§ The House resolved itself into a Committee on the Customs Act.
§ Lord Althorpmoved, "That all duties and drawbacks of Customs payable on Coals, Culm, or Cinders, and on Slates brought or sent from one part of the United Kingdom to another part thereof, do cease and determine."
Mr. Herriesdid not mean to oppose the reduction of the duty, which he thought a most proper one to be reduced; but he also thought it would be found difficult to dispense with it.
Mr. Warburtonsaid, it would be impossible wholly to dispense with this duty, and he hoped that the country gentlemen would consent to make some commutation of taxes, in order to allow this repeal not to be disadvantageous to the Government. Such a commutation was that proposed on timber, which would yield from 700,000l. to 800,000l. a year. He hoped the landed gentlemen would not oppose that tax.
§ Mr. Curteissaid, that removing the tax on coals was no particular advantage to the landowners; on the contrary, those who had much woodland might be injured by it.
§ Resolution agreed to.
§ Lord Althorpthen rose to propose the imposition of a duty on coals, when exported. The modification he meant to introduce in the tax would, he believed, be advantageous to the coal-owners of England. Certainly it would be better for them to remove the tax altogether, but that he could not do: and when a country had a monopoly, as it were, (which England had of coals) of any particular useful commodity, it ought to make other countries pay for the use of its advantages. The change he meant to propose was, he believed, as great as it was safe to make. He moved
That in lieu of the duties of customs now payable upon the exportation of coals, culm, and cinders, there he paid the several duties of customs hereinafter set forth; that is to say:
Coals, culm, and cinders, usually sold by measure, viz. £. s. d. —exported to any British Possession, the chaldron, imperial measure 0 1 0 —exported to any other place, viz. —in a British, the chaldron, imperial measure 0 5 0 —in a foreign ship, the chaldron, imperial measure 0 18 3 Coals, culm, and cinders, usually sold by weight, vis. — exported to any British Possessions, the ton 0 0 8 — exported to any other place, viz. —in a British ship, the ton 0 3 4 —in a foreign ship, the ton 0 12 2
§ Mr. Tennantsaid, that we had not a monopoly of coal. There was an inexhaustible supply of coal in Belgium and France. We now supplied other countries with coals, but by the imposition of this tax we might destroy our market. He considered that we should derive greater advantage from allowing coals to be freely exported, than to clog that part of our trade by duties. He was sure, too, that the noble Lord would find this tax much less productive than he expected.
Mr. Warburtondefended the tax, on the 618 authority of Mr. Ricardo, who had laid own the principle, that what one country could produce much cheaper than any the was proper to be taxed. That gentleman instanced the gold and silver in the possession of Spain. He was one of those who thought the duty should have been augmented. The cost of raising coals at Newcastle was certainly considerably increased, owing to the upper strata being exhausted; and looking at the possibility of the supply bring short, one day or another, he thought we ought not to part with it, except on the payment of rather a high tax.
§ Sir Thomas Aclandthought it was unreasonable to censure the Government, alter it had taken off the tax on sea-borne coals, for not also relieving foreigners.
§ Mr. Tennantdid not wish to flatter the Government, and he thought he was doing his duty to his constituents and the country when he warned the noble Lord against inflicting; injury, as he was about to do, on the property of coal-owners. They were already exposed to many restrictions on exporting coals, of which the noble Lord did not seem to be aware.
§ Lord Althorpwas aware of these restrictions, and many of them would be removed by the alteration he proposed in the tax.
§ Resolution agreed to.