Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

10 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

SEVEN MEN STARVED TO DEATH…

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

FROM FRIDAY'S LOND()\ (JAZETTE,…

BRIBERY AND THE A I ING AT…

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HOUSE OF LORDS—FRIDAY, APRIL…

———-<-——— HOUSE OF COMMONS—FKIDAY,…

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

———-<-——— HOUSE OF COMMONS—FKIDAY, APRIL 30. The Speaker took the chair at a few minutes before four o'clock. Mr. W. Listen took the oaths and his seal for Worcester. Mr. W. J. Fox gave notice that when the Militia Bill was in Committee, he would move a clause to the effect that no man should be liable to compulsory military service, unless his name is on the registration list as an elector for some city, toumy or borough. THE BUDGET. The bouse having resolved into a Committee of Ways and Means, the Cliaocellor of the Exchequer proceeded to make his financial statement. Remioding the committee that an important branch of the revenue had ceased by lipse of time, and that a considerable deficiency would consequently ensue, the right hon, gentleman invited both sides of the house to dismiss all prejudg- ments and piejudicEP, and to join him in calmly surveyog the exsct financial position of the countiy. When a Finance Minister fouod himself in this condition, with a considerable deficiency in the public income, it was obvious that the methods by which Ihat deficiency should be supplied, must be the mos' practicable and tl<e least unpopular. The public revenue was m-ed by three mell.ads-by d ul ies upon foiei^o articles i r,porter), by duties upon articles of domestic manufacture, and largely by a sys'.em of direct taxation, A very considerable amount oi revenue was still obtained by'he first method, and, locking at what had been done in rhe present and preceding parliament? he did not think that the prospects of supplying the dificiency try increa-iag the customs duties, was very encourdglog. Since 1842, the reduction of those duties had been systematic and con- tinuous, its agtfrega'e amount in the last ten years being nearly £ 9,000,000. Had he a moie encouraging prospect by having recourse to duties upon articles of home manufacture 1 Two op uions prevailed es io the means by which the industry of thi- touoiry might be relieved; one pary advocated the repeal of i'us nms duties, another the remission or reducion ot ili sa of the excise what prospect of su< cess, theo, had a Chancellor ol the Exchequer whose means of so, plyiog a deficiency of income were lImited to these two important sour, es of the pub) c rf venue 1 Even those who con3idered a customs duty as the greatest of fiscal grievances, had e'tocet.durtog the last len yeai3, scaicely 1,6% repugnance to ra s ng a revenue on articles 01 domestic pro- duction. Whilst 1.9,000,000 of cuttoms duties had been re- pealed, in the same period, excise duties had been remitted to the amount of nf-nrly CI,500,000, and only that day week a p posa1 w is made to repeal more ol those dutitstj the exten of £1,400,000. A Finance Mimsti r, therefore, whl) proposed to Siii ply the deficiency by a customs or ao excise duty, would embirk upon a hopeless enterprise. What was the prospect in resptci to what was called direct taxation ? Domy the last ten years, eoosideiable experience had been had of the tamper of the house as to Ihis mode of raising the revenue. The ht- Slr K. Peel introduced the pr perty and income t tx apologetically, as necessiiated by an emergency he ltarned it upon a large basis of txemptiong, and it was so modelled that the mul'iiule should not leel the oppressiveness of the tax. It had, however, trecome 10 odious aud unpopular, that it had been renewed only provi-iionaliy, and was now submitted to the clitical scrutiny 01 a committee upstairs. The feeling ef the house in lespect to direcl t x-tion was, therefore, scarcely more encouraging than as to indirect taxation. At a member ii the property tax committee, he could say that they had received the amplest evidence from the ablest practical men as 10 subjecting income. of a temporary anil a permanent character 10 the same rales of a^sea^nteol but, it their suggestions were adop ed, he was sure thai schedule* A, B, and C, would not be less odious than schedule D. There was another point upon which the committee was almost unani mous, namely, that if taiation of this character was to form a permanent feature of the system of finance of this couniry, it could not rest upon a system of exemptions. Direct Uxatinn should be nearly as uoiversal in its application ti8 indireci tax- ation. But he could not shut his eyes to the fact of the abolition, last session, of one of the most considerable sources of direct taxation, by the repeiil of the window duties, which had sacrificed nearly f2,000,000, and the substitution of a house duty, which, by touching only 400,000 houses out of 3,500,000. practically announced that direct taxation, was intolerable, unless based upon a large sy-iem of exemptions. 'i he House hiving disapproved of all the three methods of raising revenue, he came now to consider the exact stale of the income and expenditure of the country. The late Chancellor of the Exche- quer had estimated the amount of 'he income for the year endiog 5'h ef April last, at £ 52.140,000; but the actual income was £5246B,317, exceeding the estimate by £340.000, no'uiiih- s'and nti a large remission of taxes. The Customs, estimated at £ 20,400,000, had yielded £20 673.000; the Extise, estimated at £14,000,000, had turned out £14543000; the Stamps, taken at 16 3i0,0n0, had produced jE6,346,000, for the taxes, calculated to give £ 4 348 000, owing to the repeal of the win. dow duties, only £3,691,000 had been received; the Piopt-riy nnd Income-lax, estimated at £5,830,000, had realised f5,283,000 the Post Office, instead ot £ 830,000 had pro- duced £1.056000; the Woods, estimated atftSOOOO. had yielded £ 190,000 the miscellaneous receipts aod old Mores, which had been estimated at £ 712,000, had produced £ 082,000. The estimated expenditure had been £ 50,247,000; the actual