HC Deb 22 June 1854 vol 134 c595

Order for Third Reading read.

MR. THOMSON HANKEY

said, he must complain that, after the House had agreed to the fixing of the 5s. 2d. as the difference of duty upon sugar used in breweries, the amount was now proposed to be raised to 7s. This was placing an additional duty upon the importers of sugar, and subjecting them to a grievance to which they ought not to be exposed; and he hoped the House would not consent to the third reading of the Bill till the matter had been fully discussed and explained. He thought if the amount was fixed at 6s., it would be fully as high as in justice it ought to be.

MR, J. WILSON

said, that it had been agreed by the House, at a former stage of this Bill, that 7s, of additional duty should be imposed upon sugar used in breweries in lieu of the malt duty. Since then the matter had been further considered by the revenue officers, and though the result of their investigations had been to uphold very much their previous calculations, it was his intention to propose, after the Bill bad been read a third time, to move that 6s. 6d, be substituted instead of 7s.

MR. M'MAHON

said, he had given notice of a Motion to encourage the cultivation of beetroot in Ireland, and he hoped that for that purpose the Government would consent to reduce the duty on beetroot sugar in Ireland to one-half of the duty charged upon foreign sugar—a measure which he believed could be carried out without entailing any loss to the public revenue.

MR. E. BALL

said, that as the malt duty had been raised 50 per cent, it would be unfair towards the producers of malt if the duty on sugar used in breweries were not subjected to some corresponding increase,

Bill read 3°; after which the words 6s. 6d. were inserted in lieu of 7s.

Bill passed.

The House adjourned at half after One o'clock.