The Sun. — 1847-07-24 (London, England)

INDIES. Lord G. BENTINCK said it was his intention, at the earliest period in the next Parliament, to ask for a Select Committee to inquire into the state of the West Indies as regarded their present power to compete with those countries which have still the advantage of forced labour. The Nob!o Lord went into statistics to show that there had been a great falling off in the produce of sugar and rum from our West India colonies since the reduction of the duty on slave-grown sugar. He thought the differential duty should not be less than fifty per cent., or seven shillings per hundred weight ; and he was of opinion that it would be much better to appropriate a portion of the one million sterling which was now being expended every year, with a view to the suppression of the slave trade, in obtaining free labourers for our West India colonies, so as to deprive Cuba and Brazil of the profit which they obtained by slave labour, by furnishing free labour on lower terms to the West Indies ; and thus, by competition, beating down the profits of the slave holding states. He had been informed, on very good authority, that the value of slaves in Cuba had increased twenty-five per cent. within the last year ; 100/. a-head was now given for every male slave as soon as he was landed. They were forced to labour eighteen hours out of the twenty-four, and the number of suicides that occurred was beyond all imagination, whilst the average life of slaves in Cuba was not estimated to endure beyond five, and in Brazil beyond six yews. His object was, to enable the %Vest India planter, with his free labour, to supply the sugar market at a lower price than the slave-owner, and thus abolish the infamous traffic in human beings. The Noble Lord concluded by stating that he should move for a Committee on the subject in the next Parliament. Mr. lIAWES said the Noble Lord evidently wished his statement to go forth to the conntry to be made use of at the coming e!ections ; the public, however, would see that the policy of the Government was to reduce all the first necessaries of life as much as possible, whilst they would clearly understand that the motive of the Noble Lord was to revive the old doctrine of protection in favour or sugar with a view to increase its price. The petition which the Noble Lord had presented was from a single parish in Jamaica, and its demands had been csrefuliy excluded from the House. The ,noble Lord wished to keep up a differential duty or fifty per cent., whilst, the petitioners modestly asked that they might have the privilege of sending their sugar free of duty altogether. When the Noble Lord talked of any portion of the sum paid for the suppression of slavery being put into the pockets of the planters he must have forgotten that the country had already paid 20,000,0001. to those persons, and that there was nothing to prevent their obtaining as great a supply of labour as their capital could procure. With reference to Jamaica, however, that was the only colony which had interfered by its own act to stop the supply of labour. When the Noble Lord moved for his Committee on the subject, it would be for those in power to determine what course they should adopt, and there would be no difficulty in showing that the law which had recently been passed on this subject would be most conducive to the increase of capital, and the ultimate happiness of the people. After a few words from Mr. BOKTIIWICK, the subject dropped.