An interesting conversati...
The Times, 1824-05-14T00:00:00

An iii tresting conversation took place last night in the House of Commons on the subject of he' existing Corn LaNvs, in cons( quence of which, we hope that a total change. of the systerm will take place. Mr. Cu&TBss; t.e member for Sussex, 4nd a gentleian who,.we believe, reta much latnd in his own mnanagewtent, complaine that -thie ave. rages by which the importation of briignqgrain wi'to be regulated were nerer fairly strmt. k& 1' to a i ! if they were, when those to whom t bhteso is confided have a direct per soDal terest, and-a warmonalfeeling, against discharging their duty honestlyA It should serm to us, when we consider the situation of the persou com- plaining, as if the zeal to keep out foreign grain, by the exhibition of apparently low averages, had really, though unintendotnally, injured the native gierwer. This is no jest. Alr. CURTEIB probably is not in tie swrit; neither are we entirely: but we. know that the born.market is at present-as much a mystified, obscure, whispered thingais the smuggling market. There is as much false swearing in one as in the other; with this diff'erence-thit the one systema of knavery is practised to keep out the foreign xticle, the other to get it in. With all the pains that we take, we are never able to procure a full and fair return of the sales in Mark-lane: and on every publication ot the state of the market there, we are sure to receive a great many letters from correspondents, pointing out deceptions b;y which we have been misled. Mr. Husxitsso- acknowledged the existence of the evils of which XMr. CURTEIS complained ; and allowed the im- perfectioD of that system from wlhich the evils emanated. It is a grievous solecism in political economy to enact laws, the executors of which shall have an interest in eluding and violating them. A direct tax, as suggested by Mr. InusissoN, upon imported corn, is a more -rational proceeding than the present prohibition of its entry till native grain has mounted up to a certain price. Only let it be understood that the tax upon foreign grain is a tax upon every morsel of bread which the Englsh artisans and labourers put into their own moutlhs asd that of their families, and then we think it will follow. Of course that the tax in question ought not -t b1 i.:1ery high one, The truth is, thiere is no just reason Now, why the English grower of corn should not be able to bring his article to the English market at as cheap a rate as the grower of Poland, or any other country, can send his produce hither, with all the additional expenses of loading and unloading, of land and water carriage, of freight and insursime. The salt tax, and that u,pon agricultural horses, are removed: renits are lowered. lrhe lanidlord, we know, must still have his carriage and pleasure-horses: so let him! they be- long to his station in life; but is there any just reason why the assessed taxes should not be repealed after ten years of peace? It was with respect to the importation of foreign I grain that theprinciples of a free trade shottld first have been put in force: admit foreign grain duty free, and the taxes must naturally be diminished. The land-owner might feel some difficulty at first, but not if he proceeded with spirit in urging the diminution of taxes. His situation would then only be rendered more secure: he would be no longer propped ip upon a hoUow and an invidious eminence, raised for him at the expense of his fbllow-subjects: he would regain that station of ease and comxfort, which be- longed to him before the war began; and he would see his humbler neighbours round him industrious and happy.