fXpenditure was £ 50,291 000. i he estimated expenditure for the current year, ending in April, 1853, was £ 51.163 979. namely, Debt and Ch«rgtsoo Consolidated Fund, £30,550,000, A>my, £ 6,491,893; Navy (including packet service), £ 6 493,000; Oidnance, £2,437.000; Civil Estimates, i.4,182 086 K"lfir War, £ 660,000; Militia, £ 350,000— total, £ 51,163 979. He now c ame to the sources of supply, and he took the r respective amounts as follow :-Custom, £ 20 572 000; Excise. £14,604000; Stamps, £6,339000; Taxes, i3 090 000; Property-lax (half a year) X2,641,500 Post Office. £ 9-38,000; Words, £ 235,000; Misce^nnenus, £260,000; 0 d Stores. £ 400,000—total income, J46 983,500. This would leave a deficiency of £ 2,180,479; but, without the moify of the Properiy-tax, the deficiency in 18£;3 would amouut Io £ 4,820,000. If that tax bad been continued for two years instead of one, its produce in the year ending the 5'h of April, 1853, might be estima ed at £ 5.1 £ 7 000, which would make the whole estimated income of the year 1852-53, 151,625,000, and as the estimated expenditure was X51,163 979, tttere would be then a surplus of income over expenditure of £ 461,021. It appeared to her Majesty's Ministeis that the course which, under the circum-tances, they should recurnmend-one which no prudent man, he thought, could hesitate in ildopling-was the continuance of the Property and Income-tax for a limited period. They would not shrink from the task of surveying the whole system of finance, with the hope of inducing the bouse to come to some clear and decided opinion as to the principles on which the public revenue should be raised. It would have beeo, he observed io conclusion, mo e agreeable to him to relieve the industry c\f tha country, and to attempt a fair adjustment of taxation upon right principles but his duty was only to place fairly before the house the condition of the public finances, and to offer the advice which her Majesty's Government had elt it their duly to tender. He accordingly moved a resolution to the effect that the Property and Iacome-tax be continued for one year. A lengthened discussion ensued, after which the motion was agreed to, and the house resumed. The Highway Rates bill was passed through Committee. The remaining business on the paper having been disposed of, the house was adjourned at halUpasl twelve o'clock until Monday. MONDAY. Sir J. Pakiogton obtained laave to briog in a bill for granting a iepresentative constitution 10 New Zealand. He obaerved that it was one of the most interesting of the British colonies, and deserved a constitution. After entering into its early history and progress, he stated most fully bit views of the intended franchise to be granted. It was proposed that the central legislature should consist of a governor and a non- elective body to be nominated by the Crown, the duration of the parliament of this central legislature to be five years, while the provincial councils would be elected for five years. The Upper Chamber would consist of not less than ten, nor more than fifteen members, and its sets are to override those of the provinces. It was further proposed that there should be a civil list. At present it amounted to £ 12,000 a-year, and il was not inlended to increase it. An additional sum of 17000 a-year would be reserved for native purposes, and geneially to such other purposes as may lend to promote the interest or increase the happiness of the people. The management of the Crown lands would be reserved to the Central Legitlattre in the manner proposed by Ihe late Government. Iherewascntyone other point which he need refer to, and that was the Lower Chamber of the Colonial Legislature. It wis proposed that it should be elective, each pr vtnciat council having power to aend three delegates to be returned for five years, and this central legislature would be empowered to make changes in the consti- tution, subject of course to the approval cf the Ciown. Haviog gone through Ihe principal features of the measure, he concluded by hoping the House would allow the bill ultimately to be passediotoa law, believing, as he did, that it came wiihin those necessary measures which the Government were pledged to introduce during the present session. Leave granted. Mr. Cjbden, on the motion that the House should go into comrniUee oo the Militia Bill, proposed an amendment to the effect that a return should be made of the Qit\at force of this country now abroad, with a view to bring home as much of that force as might be available, prior to adventuring upon any such measures as the Government proposed by the iMilitia Bill. The hon. member made a Jo"ng speech on his motion, showing that the great majority obtained by the Government on the previous reading, was in DO way composed of the representatives of the large centres of indusuy and intelligence while the mioority was composed largely of that class; and, also, that the voice of the country bad been pretty loudly expressed against the measure, in the eight or nine hundred petiiions which had been p esented. A long and animated debate ensued, which was adjourned to T uesday. The Registration of Births, Deaihs, and Mutriages Bill having been read a second time, end the other otderaof the day disposed of, the House adjourned. TUESDAY. The Merthyr Tydfil Water Woiks Bill was considered and agreed to. The Attorney Generlil sdid that in the event of the Grand Juries Abolition Bill being read a second time, be should move that it be referred to a select committee. The Chancellor of the Exchequer said ihsl on Monday he should a^k for leave lo biing ia a bill to assign the seats vacated by the disfranchisement of St. Albans and Sudbury. The debate on the Militia Bill was resumed. Mr. Cobden's amendment to the Bil!, was lost by a majority of 209. J The House agreed to go into committee on the Bill and the chairman havmg reported progress, aud obtained reave to sit aRcin on i bursday, the House adjourned. EDNESDAY. The Tenant Right (Ireland) Hill was lost, upon the second reading by a majority of 119, (fftt;r which, the House adjourned.

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TRIUMPHANT RECEPTION OF MR.…