EXPORTATION OF MACHINERY. (Hansard, 11 August 1843)

Mr. Gladstone
moved the order of the day for the House to go into committee on the Exportation of Machinery Bill.

§ Colonel Sibthorp
thought it was not a fair or manly course to bring in a measure of this kind while the majority of the county Members were absent. If the right hon. Gentleman went on in this way, he must be called the President, not of the Board of Trade, but of the Board of Free Trade. As the bill was a dangerous step towards that free-trade, which he hated, he would move that it be committed that day three months.

§ Mr. Sheppard
supported the amendment. He was opposed to the bill, because it would deprive this country of all the advantages it possessed in superior ingenuity and superior machinery, and the result would infallibly be, a free-trade in corn.

§ Mr. Forster
warmly approved of the 546 bill, and agreed with the right hon. Gentleman in the principles laid down in his very able speech of last night in support of the measure. Therefore, he should not have troubled the House on the subject had not the right hon. Gentleman alluded in his speech to the export duty on coal. The right hon. Gentleman appeared conscious that the arguments with which he supported this bill were at variance with those made use of by the right hon. Baronet at the head Government in defence of the export tax on coal; and he endeavoured to get out of this difficulty by saying that the coal-tax was a revenue measure and solely to be defended on that ground. But, on turning to the speech of the right hon. Baronet on introducing the measure he (Mr. Forster) found that the right hon. Baronet defended it, among other grounds, as— A tax levied on an article produced in this country—an element of manufactures, necessary to manufactures, tending by its export to increase the competition with our own manufactures. And further, he recommended it as— Operating as few taxes do, to the encouragement of native industry. Now, the doctrines laid down in the speech of the right hon. Gentleman last night were altogether inconsistent with those urged by the right hon. Baronet in defence of the coal-tax; therefore, he begged to give the right hon. Gentleman notice, that whenever the question of the coal duty should come on he should claim the right hon. Gentleman's support of the repeal of that duty, on the principles he has laid down in defence of that bill.

Mr. S. Wortley
thought the exportation of machinery rested upon grounds peculiar to itself, and had no connection with any other question. There was no other article the export of which was prohibited, and the prohibition in this instance had entirely failed to prevent foreign countries obtaining machines, while it deprived this country of a valuable branch of trade. The export of machinery already took place under the authority of orders of council, and there was no reason why the House should not sanction the exportation as a direct general principle.

§ Mr. Hindley
had opposed the bill in the first instance, but, as the House had so far sanctioned it, he should vote for its being considered in committee; he con- 547 ceived that the question was intimately connected with the abolition of the Corn-laws, and he trusted to see the Government follow this measure out with others, repealing the Corn-laws, and giving full freedom to trade.

Mr. Gladstone
said the bill related to a branch of manufactures purely domestic, the materials for which were produced in this country, and which carried on entirely by British artizans The object was one which we all had in view, the increase of employment and the improvement of the trade in this country.

List of the AYES.
Aldam, W.	Lincoln, Earl of
Baring, hn. W. B.	Marsham, Visct.
Brotherton, J.	Masterman, J.
Duncan, G.	Nicholl, rt. hon. J.
Duncombe, hn. A.	Northland, Visct
Eliot, Lord	O'Brien, W. S.
Forster, M.	Peel, J.
Fuller, A. E.	Polhill, F.
Gaskell, J. Milnes	Pringle, A.
Gladstone, rt. hn. W. E.	Round, J.
Gordon, hon Capt.	Smith, rt. hn. T. B. C.
Goulburn, rt. hon. H.	Sutton, hon. H. M.
Graham, rt. hn. Sir J.	Tennent, J. E.
Greene, T.	Trench, Sir F. W.
Hardinge, rt. hn. Sir H.	Wawn, J. T.
Herbert, hon. S.	Wood, B
Hindley, C.	Wortley, hon. J. S.
Hope, hon. C.	Yorke, H. R.
Hope, G. W.
Howard, P. H.	TELLERS.
Hume, J.	Freemantle, Sir T.
Knatchbull, rt. hn. Sir E	Baring, H.

List of the NOES.
Allix, J. P.	Hornby, J.
Archbold, R.	Kemble, H.
Broadwood, H.	O'Brien, A. S.
Darby, G.	Rushbrooke, Col.
Duncombe, hn. O.	Sheppard, T.
Ferguson, Sir R. A.	Trotter, J.
Flower, Sir J.	TELLERS.
Forman, T. S.	Sibthorp, Col.
Henley, J. W.	Broadley, H.