A Resolution which he then proposed was agreed to•
STA DUTI ES.-- WS
The House having resolved itself into a Committee
f Ways and Means;

~!-~~

The CHANCELLOR. of the EXC
to propose the Schedule of Stamp j)te
had given notice. 11(.10)44.'1,d, that
which Ike additional Stamp w
posed, west, liw dutks and new•i»pers. Tho firs)
of these subiocts, the taxation of law proce;Nlingss
was one on which too much attcw.ion- could not be

bestowed. Ho bad submitted the present schedules

to seicial very experi,,Tlced persons in the profession
of the law, and silice the schedule had been beforg
produced, I:my were many alti,iation 4 mode in it
%slii;:h. would render it less irljectiouable. Coe alte-
ration W RS, ra:111 the increas,ll duties were tot made
progrresire on the size of the instruffirtit stamped,
hot flint a certain increase of duty ou each proc2ed.

ing should take I,lare. Atm objertioo also had brew
startad agnitict the schedule, which was. thpt the in.
crease of tho duties would have an unequal erect
upon the proceedings in small Courts. This alsmv
; had been remedied by a dirnim,i-hed sc:le of duties
applied to the small Courts. Though the taxes ott
law proceediags were on general ground; objection-
!able, yet ts lien it n s considered how small a pro,
i portion of the expences in a lawsuit consisted of law
duties, the objections would not appear so great as
at first might be imagined. In a suit in which the
solicitor's hill was 401. the amount of the old law
duties, together with the new, was 40s. another,
in which the expellee was 351. the stamp duties were,
31. There was not, therefore, the samo obj-c!iort
to these duties which at first sight seemed t., ;mttaelt
to them.—As to the duties on Newspapers, the fit Et
idea which he had was to lay an additional lax of
on each paper; but as it was represented that this
tax would have the most disadvantageous effect Impa
the circulation of the papers, he had imagined th.t
increase of the duty on advertisements in proporolon
to their length ; but though this seemed a fair pro.
position it was strongly objected to by the proprie.
tors of the newspapers, and an additional stamp duty
of one halfpenny on each paper, and sixpence ott
each advertisement was pre errrel by time m4jority
the persons occupied in this line. To protect the
public from an increase of the price of papers beyend
the amount of the tar, an additional discount would

be allowed to those who only increased the price of
their paper from sixpence-halfpenny to setett-pence]
which di.count wou:d not be allowed to those who

increased the price to a greater sum. Although the
Proprietors of the London Papers were no: equally
willing to coincide in the arrangement which he lied
made, he was convinced that no duty would be more
cheerfully paid by the public than an increase of
one halfpenny on the price of a newspaper. The
sale of these publications depending aintost wholly
on the situation of public affairs, and as at the pre-
sent time, and probably for some years to come, a
laudable curiositt• would be directed to the events
which were passing, and which exceeded in import.
ante any which for ages before had occut red, the
additional price of one halfpenny on the in•biica.
tions through which the public derived their juror.
motion would not be grudged, by the purchasers.
Sir J. NEWPORT thought the. Tax on News.
papers injudicious, as tending to stop the suurcea
through which the public derived its information as
to their own affairs. The curiosity of the public
was kept alirein proportion of the pressure of public
calamities, from the wish to know when there w•,st.
probability that the prossar' would c.•ase. In :he
present situation of atT•irs the public curiosity bu:tht
to be awake as to public events, and tie introduc-
tion of a tax, the object of which teas to larclude
them from obtaining information, could not
fail to sour their minds, more chap any other TUC
which could be introduced. Even at the preAA•ti
time if the extent of the circulation of informati.,•
by Newspapers were compared with other countries,
America for instance, it was a piece nullity. . The
Tax also would be very far from being productive;
because the addition which. would be made to the
price of the paper would diminish the circolatioo,
and thus have a re-action on the revenue. The

Chancellor of the Exchequer had said that he had
guarded the public against an increase of price be-
youd the amount of the increased duty, by the allow-
ance of a discount to those who only increased the
price of their papers one.halfpenny. Now it would
always bea matter of calculation for the Proprietors,
whether they should receive the discount or lay eit
the increase of one-penny. The taxation on News.
papers had been overdone already, when the propor-
tion of the tax to the price of the article was coasi-
dered ; and lie thought it was the worst policy in
the Chancellor of the Exchequer to lay an unfair tax
on those who might, if not totally misrepresent, at
least very Iligly colour every measure he rniOlt here.
after propose.
Sir M. RIDLEY said he did not object to the tax
on Newspapers, on account of the effect it would
have on the Proprietors, but bAcause it would dimi-
nish the cirrulition of information, he should Appose
that part of the Resolution. As to the addition of
Gd. on advertisements, he (lid not object to it. 110
understood the charge for the insertion of advertise-
ments in the London Papers was very great, and the
delay considerahle; for though a laudable practice!
existed at the offices of inserting advertisements by-
rotation, yet a practice as much to be reprobated ex-
hied, that advertisements were inserted out of their
rotation on the payment of an additional sum. At
the last.general Election, when he bad occasion to ad-
vertise a circular to the freemen of the town which he
represented, resident. in London, he had selected four
London Papers fur that purpose, and was surpris-d to
find the eapence so much for the iusertinn of tho
advertisement twice in those Papers. Ile seas informed,
on examining the accounts, tha it wzs the custom to
charge twice as toed' fur advertisements at the time
of a general election, a rule whieit not exist, he
belie‘ed, with the counlry Papers. It was alto i.r
markable that there was a difference in these charge,:
The Papers were two Evening and two I%l,lmin-s-
-nipers—the Morning Chronicle, the llurnthy, Pes:,
the Globe, and Courier; in the Nor:4!ng Chronicle
he was charged 10 guineas, in the .:llctrting Post p'2
guineas, in the Globe 12 guineas and its the Courier
16 ~uineas. This variety seemed singnlar to him, and
it was not the less singular ti,nr (nose P,pers who ad-
heted to the principles of the Chancellor of the Ex. /
citequer -barged most for their advertisements. At
the duty bore so small a proportion to the charge on
advertislicilli he should not oppose it.

• Sir C. :410NC!i oppnsed the tax on Newspapers,
and thought thac cou!tl not be a time mere ill chasm

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