The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-05-23 00:00:00

OBSERVATIONS on Ma. W. HALL'S REPORT.

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No error can be so fatal to a statesman as a narrow,
partial, or exclusive view of any subject that presents
itself for his investigation. The affairs of England
have at length become so involved, that our rulers
cannot now avoid seeing the urgent necessities that
press upon the people, for every elm is leading the
tables of the Houses of Parliament Orb petitions.--
They must also perceive, that the appliaitttni of suf-
ficient remedies can only consist with sorno
i'LES of political economy. The whole community
must be regarded as (Ist: uranwr, if we wish to see
prosperity and order walk peacefully together.
The bulk of the petitions to which we allude are
representations of actual grievances, and of the appre-
hension of more complete ruin. They describe the
reduced condition of our agriculture, manufactures,
and commerce, the consequent decay of wealth, and
misery of the industrious population.
Mr. Webb Hall's Report is a document extremely
litigenions in its construction, but, as it appears to us,
of little avail. For what dues it show (admitting for
a moment its accuracy)? Why, the superior compara-
tive importance of agelcultnre! But is this the ques-
tion which employs the public consideration ? We
think not. That superior comparative importance has
a'rettys seen vertiiiffief ; pefhaps not in the exalt. pro-
portiou Mr. Hall calculates; but a little more, or a
little less, does not appear to us to be of lunch conse-
quence. The.real question seems to be, whether any
pros tical mode of relieving the landed interest, and
rime farmer most esperially, from the ruinous effects of
a price of his commodity that does not afford him a
profit, can he foitud. Howevvr convinced the cesintry
may be of the important part agriculture takes in the
•
production of national wealth, that conviction affords
no mistanee in devising a remedy fur the evil.
The writings of Mr. Hall have always seemed the
production of an ingenious, an ardent, and a strong
mind, but of a mind nut profoundly conversant with
the principles of political econouiv. Neither have the
reasonings of this gentleman ever satisfied our judg-
ment. His proposition seems to be simply this. Raise
the aciasissol prices of agricaltural product. The in-
crease thus effected he considers will create circulation
and revive industry. Mr. Hall assumes that a power
to charge is wealth, and this power he considers may
he exercised arbitrarily and independently of all the
causes that operate upon demand and Supply, produc-
tion and distribution, capital and revenue, and indeed
as sufficient to govern them all. lk refers to the con-
dition of the empire during the con-umptiou and the
employment afforded by the war, during the restric-
tion from cash payments, during the cessation of con-
tinental industry, and assumes that the phenomena of
that time, as they affect industry and production, may
be restored by raising the price of a single commodity.
lie estimates the agricultural wealth created at lOU,
the commercial wealth at 2s, millions annually. These
amounts he obtains by deducting from the total pro-
duction the cost price ; Dr. Colquhoun, from whose
book he computes, estimating the entire production of
agriculture at 216 millions; that of commerce, Le. at
!V8 millions. Of the numbers of the two classes, who
are the grand consumers of each others productions,
we beg it to be observed, Mr. Hall makes no mention.

Now we will suppose that este-fourth, or 25 per
cent., were at once added to the price of agricultural
produce. This would add, tiomigally, 51 millions to
the revenues of the landed interest, while, recd.', it
would add (supposing no rise in other artie!es to tel.(
place) only the surplus left after the increase on their
own subsistence, seed-cotn, he. had been deducted.
(This, however, is fallacious, for a rise in the price of
labour must follow in the proportion of the rise of
subsistence.) Nor is this all, for we are to consider
by whom is this rise to be paid ? By the whole cote-
mustily, one half of whom, at least, are commercial
people. , By what means then are they who are now•
starving to find the sum to meet this rise of.iiristEt.l
Mr. Hall will reply, by the augmented productien of
the labour which the arrgmented price of agricultural
produce Will mill into being. To this there are ma4y
'general objettioas. Ylrst, that when the deductions
for increased price of suibsistence to the landed interest
itself are fairly taken frost the increased pre6ts, the
suit will be too inconsiderable to operate to any ef-
fettive extent the purposes he contemplates; and,
moreover, we shall presently' show, by a rough calm-
lath's spot Me. Hall'sown data, that the sults to be
drawn by the rise of subeisteese from the cosomaecial
interest would be greater than the possible sum which
the agriculturist wolild bare at his disposal to create