§ LORD R. GROSVENORsaid, that as the Brick Duties Bill was on the paper for the evening, he wished to ask his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government had determined to do on the subject of drawback? He would also ask him to state at what time the brick duty would cease, because at present there was a complete stagnation in the brick trade, the brickmakers being afraid at present to proceed with their operations. He also begged to ask his right hon. Friend what the Government proposed to do with respect to contracts for the supply of bricks entered into under the idea that the duty would be charged?
§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, that with regard to the first question put to him which related to the drawback, he saw a deputation three or four days ago, and on reference to what had been the practice on the repeal of other excise duties, he found that there were only two cases in which a drawback had been allowed. The usual course had been to allow some time to elapse before 1365 the duty was taken off, in order to enable parties to dispose of their stock, but generally there had been no drawback, and in no case had the full drawback been allowed. No new bricks could be made, so as to enter into competition with those which had paid the duty for some time, and, therefore, the brickmakers could not be prejudiced to the full extent of the duty paid on existing bricks. Of course those who would reap the principal benefit from the repeal of the excise duty were those who had been paying it hitherto; as he had been constantly told that the brick-makers did not so much complain of the amount of the duty, as of the interference of the exciseman. They had the advantage of their plant, and of a perfect knowledge of the trade, so that whatever happened, they must derive the greatest amount of benefit from the repeal of the duty. When he saw the parties to whom he had alluded on Thursday last, many of them, or at least some of them, said that it was not reasonable to expect the full amount of the drawback, and a proposal was made that the duty should not be taken off till the 1st of June, to enable the parties to dispose of their stock, and that a drawback should be allowed on the stock then in hand. Expectations were held out that by that time they would probably have disposed of half their stock in hand, and it was suggested that he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) should allow half the amount of drawback. On considering this matter, he had come to the conclusion that an extension of the time was most undesirable, because, of course, he could not but perceive that stagnation must ensue in all those employments which depended on the brick trade, embracing not only bricklayers but carpenters and joiners, and other parties. He therefore thought it far better, admitting that some allowance should be made, to do whatever he found it necessary to do at once. He proposed to allow at once a drawback of 50 per cent on the stock in hand, and that on all bricks hence-forward made, the repeal of the duty should be immediate. The duty on all existing bricks had been paid, and he proposed to take no more. The only difficulty was as; to the taking of stock. He had seen the deputation before referred to on Thursday last, and on Friday and Saturday there had been made a survey of more than half the brickyards in England. Orders: would go off that night for an immediate survey of the remaining yards, and every; 1366 care should be taken that not a single hour's delay should take place in ascertaining what the amount of stock in hand was. With regard to other parties, he had received several applications from parties who had already bought bricks, and who represented that persons who might build houses with untaxed bricks would have an unfair advantage over them. He was afraid that it was out of his power to afford relief to those parties, and all he proposed, therefore, was to give a drawback to the makers of bricks. An hon. Friend had put into his hands a remonstrance against an inconvenience of another kind, but for which he did not see any remedy. A gentleman had a large quantity of brick earth, for which he was paid a royalty, and he had derived the greatest benefit from the supervision of the excise officer, who kept an account of all the brick earth which was used; and he had been asked to introduce some provision in the Bill by which that computation might be still effected. He must say that it appeared to him that the benefit which this gentleman would derive from the repeal of the duty was so great that he was not entitled to receive any compensation. The last question to which he had to refer regarded contracts. He had been asked to introduce a provision into the Bill to relieve parties who had entered into contracts for bricks, as if they were to be duty-paid bricks; and he proposed, therefore, to insert a clause making an abatement in favour of contracts heretofore made to the amount of the drawback. He believed that on the whole this arrangement would meet the justice of the case.
VISCOUNT DUNCANregretted the trouble and inconvenience to which his right hon. Friend had been exposed, and inquired whether he would have any objection to limit the amount of the window duty?
§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERthought that the repeal of the window duty was not so desirable as that of the duty on bricks.
§ LORD R. GROSVENORsaid that, after hearing the statement made by his right hon. Friend, he would not press the instruction to the Committee which stood in his name on the paper.
§ MR. BRIGHTdid not understand from the right hon. Gentleman's statement, that the drawback would be allowed to persons having bricks in their possession, but who were not the makers of them. Supposing a person to have bricks actually delivered 1367 to him, would be be treated on the same terms as the maker of the bricks?
§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, that the same question had been put to him by an old lady, who had been buying a great number of bricks, and he had been obliged to tell her that no drawback could be allowed upon them.
§ Subject dropped.