The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-08-20 00:00:00

ference to these subjects, as sell as others, who
w%-re deemed by ycur Committee to be capable of
giving valuable practical information; the evidence
generally they beg to refer to the consideration of
the House. and particularly that of Mr. Bfine, Mr.
Watson, Mr. IJ.,lmes, Mr. Bourne, Mr. Leigh, Mr.
Twisa, and Mr. Nlorshall.
Before closing this head of observation, it should
he remarked, i at a difference in the mode of carr‘-
,ing_the law it. toesecution in Eng'and and in Scotland
is alleged to exist, and that in the last-mentioned
part of the kingdom particularly, the per cent.
allowed for waste in the carriage of sal , is habitual-
ly withheld, for which your Committee can see no
reason.

The nest object of ynor Committee's investigation,
.11.11* the degtee in which the manufacturers of the
kingdom appear to be affected by the ilk Duties, and

the laws enacted to enforce the collection of them.—
in the written evidence, which was last year laid be-
fore the Board of Trade, and which has been referred
to your Committee, a variety of articles was enume-
rated, in the manufacturing of which salt is a neces-
sary ingredient in ilitfei nut and generally in small qua n.

lilies, and of which the Duties on Salt in a greater
or lesser degree enhance the cost.
To some mtnufactures, in which it forms a more
considerable ingredient, salt is, under the esisting
law, delivered duty free, es to those of glass and of
els inurialic arid ; in the latter article, the regula-
tions under which it is allowed are a subject of corn.
plaint, from having a tendency to exclude the nife.
nor manufacturer from the indulgence intended by
the Legislature to be common to all. Vow Commits
tee's cons duration of this point, disposes them to be-
lieve the regulations complained of may safely admit
of such on slteratioo as may extend the equal benefit
of the indulgence to this description of manufactur-
ers. In the present state of chemical science, and
the rapid advances it 'Twat. to he making, s.iut
Committee are far from supposing that new and im-
portant applications of salt may not he discovered,
big. ly beneficial to the interests rif the kingdom ;
and arheneter such applications shall he discovered,
your Committee can have ne doubt that rerliament
will be disposed to extend to the manufactures de-
pendent upon them, the same indulgence that is al-
ready extended to those shove adverted to; one
only has been stated to your Committee of this de.
scriptien which is said to be obstructed by the exist-
ing I) ly on Salt, that of mineral alkali. an object
of great importance in the manufacture of soap, with
which we are in a great proportion supplied from
foreign countries. It has, however, heed stated in
evidenee to 'your Committee, that the salts from
who..h i. could he made with equi.l facility as from
muriate of soda el it could he obtained by the de.
composition of salt at all as an article of profitable
manufacture) are to be at present heti in sufficient
abundance, at least for purposes of experiment, the
use of which would he exempt from impost sir tetric-
tion ; and ttrit, therefore, tie impediment to the
success of this manufacture cannot he justly int.
pu.e.l to the 1) .1s on Ss It. On this pm of the
subject, y !.7 r Cnioniittee beg in refer to the
IPvidette- .1 Mr. l'4 r kes, Mr. London, and Messrs.
II . uses ; but though no process has teen spoilt-
ell In ) nor Committee by which alkali could he pins
tit Jos produced by the decomposition of bait, yet as
sus h a Process may Psis( or be hereafter discovered,
they have thought it their duty to eiorire how far in
its consequences it might he one of public benefit,
particularly as they had reason to believe consider.
able alarm to have been entertained in Scotland in
I rfrrenee to its eventual effects on the kelp trade ; and
it has been staled to your Committee, that if such a
process should be discovered as would supersede the
import of barilla, it might also, probably, supersede
the use of kelp, and compel a large proportion of the
imputation of the north. west coast of Scotland to the
necessity of emiruation: on this part of the enquiry
sour Co:tmnitter beg to ewes.; no opinion, but refer
Ito the evidence given by Mr. M•l)..nald, Mr. Steven•
son, and Mr. Brown. The manufacture of sal am-
trittitinc, no article of no great amount, formerly made
in Eitzland, appears to have been in a great measure
transferred to Scotland, on account of the advantages
with which ii is carried nn in that part of the kit g.
dom ; this has been attributed to the Doty on Salt,
as also the transfer of a groat proportion of the salt
prevision trade to Irelattrl, both in beef and pork ;
and it is particularly stated, that the distillers is
London nod its immediate vicinity, who had con.
staittly fed as many as 30,000 hogs, did not new-
keep even one ; and that of 12 wholesale starch.
makers wh.a all kept hogs, there are only two who
now keep any : whether the transfer of the trade to
Ireland has been owing to the Duty on Salt, or to the
difference in the prices at which beef and pork can
ire produced, the liitose will he able to judge oil a
reference to the accounts submitted to your Com-
mittee, and to the evidence of Mr. Adams and Mr.
Colterell. .
Your Committee are strongly impressed with the
great advantages that they be derived from the use of
salt in feeding sheep and cattle, on the authority aif
Lord Somerville (a letter from whom has trivets ee.
hibited in a part of the evidence), Mr. Curwen', Sir
John Sinclair, and Mr. Arthur Young, whose state-
ments on this point they recommend to the particu-
lar attention of the Houses as the ground on which
they instructed their Chairman to prepose a Bill, by
which additional facilities might be afforded to the
use of salt for this purpose, us well by a diminution
of the duty, as relaxing the restrictions under which
it was granted by the Act of lest spar. -In their ex-
pectations from salt, rpplied as a manure, they are
much less sanguitie; set believing it possible tnat ie
some cases, and under some circumstances it may
prove beneficial, sud feeling the importance of af-
fording every fair chance for satisfactory experiment

