TIN DUTIES. (Hansard, 7 August 1838)

§ Lord Granville Somerset
, pursuant to notice, moved, that the import duty on foreign tin be reduced to 12s. per cwt. He conceived that the existing duty of 50s. per cwt. acted as a complete prohibition upon the importation of foreign tin and it was to remove that prohibition that he was induced to come forward with the present motion. He did not wish the counties of Cornwall and Devon to possess hereafter a complete monopoly of tin; but at the same time he was anxious not to break down their present monopoly so rudely as to introduce at once a flood of foreign tin. It appeared to him, however, that the public had a clear claim to the advantage of reduction in the existing price of tin. He was willing to give the Cornish miner a fair field for exertion: he would release him from the local burdens which pressed upon him; but at the same time he thought that something was owing to the public, and he therefore moved for the reduction of the import duty on foreign tin to 12s. per cwt.

§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer
concurred with the noble Lord in thinking that if the duty on foreign tin were such as to give to the Cornish miners a monopoly, they would in fact be putting into the pockets of the miners the amount of the reduction of the duty. Now Ministers proposed to reduce the duty to 15s., which they thought would accomplish their object in preventing this; and the chairman of the manufacturers' association (Mr. Smith) had concurred in fixing this amount; but the noble Lord was anxious to obtain more 1054 than even what the tin-plate workers wished and the only difference between him and the noble Lord was whether a greater reduction of three shillings should take place; and he thought that his proposal was just as an experiment; but at the same time, if in practice it should be found to throw a monopoly into the hands of the English miners, he would, as he had told the manufacturers, feel himself bound to come again before Parliament to reconsider the subject, and to fix a lower rate of duty, giving, however, all due protection to British interests.

§ Mr. Hawes
thought, that although the miners and the manufacturers might agree in fixing the amount, yet the interests of the public, the consumers ought to be taken care of also; and from the representations made to him, he thought that the duty of 15s. would, in fact, amount to a prohibition of the foreign tin, and that it would be continuing the protection to the Cornish miner, whilst the ground on which that protection existed, was swept away. If, therefore, the noble Lord went to a division he would certainly vote with him.

§ Sir C. Lemon
said, that he had figures before him to prove, that a duty of 15s. per cwt. would leave a fair chance of having an importation of foreign tin. The duty on these plates in France was cent. per cent., and in Russia it was 200 per cent.; it would be well for the noble Lord to turn his attention to those duties, before he further pressed for the present reduction.

§ Mr. Poulett Thomson
said, he had been most anxious for a long time to procure a reduction of duty on tin; but he had been hitherto successfully opposed, because of the local burdens, and the fear of the operation which such a reduction might have upon the mines. But when the time arrived for a reduction of the duty, coupled with a reduction of the dues, he had stated to the miners that if these dues were taken and charged on the consolidated fund there must be such a reduction of duty as would be likely to make up the deficiency to the revenue. His opinion, however, was, that they would be ultimately compelled to make a further reduction of duty; but this was no more an argument for a duty of 12s. than for a duty of 15s.; for in the absence of information, which could be ascertained only by the test of actual experience, he could not say what amount of duty it was proper to impose; and when 1055 those who had some information said, that 15s. would effect the object that he desired, he had no right to make any objection. But he repeated what had been stated by his right hon. Friend (the Chancellor of the Exchequer), that if the experiment did not answer as fully as Government expected, he would move to reduce the duty still further, with the view of obtaining an importation of tin for the benefit of the trade. He deplored that the duties in foreign countries were so high, but he was not a Minister there, and he was of opinion, that if we made our own produce as cheap as possible, we need not fear of obtaining a fair share of trade. The hon. Member behind him had said, that the interest of the consumers had been overlooked, but he could see no difference in this instance between the interests of the tin-plate worker and the consumer; he knew this was not the case with the manufacturers in general, but he could see no sinister interest on the part of the manufacturers, and he was, therefore, willing to take their opinion as to the proper amount of the first reduction.

§ Lord Eliot
said, that this was a question of itself, and ought not to be disposed of on the principles of a free trade, but on a due consideration of the peculiar nature of the mines, and the necessity of constantly working them. He did not know whether it would be better to fix the duty at 12s. or 15s., but, as an experiment, he would at first support the smaller sum, and if that amount were found insufficient, the President of the Board of Trade might move to increase it.

Mr. Aglionby
was surprised at the attempt to legislate without that information which might have been obtained, and, for himself, he could not see why the amount of duty should not be reduced to 12s., or even 6s., and he would, therefore, support the smaller duty, on the same principle, that he advocated a repeal of the corn laws.

Sir Hussey Vivian
contended, that it was the duty of Parliament to look to the interests of the workmen of this country; and that by adopting a low rate of duty, many persons in Cornwall would necessarily be thrown out of employment. He, therefore, called upon the House to adopt the proposition of the Government, and to negative the amendment of the noble Lord opposite.

§ Lord G. Somerset
felt he should best 1056 consult the interests of those whom he represented and of the public by withdrawing his present proposition, and he considered, that he should by that means secure the object that he had in view—that of bringing into the market the competition of foreign tin, and of preventing the continuance of that monopoly which had existed for so many years on the part of the home producer. He begged to give notice, however, that should not this be the result he would bring the matter under the consideration of the House in the course of the next Session.