Mobile daily commercial register and patriot., 1841-05-19
From inc N. Y. Evening Pc


 son of the British House of Commons, committee was appointed to inquire into the operation of the tariff laws, and especially in reference to thelr effect upon the trade and manufacture. of the country The committee, of which Mir. Joseph Hume was chair man. comprised some of tine most distinguished mem be,s of the house, among the rest Mir. Villiers, Nil. I.abouchere, and Sir Henry Parnel They brought before them large number oi pers3Gs m trade, who were mlnutely examined on all points touching the operation of duties on Im-ports.
 In this way, d of the most valuable testimony was collected, which subsequently reported to parliament. The publication of the report in Eng land, is said to have had very great influence in tightening the publicm,nd the subject of the tarh As it has been re-published in this city-where we are not informed-we would direct the attention of our manufacturers and merchants, and particularly that of staesmen to the important body of facts which it contains.
 We have casually glanced at the testimony, and marked the following points having been fully es- tablished by the evidence. There other points to- which may take another opportunity to refer.
 l. That tariff which contemplates both revenue and protection is often inconsistent with itsef nas- much as it increases the while it diminishes the other, and vice This point was ably argued in the Senate of the United Saes at the last session by Mir. Wright. E.e
 2. That the effect of prohibitnry duties, while they are of course, wholly unpr6ducti,e of revenue, is to impose an indirect upon the consumer, often equal to the wiolesdifference of price heiween the home article and the foreign article which isexcuded It shown conclusi,ey in the testimony oi se era witnesses, particularly in that ot Mr. John Bowring that the extent of this taxation is enormous, il being estimated that on the article of food alone in Great Britain, this tax exceeds in amount all tlIe other tax es ofa taX-exacting government
 3. That high and protective duties imposed upon the consumer tax equal to the amount of duties le- ved upon the foreign article, while it at ihe same time increases the price of the hume produced article coming into the competition, to the same amount as the duty and that this increased price goes, not to the treasury, but to the protected manufacturer Mir. Bowring illustrates this view by the example of lutcl- er's meat, which is an inhibited import. Estimating the consumption of meat at 50 pound per head anu- ally, this in population of 25, ,OOO 900, that of Great Britain, makes total annual consumption of ,250,- 000, 900 pounds l therefore, the prohibition of for eign meat raise the price pennies pound, which s near the truth the indirect tax levied upon the community IS ten millions of pouuds slerling-no a cent of which goes into the treasury, but all into the pockets of the persons protected.
 f. That high protective duties check importation, while all experience proves that the profit to the t,a der, the benefit to the consumer and the fiscal inter- ests of a nation are sacrificed when import duties impede the interchange of commodities with other nations.
 5. That the effects of the protective system, on manufactures and labor, have given rise to growing nyiction the part uf those connected with the most important manufactures, that it's operation is not ouiy unnecessary but deleterious, and that it would be better for themselves and the whole country were the system abolished, to make room for the inc tralucton of nass liberal legislation. 6. That while the prosperity of British manufactu- rers is not owing to the exciusfn of foreign ri,arv the most vigorous and successful manufacturers of the continent have grown not by peculiar legislative iavor but under the natural advantages of place and circum- stance advantages which cannot be transferred at the mandate of the legislature at tile will of ,he manufacturer.
 !. That the protective system of Great Britain has induced other nations with which it might have con- tinued favorable trade to pass laws hostile to the introduction of British products and that persis- tence in her hera and exclusive policy will lead to further retaliation on the part of her neighbors, greatly to the detrent of her prosperity and advance ment.
 8. That the best service which can be rendered the working classes is to extend the field of labor by ex- tending commerce which snly be done by loosen- ing the existing restrictions.
 9. That the branches of industry which have receiv. ed the most protection precisely those fre- quenty in distress, and that the inevitable effect of protection is to produce constant and unavoidable fuc- tuations in trade.
 TO- That the experience of every nation proves the protective system to be the great of smuggling and evasions of the law-at least in all cases in which the duties exceeds the premium the risk of an illegal trade.
 II. That the restrictive system of Great Britain has compelled the nations with whom it has formerly had lucrative trade, to manufacture for themselves by which means British products have been sup planted, and large markets efectualy and forever closed.
 12. And that the mutual dependence which per- fectly and unrestrained intercourse among nations would create, would make to war or violence in of dispute, matter of Impossible recurrence It would knit mankind in the indissouble bonds of unity and peace, in the way that mutual inter- ests strengthen the ties of the family.