Commons Sitting of 18 May 1814

REPORT ON THE CORN TRADE
Mr. Gordonreported from the committee of the whole House, on the re-committed Report from the committee of the whole House, to whom it was referred to consider of the motion made upon the 2nd instant, that it is expedient that the exportation of corn, grain, meal, malt, and flour, from any part of the United Kingdom, should be permitted at all times without the payment of any duty, and without receiving any bounty whatever, the Resolution they had directed him to report to the House; and which was as follows:
1. Resolved, That it is expedient that the several duties now payable in respect of all corn, grain, meal, and flour, imported into the United Kingdom, should cease and determine; and, that the several duties in the following schedule shall be paid in lieu thereof, for a time to be limited.
The Schedule of Duties will be found in pp. 725, 726.
The Chancellor of the Exchequermoved, that the House should adopt the Resolution.
Mr. Calcraftsaid, it would be necessary for him to make a great deal more inquiry into this subject, before, in the present circumstances of the country, be could come to any determination upon it. He considered the proposition as totally inapplicable to this country. It was as much the interest of land-owners that there should be an abundant supply of corn at a moderate rate to the people, as it was the interest of the people themselves. He allowed, that it was necessary rents should rise in proportion to the expence of living; but if other things fell, he saw no reason why rents ought not to fall also, when land was let too high. In Ireland and Scotland, where land was let a great deal too high, nothing but the adoption of a proposition like that now before the House could keep them from falling. He merely took this opportunity of saying a few words, that he might not be pledged to any system, unless he saw his way much clearer than he did at present.
Mr. Alderman Atkinssaid, the hon. baronet knew very well that the principle of the Report obtained his approbation in the committee; but the Report had been so altered from what he thought to be the understanding of the committee, that he could not agree to it without farther enquiry. It was his opinion, that the sum to be fixed by them ought not to go beyond 80 s., and it was his intention therefore to
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propose, as an amendment to the Resolution, to begin with a duty of 20 s. when the price was 60 s.; 15 s. when the price was 65 s. and so on, the duty regularly decreasing in the same proportion, till the price came to 80 s. when it should cease. Till he saw that the agriculture of the country could not go on without a measure like the present, he was unwilling to consent to a prohibition of the importation of grain.
Mr. Pole Carewhad no doubt of the ability of this country to maintain its own inhabitants, when he considered the extent of land still uncultivated. In his opinion, the leading features of the Report were incontrovertible.
Mr. Bankesthought that another committee ought immediately to be appointed. A great deal of matter had fallen from several gentlemen in the course of last night, which was well deserving of consideration. A great many accounts were still wanted; and they ought also to have the oral testimony of those persons who were best acquainted with the state of the corn trade in this country. They were ignorant of the state of the import trade at this moment; and they ought to have the accounts brought up to the latest time; that is, from January to April. He conceived that it would be best to have a select committee appointed. By the employment of due diligence, in the course of a fortnight the committee might actually be enabled to lay before the House much valuable matter, without which it would neither be honourable for themselves, nor safe for the country, to proceed further in the present subject.
Mr. Thompsonsaid, the present discussion must have removed many misapprehensions on the subject. He merely wished to say a few words in favour of the growers of corn, who had a great claim on the indulgence of the House. All he wished was, that the farmer should have a reasonable profit after the payment of rent and taxes; but this would be impossible, if foreigners were allowed an unrestrained competition with him in the home market. While the trade in every other commodity was restricted, it would be unsafe for that in corn to be free.
General Gascoynethought the House ought to have all possible information on the subject now before them. Within these few days, great speculations in corn had been made; on the certainty, that if this measure should be adopted, a great

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rise would take place in the price of that commodity. But whatever ultimately might be the decision of the House, it would be satisfactory to the people to know that every inquiry had been previously gone into.
Mr. Huskissonrose merely with a view to notice the observation which had fallen from the hon. gentleman who spoke last, regarding the speculations in corn. It was quite impossible, in his opinion, for any person not to perceive that, from the supply of grain at present in this country, there was no probability of any rise in price before harvest. This was one reason for his wishing to proceed with the subject at present. There were many persons in the House desirous of defeating the measure; and at the present advanced period of the session he should despair of any report of a committee being laid before the House in any reasonable time to admit of subsequent discussion; and thus agreeing to a select committee would be the same thing as putting off the measure altogether to another session.
The question was then put, and the House adopted the Resolution without a division.
The Chancellor of the Exchequermoved for leave to bring in a Bill in conformity to the Resolution. In answer to a question of lord Milton, he said, that he was undetermined whether he should propose three or five years, for the period of the Bill. Three years he thought the shortest term which could enable the country to experience the effects of the measure.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.

COPY RIGHT BILL.
The House resolved itself into a committee on this Bill, in which
Mr. D. Giddystated, that, from a reconsideration of the clauses, it was wished that this commitment should only be pro forma, and that it should be re-committed when the Bill was more completely in the possession of the members. For the satisfaction of those present, however, he wished shortly to run over the clauses of the Bill, as it had been altered and now stood. The clauses provided—1. That it should not be necessary that the copies of books presented to public libraries should be on fine paper.—2. That no book need be presented to these libraries, unless such as were required from the booksellers.—3. That all copy rights should be entered
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at Stationers'-hall; and that if the author, by a special entry, waved his copy right, he should then only be required to present one copy to the British Museum.—4. That the term of copy right be extended from 14 years certain, and another 14 years if the author was living at the end of the first term, to 28 years certain. There was another clause which the hon. member said had been presented to him by the booksellers; to provide, that improper use should not be made of the books presented to the public libraries, as it had been said that they were sometimes sold. These clauses, on the suggestion of Mr. Bankes, were then received for the purpose of being printed. The House then resumed, and the Report being received, was ordered to be taken into consideration on the 27th instant.