SALT Trade.
The Times, 1824-12-29T00:00:00

TO THIE EDIT9OR OF THE TIATES. Liyerpool, Dec 18, 1824. Sir,-Permit me, novw that the time is drawing near when the suc- cessful exertions of yoLrFself and several others of your brother edi- tors, in conjunction with the more i'idependent Members of the House of Commons, with respect to the total repeal of the salt-tax, are about to be carried into effect, to recall your attention, aud, through the medium of your respectable paper,-to caU the attention of his AMajesty'a iinisters, to the regulations by which this import. ant branch of our trade will stiU be very seriously injured after tlhe tax has expired. By the act 3d of Geo. IV., seision of 1822, the whole of the duty, and also the sevetal drawbacks, bo-anties, and al. lowances, on all salt nanufactured or made in, or exported from England and Ireland, were to cease and expire after the 5th -of January1 1825-thus throwing the trade open to equal and just conmpet tion betweeR the two countries; but by the act 5th of Geo. IV., ssion of 1824, the Irish manufacturers are al- lowed a drawback of 41. Irish currency for every ton of white salt that is exported from Ireland after the above diate un- til the 10th of October, 1825, and for which the same act im- poses s. duty of only 3L per ton on all English rock ealt that is refined in Ireland-t-hus giving a most important but undue advan. tage to the Irish over the English manufacturer, and for which sure Iy tbete can be nojust reason on any ground whatever. Not satis- fied, .a it should seem, however, vwith giving the Irish so great an advantage over the English manufacturer, the same act, with yet atill greater perverted policy, repeals the whole of the dutv on aU foreign salt whatsoever imported into the United Xingdom after the 5th of January next, which will give almost a denth-blow to the use of English salt in the Scotch and English fisheries. The price of foreign salt put on board at any of the foreign loading ports is ndt more than 8s. or lOs. per ton, at which price the foreigner realizes a remuneratlng profit * while the English manufacturer cannot posaibly afford his salt on board slhip for less than 19s. per ton, including firat cost, lighterage, tonnage, &c.; at which price it would not yield him a farthing profit ! This amazing disparity in the cost of proluction between foreign and English salt is surely sufficient of itself to prove that the total pro- hlbition of-the use of English salt in both the English and Scotch fisheries will follow the repeal of the import duty on foreign salt, as. a matter of necessary consequence. Whatever might have been the motives, in other respects, that first dictated this most impolitic and inunnoun measure,they must certainly,on thevery face of the foregoing facts, have been at least very mistaken ones; and it is to be hoped that iinmsters will, before the meeting of Parliament, reconsider the sub. ject with that nerious attention which its obvious importance de- mands, and take the neeessary measures to prevent the injury with which so important a branch of our trade is threatened. The white salt trade In at this time very bad; and at the present low rice, the proprietora re losing money already; the demand nas likewite been so very limited during the present year, that the salt-works at Northwichi and Winsford have not been more than one-third employed; and if the repeal of the impart dutv on foreign salt is alUowed to come into operation on the 5th of nexi January, it will necessarily have the effect of still farther diminishing the de- maud by at least one-third ! This glootny prospect of the trade will, it is to be hoped, be suf- ficient to convince Mlinisters of the necessity there is for continuibg (Instead of repealing) the present protecting duty of ten shlillings per ton, at keast, on the importation of foreign salt after the 5th Ja- nuary next. The insertion of the above in your *idely circulated paper, the earliest conver,ient opportunity, will greatlv oblisip 9r, vo,n,. mo.e ull u:lvail,r A UONSTANT READER. SALT TRADE.