§ On the Order of the Day for bringing up the report on the East India Rum Bill,
§ Mr. Labouchereproposed some verbal amendments in the preamble, to meet the suggestion made by the hon. and learned Member for Ripon. He had, also, an amendment of a more material character to propose. Judging by the evidence before the East India Committee, he had been led to believe that East India sugar was the bonà fide produce of the sugar-cane and nothing else. In the bill, therefore, he had limited the permission to introduce rum to the produce of the sugar-cane, and in doing so he thought he was giving all that the East Indies asked. It had been stated however, by Gentlemen possessing local and practical knowledge on the subject—by the hon. and learned Member for Beverley, and the hon. and learned Member for Newark, who, he believed, was an East India, as well as West India proprietor, that the exclusion of the produce of the date-tree would render the bill a dead letter in Bengal. If that were the case—if date-tree rum was produced like sugar-cane rum, and that its admission would not open a door to fraud, or the introduction of spirits of all kinds under the name of rum, there was no fair reason for excluding it. He thought that in admitting the produce of the sugar-cane, they were certainly conferring a great benefit. He was satisfied that in Benares, the great country of the sugar manufacture, inasmuch as the date-tree either did not grow, or did not produce fruit, the sugar must be entirely the produce of the sugar-cane. On the other hand, he was satisfied that in Bengal Proper, and particularly in the low alluvial grounds near the sea, there were extensive manufactories of sugar from the date-free, and in many places the sugar was made indiscriminately from the date-tree and the sugar-cane, and it would be 286 exceedingly difficult to distinguish between sugar made from one and the other. He thought, therefore, in admitting sugar from the date-tree as well as the sugarcane, it was only fair, and carrying out the principle, to admit the accompanying spirit with the former as well as the latter. At present sugar was not cultivated to a great extent in Bombay, but when it came to be, the date-tree would certainly prevail to a great extent. For these reasons, be thought he was only acting in consistency with his former declaration in consenting to an alteration by which spirit, the produce of the date-tree should be admitted on the same grounds with spirit the produce of the sugar-cane. He should therefore propose that, after the words "sugarcane," the words "date or palm-tree" be inserted.
§ Mr. Haweswas glad that the right hon. Gentleman went so far, but he thought there ought to be no difference whatever between East and West India produce.
§ Mr. Goulburnwould not oppose the amendment. He thought the principle of the measure fairly applied to the produce of the date-tree.
§ Amendments agreed to. Report also agreed to. Bill to be read a third time.