§ Mr. John Wood, in moving for a number of Return, 815 to show the quantity of bonded corn on hand, and the quantity imported from different countries since the beginning of last year, took the opportunity to condemn, in strong terms, our present system of taking the Averages. It was, he said, the most fallacious possible, and they could, at any time, be altered a few shillings by one or two great speculators. He knew that in some places not one particle of the corn that was consumed for several weeks ever formed part of the averages. He wished, also, to take that opportunity to warn the Government and the country, that we were placed, he believed, in a very critical situation as to the quantity of corn in the country. The stock, he believed, was small, and was fast diminishing. He did not believe that there were above 300,000 quarters in bond, and he dreaded the approach of a famine price. There was no large stock in any part of the Continent, whence we could obtain supplies. One of the arguments, he remembered, of those who supported the Corn-laws was, that the country ought not to depend for a supply of food on foreign countries; but it was impossible that it could grow food enough for all its inhabitants. The policy, therefore, of this country ought to be, to encourage other countries to grow food for our use. What was the consequence, however, of the policy we had pursued? The harvest last season was below the average, and there was now no corn to be got from the Continent. We could get none from the Baltic and none from the opposite coast. We might, perhaps, get a little from the Mediterranean, or a little from America; but he thought the supplies we could obtain were so short; that he would recommend capitalists and persons engaged in this trade to look about them and see whence they could obtain supplies. At present the price of wheat in the month of December was 64s., and it was the opinion of experienced persons, that by the month of June it would be 100s. He believed it, and he thought that scarcity would best be prevented by the Government and the country directing their attention to the subject in time, and by such warnings as he thought it his duty to give. The hon. Member concluded by moving for the Returns above-mentioned.
§ Mr. Curteisshared the hon. Member's opinions as to the Averages, and thought the Return would be useful. He must 816 deny the latter part of the hon. Gentleman's statement, however, and believed that there was no ground for the fears he had expressed.
§ Mr. Ruthvenalso thought, that the crops of last year were not so deplorably bad as the hon. Gentleman stated. He admitted that the averages were fallacious, but he could not agree that the Corn-laws were altogether wrong. It was necessary to give protection to the agriculturists, but he thought that protection might probably be better given by a regular fixed duty than by the present method of taking the averages.
§ Returns ordered.