~, _

. .
to ascertain its *slue in this reipect, thew have es.
tended their recommendation to thil eau isle it on
the same conditions for this and other agricsitoral
purposes. .
Your-Committee are ton moth 'Watt, of rho im.
portance the Douse attiettos to every thing which
aids the condition of the poorer classes drills, corn-
mceity, not to have Made the effect* of the Salt
Duties ou their morals and comforts, st subject of
their antious enquiry.
In respect to the first, they have esamtned Si.
John Stanley, Mr. "Bono's, Mr. Trafford, and the
Res. Mr. Broughton. .
Mr. Burton, who for 28 pees was one of lhe
Judges of the Chester Circuit,. states ,to your Cum-
mittee, that silo:, the last augroentatios of the ditty
in 1805, the temptation istkiel out Ity•it . asipipered to
have been fqllowett by s rapist, iocistate. its the gimp
of salt dealing, that several pers,•tsu ate ealer/ AD
stealing Hod carrying off salt, and he bed no douhg
that this has a (endei.cy to multiply crimes of ,rthec
kind.. In corroboration of this, :ir Jahn Stanley,
Chairman ~f the Summer and Autumn Quarter Ses-
sions of the County of Chester. informed your Can./
mittee, that the effects of the Salt Duties on the mo-
rals of the People are so great, that they can scarcely
he too strong!y stated. On the other had a very
different impression seems ill he made nu the mind of
of Mr. Trafford, a: Magistrate of the county of
Chester, who for many years acted in the neighhour.
hood of the Saltworks ; and of Sir. Broughton, who
produced the Calendars and Sessions Papers tot the
la't seven years. . .
Of the frequency of another species of offence;
fraud on the R. venue,thei a can scarce exist a doubt,
when it is considered that no article can hold out -ris
greater temptation than salt ro the commission of such
offences, as well from the difficulty of detection of
by the profit with which it is attended. With rOu•
spect to the comforts of the poor, it has been stated,
that the average consumption of a cottager's fa lily.,
consisting of five, is about one bushel a year, ,shish
pour Committee think rather a low estimate ;- anal
where there is the facility of keeping a pig or a cow,
the consumption is naturally greater.. It is ire%
that, bylaw, the cottager on the coast may bile his
salt duty free, for coring fish; but he can only. have
it under a variety of restrictions an loconvenlento as
to render the provisions of the Legislatury al.mo.t en.
tirely abortive. The benefits and comforts which u.
repeal of the Salt Laws would confer on the poor id
general, may be inferred from the power it woOklara
fnrd them to prepare their ,provision: at their owe
homes, at the season and in the manner hest suited
to their convenience and inclination, with an 'wide
which enters into almost every part of their subsist.
eller..

Whatever opinions may exist as to the policy of
totally repealing or greatly alleviating the Salt Duties,
it will be obvi..us, that, in the present state of 'hie
country, financial ottkelions to the measure will
exist, until it can be ascertatiseil that the Public Ke.
venue will not be materially affected by it, or a prod
per subsitoute can be found.
In the course of the evidence of Mr. Gilbert, t
Member of the }lease, speaking of what must maces.
sadly be a matter of codiPeture, it is stated. that if
the Salt Duties were so reduced as In d, away tbit
necessity of all restrictions, there can be no doubt of
the use of salt beiog very greatly increased, and that
such regulations aid scales might then be devised, as
would, ott the whole, rather benefit *than deterierall
the Resenue.
Your Committee have, therefore, enquired as the
scale end nature of reduction which might be adopt.
ed, so as to give the country the free use of salt at a
reasonable price, and at the same time to supply that
amount of the present revenue of the Salt Duties.
The principal increase of demand for salt which
your Committee can venture to look to in case of IL
considerable redaction of the duties, is in respect of
sheep and cattle ; the application of salt for this
very beneficial purpose is general in many parts of
the world, and the circumstance of its not being used
in England, may principally be attributed to am
cessise tea imposed on the article. The use of grie
fish salt in the Netherlands, and in the United Pro..
winces has been long known ; and its Spain and POP,
angel also, its value is fully appreciat d; it appear%
therefore, not too much to presume, that what
is fr-quently applied in other countries at consider-
able espence of ferriage, might he soon brought into
general use by the more enlightened ferrite's in the
Kiugdont. Should this happen, and the sp•
plication of salt to agricultural purposes become
general in the United Kingdom, it might ultimately
so extend the consurni.iion of it, es to enable Portia.
ment without any aacrifice of revenue, to make such
a reduction iii the duty as would destroy every temp•
lotion to fraud and evasion, remove every alleged
grievance ti.at is now mscroliod to tt:e Sat LOWS, and
foolish the ine;l 14% of realizing every advantage to the
d•ff,rant classes t.f the community, and the great in.
tere,ts of the nation, which are dependent on the use
Of salt in the most unlimited extent.
Resolved,—That it is the opinion of this Commit.
tee, th•t thi> repeal of the Salt Duties would be pro-
ductive of the greatest VIII most important advantages
to ill deapriptiona of persons in this kingdom; and
that the present state of-the I itconie and Expenditure
of the United Kingdom alone prevents your Cony.
mittee from iststrei-ting their Chairmen to move for
leave to bring 111 a Bill for sue" tots: repeal.

Resolved, 'l*: a' ii' many points of vievanre which
have been brought under Ina critt.tdelainm of the
Clrnmittee, a reasonable relief may he atiorde.l wittr
exposing the Revenue to the danger of material
10-s
Resolved, T es at the present period of the
S.,•cion it is Mot 'amicable on LIAM a detailed la ty,es
reference to the points alluded to in the last Resole..

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