Restrictions On Trade.
The Times, 1824-10-27T00:00:00

TO TIlE EDITOR OF THiE TIMESR. Sir.-lYour observations inyournzper of thc lth instant, respect. in:,- Iitish traders being exclu'cld from the South American markc-i in tie articles of glass and woollens. trom the absurd re- Lulations in our Customs and Excise, is but two well founded, espe. cially as relates to glass. Imnort duty alone, on plate glass, amounts to 120 per cent., and in addit;on thereto, six guineas r-r rcwt excise. equal to 100 per c.nt. More on sma1ll g]Lsses; indelendent (if which, they are re- quired to be packed in so peculiar a v.y'v. in cases weighing 5 cwt. each, that itipurtation proves ncarlY impracticable * aiid tihis more to support a mollopoly whiich has exieteti in plate-glass for the last twenty j cars i; a most extravagant degree, thian for any advantage to the revenue. Formerly. this cOUtnt7V posessed ;S large export tradc to all parts of the world, particularly to tlhc United Stai!s of Anmerica: the (erman glass was imported here in its rough state. and by tlic swperior skill of British workmen, ground, polished, and silvered in this country, and afterwvards framed in various ways, which gave entployment to hunidred-s of artitans connected with this ingenious branch, the whole of which has been lost thrnugh these impolitic dluties. Tlhese injurious regulations were tuade principnall to 'encourage a Brttish plate glass manutactorv, theni in its infancv. which protec- iinn has enabler' them to amass so much wealth, as to allow them. tithin the last two or three years, to apply to extraneous purposes, upwttrds of 10,tl010l._a suns large enough to purchase all the plate- glass factories in Germa;nv. At present the plate-glass export trade of this country does not amount to 20.0001. per annum, while, if leit unshackled. and foreign Olass allowed to be imported at a moderate dutv in the rough state, it would be extended to ten times that atnount. as the first cost is cotuparalively small to the value whern nishlid br exportation; it would also bring to a test the proof of our ability to manufacture plates as cheap as German, whicih now seems involved in doabt. Another fact deserves to be noticed-that small glasses, witich in Gerntany sell from s. to ItON. each. are rated b)y the British dealer at four times thAt sum, or 400 per cent., and yet there are orders for tlte hoene trade new lying oni the above Company's books for rmore than they caa n;anitfacture for twelve months to come, even at this enormous advance. Such is the distress and perplexity of the glass trade; and in addition, tnie English dealer is exposed to the caprice of a few to have the ardile advanced 20 or ;,'J per cent., withIout any onportunitv of resisti;: rstch an inlnis- A FRIEND TO FREE TRADE. A rncmir.al was h;tn;'ci to Government by the n1ate-glass trade m February, 181.5, respecting the iuiportation of German glass, w*hen Al r. Vansirartt, now Lord Bexlev. was Chancellor ot the Ex- chequer; hut fr'eu Some vr.cxp!aincd circumstance. theycoild get no reliet, although it would ha,c brouahc a duty to ( vernmnt of near 70,01ol. per an)nu ; whereas the present revenue derived from plate-glas.s falls considerably short of that suim. RESTRICTIONR 0?V TRADE.