A opiscusston on the duty on tea look place in the House of Commons on the 26th April. It was raised by a Radical member who moved that the clause in the Budget resolutions which im a duty of 6d. a pound should be left out. He pointed out that whenever the tea duty had been lowered an increased consumption had followed, and the objected to the continuance of the duty mainly on the ground that it was burdensome to the poor. He adopted, he estimate that one half of the tea which was consumed in the country was used by the labouring classes, and this shewed, he said, how much the duty was a tax on the necessaries of life. This part of the honourable member's speech may be taken as his contribution. to the charge which his party have endeavoured to fix on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the budget is intended for the relief of the rich and well-to-do and that thg masses instead of being benefited by it are some= what injured. But the mover of the amendment argued that the continuance of the duty was a hindrance to the ex:
ion of our commerce "and_partict ly with India, which was now compet= ing with China in the export of tea to Europe" a statement which shews that he had posted himself on commercial had com India to give up duties information up to the latest date. "We on British manufactures; and it was only right that we should show a little reciprocity by giving up the 6d, duty on tea." The duty "bleeds industry just when it wants strengthening." Thus, according to the member, the working man is injured by having to pay the Suty British industry is injured because the duty on Indian tea prevents the expansion of commerce; and India is injured because a duty is imposed on her tea. For it is to be observed that there is nothing in the speech of the mover of the amendment which would indicate that he knew that the same duty is levied on China as on Indian tea. He had learned that Indian Tea was competing with that which we send to Europe, but his knowledge of the article had gone no further. The amend+ ment was supported by several members generally on the same grounds as those which had been ungod by its mover, and it would seem that a considerable number of Radicals are likely to make the abolition of the tea duty one of the planks in their platform, and if so they will support it by appeals to the working classes.
Mr. Goschen admitted that it would be a most popular thing to abolish the duty on tea, buthe said that he would not, like to abolish such a tax, because the machinery for its collection being thus terminated, it would be very difficult to re-impose it, as it might be necessary to do in time of war. "If he had the necessary millions to spare he would much prefer to reduce both the tea and tobacco duty, than to abolish the tea duty." He showed that the taxation on consumable articles had been reduced by two millions sterling since 1876, and that the taxation on property and the earnings of the professional classes—by means of death duties, stamps, house tax and income tax—had increased twelve millions sterling or 71 per cent. in the same period. Then, replying to an argument which had been used, that in pro portion as the price of an article had fallen the duty on it should be reduced, he said, "if the consumer had to pay less for his tea he was not entitled to look upon it as a grievance that the duty had remained as before." They were nearer the desired "tree breakfast table," and it would be satisfactory to him if it should happen during his tenure of office that he should find himself in a position to reduce the tea and tobacco duties. Mr. Gladstone, in the course of the few remarks which he made, agreed with the views of the mover, but said that it would be impossible for him to give his vote for the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.