, 1867-04-16

VI A1ObCG-AI 10 thCA HlOpOSdIs AuC
right hon. gentleman was, [ think, no
more than just in speaking of the ASST
duty, the knowledge, and the skill with
which the duties devolving on our reve-
nue. officers have been performed. With
regard TO Mr.. Ogilvie, in particular, I
must say that nothing can be more credi-
table 10 any public servant than the
clearness of the views which he enter
tains and the aptitude and precision with
which he ~sustains and applies them.
There is one point on which | am desir-
Gus there should he no misunderstood
ing. The convention does not impose
any feIter or restraint upon the discre-
ton of the British Legislature, or on that
of the Legislatures of the three other
countries with regard to the use Of sugar
as a fiscal resource. That branch of our
revenue was much too important 10 allow
of its being placed under any such res
tyaint. The points upon which alone
we are restrained are those in which that
restraint is actually beneficial. What l
mean is, that while agreeing that the
duties upon different descriptions of SUI
gar shall bear Il certain relation 10 one
another, and that the drawbacks thereon
lldll OCdl u an ~ " RAHS NN''NOb
the slipulations of an international char
acter are entirely relative, the absolute
duties which may be imposed being sub
iect, as heretofore, 10 the discretion of
Parliament. | believe that that is q cor
rect statement, but if ii is not, | hope !
shall be corrected. Now, besides being "a
great sign of international progress, this
happy occasion marks, | trust, the close
Of domestic contrOyerSy-a controversy
in which my hon. friend the member for the
city (Mr. Crawford) displayed an ability,
an amount of knowledge, and a clearness
of statement, that | have never seen sur
passed in this House. | think, however,
he has tonight stated the case a little too
much upon his W side, for we must not
forget The principle which was commended
for by the committee Of 1861, as we'll as
by the right hon. gentleman opposite, the
member for Shoreham (Mr. Caye)-
namely, that the duty ought to vary ac-
cordIng TO the real value of the sugar.
which ought to be regarded as raw ma
teriAl intended to undergo Il further pro-
cess of manufacture. That is the very
principle, which has now been arrived at
by an investigation, carried on with all
the resources which science and natural
funds could supply, and which has %receiv-
ed so high a sanction that l doubt whe-
Their it will ever again be assailed. d.
not think any of US can view that conclu.
sion with regret, because throughout
these controversies it was impossible to
contend for any other principle than that
the real value of The several classes OF SUI
gar is the just basis for differences of
duty, and the only object was TO arrive
at u just criterion for determining that
value. The right hon. gentleman has
stated that this proposal will have no effect
upon the revenue. l can quite under
stand the sense in which those words are
10 be taken, and I think lie was perfectly
right in adopting such a scale Of duties
as to leave matters, with regard 10 the
amount Of duty, as nearly as possible in
the state in which he found them. I
think, however, that inasmuch as this is