§ MR. MILDMAYsaid, he rose to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his intention to enforce the payment of the Duty on all home-grown Hops on the 1st day of January, or whether he will allow home-growers, by availing themselves of the proposed system of Inland Bonding, to share in the advantage enjoyed by the importers of foreign Hops, of not paying the Duty until the Hops are sold for consumption.
§ MR. LAINGsaid, his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer had stated in a letter which had appeared in the public papers the arrangements which he proposed with regard to hops:—namely, that the reduced duty on Foreign and English hops should not take effect until the 1st of January, 1861. As a considerable period was allowed the English hop-grower for payment of the duty, and as the duty was not paid usually until some time after the crop was gathered and sold, it was not probable that a longer interval would be enjoyed by the importer of foreign hops. He, therefore, did not think that any system of inland bonding would be extended to articles like hops.
§ MR. DODSONsaid, he would also beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Resolution reducing the Excise Duty upon Hops to 14s. a cwt. will apply to the duty upon the crop of 1859, payable in May and November next; and if not, from what date it is intended that the corresponding Resolution reducing the Customs Duty on Foreign Hops should take effect?
§ MR. LAINGsaid, that the present Duty on Hops would apply to the whole of the crop of 1859, payable in May and November next; and as had been already stated, the reduced Duty both on English and Foreign Hops would only come into effect on the 1st of January, 1861.