The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-23

THAT these Two causes VIII account IN great degree
Tor our diminished supply. feel myself still bounC
% say that British colonial sugar bear addition
Al competition with sugar the produce OF free labor
and may take this opportunity of stating that an
not prepared 10 make any relaxation with regard L
countries producing sugar by slave labor lear
hear, hear, must still contend for that; but DIS Il
sugar the produce of free labor and while the com
petition shall be limited TO sugar 80 produced, heI
Msjesty's government have not thought il right to
exempt sugar from the general application Of the
principle. lCheers.l Assuming, therefore, that the
competition 10 TO be confined TO sugar the produce OF
free labor, We propose TO deduct IS. 3D. from the
amount Of the present differentsl duty In the
Of Muscoyado sugar, the amount Of dherentlal du-
~ is %. 4d in the Of elayed sugar, It is lis
edj and In both we propose TO reduce the amount
Of diIierenal duty by S. 3d., making il S. l0d. on
Muscoyado sugar, and 81. 3D.. on clayed sugar In
concluding this review Of the different articles-l
might say nearly all articles on which import duties
are leyied-l come 10 those which are connected
with agriculture. Considerable anxiety was here
eyiDced by all parts Of the House, and a general
murtnur and whisper were heard.l There are
many articles Of this kind Of frst.rate i'm,
portance, on which heavy duties are i'm.
posed, but on which those heavy duties do
not operate as ptoteetioni and may take, as an
instance, tobacco In making the extensive changes
which, on the part Of her Majesty s government,
am now proposing hope that considerations OF
revenue will be allowed to have their due weight.
admit that the Arguments may be most cogent as
TO particular items but the House ought 10 bear IN
mind the Importance Of not breaking down a large
source OF public income The demand this year on
aocountof these reductions must be great, and con-
alterations OF public interest and Of national defence
will leave US no alternative but 10 make that demand
Revenue therefore, must be duly regarded where in
ofsuch great public gnude are involved and
the house must not fall 70 remember that the redue-
lions am suggesting will necessarily occasion
considerable defalcation. On the other hand il be-
our duty, not with any hostile iptentioH but
with view to provdent' regard Of our defences,
TO recommend considerable increase OF our naval
and military establishments. Hear Those who
may think that there still duties extravag antly
high, must exercise such a degree Of forbearance as
not to recommend simultaneous reductions. fHear1
will first refer to those articles of agricultural pro.
duee, which are Immediately connected with the
food ofthe people Mumurs WILL in the first
instance, take seeds-grass and other Seeds and
have deep conviction that reduction Of duty upon
them, so far ffom being removal Of protection to
agriculture, will be comforting benefit upon it, Let
US look at the article Of clover il is surely mpossi-
bic 10 maintain that the heavy duty for some years
applied to clover operated as protection agrcul-
ture. Upon many parts Of the country the duty on
clover seed was IN fact heavy burden; in 1893, A.
recolect rightly, you levied a duty upon clover
seed OF not less than fl44, 900; but how small a
portion OF the agricultural districts was benefited
byu! Clover seed was necessary when farming
conducive to the improved system Of husbandry.
Some few counties Of England were producers Of co-
yer seed; but speaking generally the duty on clover
seed was not protection but burden upon agricu-
ture and with respect 10 all seeds of the kind to
peal the duty will not be 10 remove a protection IL
is stated that the duty levied on clover last year
produced f75,0OO, whereas in former years before
The reduction, II amounted TO nearly Else, 900. For
the sake chiefly Of simplifying the house will reco-
ect that l have reduced foreign manufactures
generally TO a uniform duty of ten per
cent, and as relates TO seeds, my proposition is
that case the duty shall exceed SIS. per cwt.
In some cases, lcek and onion seed for instance the
present duty is not less than 20s per cwt, but my
suggestion is, that to all the maximum duty
should be S. per ewt. have already adverted in
cidenlaly to that most valuable department of agri-
culture the faening Of cattle believe 1t is mpos-
sibe to over-estmate the importance Of fatening
cattle as instrumental in the improved system Of ag-
rculture. The increase of the fertility of the SOIL
by means Of manure, is one Of the most beautiful of
the dispensatons Of Providence; and believe there
is no MANURE let il come from where it will, that
with respect to its fertizing power, enter into
competition with that derived from the cattle fed on
the soil itself. You cannot conduce more to the i'm
provement Of inferior soils than by encouraging the
feeding and faitening cattle, and promoting the ap.
plicauon Of their manure to increasing fertility.
propose, therefore, that article Of grain which
believe might be applied to the attening of cattle
shall hereafter be imported duty free [cheers II is
article of immense importance-maize, or Indian
corn, [cheers.l propose tina; the duty upon it
shall be hereafter and Immediately nominal, hear
do not consider that by the removal of the duty on
maize am depriving agriculture of any protection.
| understand that in the United States maize is used
partly as human food and that in this country its
utility human food is too much dsregarded, hear
hear. In some parts Of the continent it is held to
make excellent food and il might be advantageously
applied in the same way in Great Britain. To pro-
mote the free import of maize seems to me, so far
from doing agriculture disservce it will be doing
it benefit, by promoting the nourshment and fat
tening Of cattle. For nearly the same reasons,
suggest that buckwheat should be subjected to the
came rule, namely, that the duty should be made
merely nominal. | propose, likewise, that meal
should be introduced upon the same terms grain,
hear, hear.l Ii any honorable gentleman can as
certain the enormous sums now paid by our best
farmers in the purchase of linseed cake and rape
cake, think they will agree with me, that to give
increased facilities to the introduction of such arti
cles will be doing no disservce TO agriculture. The
demand for this cake is great, that the price is
gradually rising, and the consumption some farms
is daily ncreasing some farms, linseed and rape
cake chiefly provide the for the better cult
vation Of the soil. The following is comparative
statement of the price of insecd and rnpe-cakc
rious recent periods:
Price of hnseed cakes per 900, in the month Of