LINEN TRADE—BOUNTY. (Hansard, 26 February 1824)

Mr. Bernal
said, that the effect of the repeal of the bounty would not be felt by Scotland alone. The greater part of the coarse linens which were sent to the West Indies, under the denomination of Osna-burghs, and which were under seven pence a yard, were manufactured in the north of this country. The removal of this bounty; therefore, would have an injurious operation upon an interest which was already very much depressed.

§ Mr. Bright
concurred in the propriety of bringing this subject under the consideration of the House.

§ Colonel Trench
regretted that the chancellor of the Exchequer, for the sake of saving a paltry sum of 100,000l., should have adopted a measure which might be attended with irreparable injury to the rising linen manufacture in the west of Ireland. In the north of Ireland, the linen trade was in a state of vigour and manhood; but in the west of Ireland, it was in its infancy. Those who had read the reports laid before that House might judge whether, to the increase of that trade, they ought not to ascribe the peace and tranquillity of those parts of the sister kingdom where it flourished. Immense mischief would be occasioned by the repeal of this bounty, and that for the paltry saving of 100,000l. He hoped, therefore, the chancellor of the Exchequer would take the subject into his serious consideration. His right hon. friend had began, he thought, at the wrong end. If the bounty were taken away at all, it ought to be from that branch of the trade which was able to bear the change, and not from that which was yet in its infancy. He knew, as a general principle, that bounties were objectionable: but the situation of the west of Ireland was not one that would justify the application of general principles. A report on the linen trade had been made in 1822, and Mr. Ogle, in his evidence before the committee, had distinctly stated, that the removal of the bounty would be destruction to the infant trade. A bounty was, no doubt, an unnatural stimulus; but he was the better able to judge of its operation, from the observations he had made on the beneficial effects of the small premiums which he had himself given to persons engaged in this manufacture. The punishment inflicted on the Irish manufacturers had been brought on them by the fraud and roguery of certain wealthy merchants of London, one of whom had exported a large quantity of bales of cotton in the shape of Irish linen, with the name of a Colerain manufacturer forged upon them. Here was a double injury. The consumer was cheated, and Ireland was in consequence to be deprived of the bounty. The right hon. gent, had said, that foreigners were as ready to tax the raw material, as we were to tax the manufacture by this bounty: but Ireland would soon not want the raw material at all. 454 Owing to the exertions of a public-spirited gentleman, she would soon produce flax superior to that of Russia or Holland, from her own seed.

Mr. Maberly
said, he did not rise to prolong the discussion, but he could not omit the present opportunity of making a few remarks upon this subject. He was happy to state, that he was confident Ireland would derive a very great advantage from the improved growth of flax in the present year. They had, as he was informed, been able to save their entire seed, which might be valued at ten pounds per acre; and, how different such a condition must be from that in which they lost their seed, he need not state, because it was manifest, that whilst that was the case, it was impossible for them to compete with France or Holland, or those countries where the seed was grown. It was to him a great source of satisfaction to have been, in some degree, instrumental in sending that information to Ireland. The following up of that course would be of the greatest advantage to that country; and he hoped soon to see Ireland a raw producing country, which, he was quite sure, she was capable of becoming; and if that should be the case, it would be most profitable to the poor famishing people of the south of Ireland, whose condition was enough to make one shudder; so that he thought the hon. gentleman opposite need not be alarmed at the removal of a bounty of 10 per cent in ten years. One word now with respect to the classification of bounties. The great production of low-price bounties arose in Scotland, and if they were taken off, it would manifestly do an injury to that country. He thought they should deal out even-handed justice to Scotland as well as to Ireland, and to England too; and that was a consideration which should not be lost sight of by the chancellor of the Exchequer. Another point which he wished to be considered was, the propriety of taking off the duties upon hemp. This, he thought, would be a considerable advantage; and, indeed, a pledge had been given to that effect by the government, as was very well known by the right hon. gentleman opposite (Mr. Wallace). There was no less a duty than 25 per cent on hemp, which was an enormous tax on the raw material, and he was astonished how people who talked of liberal principles could maintain so enormous a duty as 25 or 30 per cent on the raw material. Really, it was holding 455 out fine principles in one hand, and throwing them over with the other. If that reduction were to take place, the West Indies could be amply supplied with low-rate linens on advantageous terms; and if these duties were taken off, the West-India interest need feel no alarm on account of the bounties. But, above all, he wished to impress upon the chancellor of the Exchequer and the House, the wisdom as well as the justice of dealing equally with the three countries.

§ Mr. Wallace
said, he merely rose to remove the impression that he had given any pledge as to the repeal of the duties on hemp.

Mr. Maberly
said, he did not mean to state that the right hon. gentleman personally had done so, but most certainly a pledge to that effect had been given by the government most distinctly.