THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



275 



and provinces — which will, I trust, be ready for the press 

 early in the ensuing month. 



J do not apprehend that atiy difference of importance 

 will be found between the acreage uiuler flax here given, 

 and the extent of that crop which will appear in the more 

 detailed tables now in course of compilation. 



William Donnelly, 



Kegistrar-General. 

 Agricultural and Emigration Slalislics Office, 

 5, Henrietta-street, Dublin, lOth August, 

 1860. 



THE TIME OF HARVEST. 



The following tables will show the period of commencing 

 harveat iu England and Scotland for the last 30 years : — 



ANTI-MALT-TAX ASSOCIATION. 



The Suffolk Society has issued the following prospectus : — 

 Object : To seek, by all coustitutioaal means, to obtain the 

 total repeal of the malt tax. 



GROUNDS OF OBJECTION TO THE MALT TAX. 



1. It is unjust iu principle, being utterly opposed to the 

 free trade policy of the times. It unnaturally curtails the 

 demand for an important part of the produce of the British 

 farmer, and practically forbids his fattening his stock with his 

 own corn in its most approved state. (From Hansard, 1839, 

 page 685) Sir James Graham said, " He was convinced that if 

 they repealed the corn laws, the malt tax would not survive a 

 single year ;" Sir R. Peel (page 774) urged, "as a farmer, to 

 the free traders I would say, let me manufacture and consume 

 my own malt untaxed. Can you deny the justice of this ap- 

 peal?" Mr, ViUiers (page 357)i " Of this he was sure, that all 

 those who were now injured by the existence of the corn laws, 

 would be ready, nay be anxious, to get rid of the malt tax." 



2. It inflicts great injury upon the working classes ; it en- 

 hances the price of the people s beverage at least fifty per 

 cent. ; it thus diminishes their comfort —many thousands of 

 our toiling fellow-countrymen, through this tax, are literally 

 debarred from the use of the Englishman's natural and fa- 

 vourite beverage. One of his greatest comforts is thus 

 snatched from his lips. It encourages the public house. Un- 

 able to buy malt, and so keep beer at home (as was the cus- 

 tom of their forefathers), but feeling the want of it, they are 

 tempted to seek it in the public bouse, which is the fruit! ui 

 source of many evils. It substitutes an unwholesome for a 



wholesome beverage. In consequeuce of the high price of 

 malt, much of the beer that is sold is adulterated with coc- 

 culus iudicus^^and other noxious drugs. Eoglishmen will have 

 beer, it has always been the national drink, and if (through 

 this tsx) they cannot get it genuine, they are driven to take 

 that which is not beer, hut poison. 



3. It inflicts great injury upon the cultivator of the soil. It 

 unnaturally curtails the demand for a very important part of 

 his produce (barley) by adding 2l3. 8d. to the price of every 

 quarter. On every acre of British barley grown to be malted 

 is thus charged the enormous tax of £5 lOs. Since 1730, 

 when the duty was only 6d. per bushel, the average consump- 

 tion per head of the whole population has fallen from five 

 bushels to leas than two. " If the malt tax were repealed we 

 might fairly expect the consumption to he trebled" — Mr. 

 Caley. It greatly depreciates the value of inferior barley. 

 Excise restrictions fetter the maltster at every step, preventing 

 the profitable malting of any but the best kinds of barley. 

 Were it not for this tax inferior barley would be malted for 

 grazing purposes. It forbids the farmer using his own corn in 

 its most approved state for fattening stock. The feeding value 

 of barley is greatly increased by the process of malting — this 

 has been demonstrated by experiment. The heavy duty pre- 

 vents its application to barley used for feeding purposes, and 

 thus has a tendency to increase the price of meat. "I believe," 

 said Sir R. Peel, in 1857, " it is impossible to over-estimate 

 the importance of promoting the fattening of cattle, because 

 it tends to advance an improved system of agriculture." 



4. It injures the public generally, for it contributes to make 

 both beer and meat dear. 



NECESSITY FOR SUCH AN ASSOCIATION. 



The malt tax is a very old tax ; it is one from which a large 

 revenue is derived ; there is therefore no chance of its removal 

 without a strong expression of feeling against it in the country. 

 Experience has shown that to obtain such an expression on 

 any question, however strong the feeling that exists, organiza- 

 tion is required. There are, and have been many yeara, 

 thousands in every county in England who feel most strongly 

 on this question, but from want of combination nothing has 

 been done. This association affords an opportunity (or all to 

 unite. 



WORKING PRINCIPLES. 



It will be absolutely necessary that in this movement we 

 know no party. The operations of this association will pro- 

 bably need to extend over several years, and they cannot be 

 efficiently conducted without expense; it will therefore re- 

 quire a steadily-maintained income in the shape of annual 

 subscriptions. It is believed that the friends of this move- 

 ment are so numerous that a low scale of subscription will 

 suffice. It will be the aim of the executive of the society to 

 put its friends to as little trouble as possible. Our first efforts 

 will be directed to the obtsining of a large body of subscribers 

 in as many counties as possible. In a few months we hope to 

 be able to call a meeting in London, and appoint there a cen- 

 tral committee under whose direction such measures will be 

 adopted as shall be judged most likely to secure our object. 



ADDRESS OF THE COMMITTEE. 



Gentlemen, — We have the strongest conviction that the 

 cause in which we are engaged is the cause of mercy, of mo- 

 rality, and of justice ; a cause claiming the support of every 

 honest Englishman. We therefore solicit you to lend a help- 

 ing hand. There are two objections with which we expect to 

 be met : first, some people will say, " This is a good movement, 

 one with which we sympathise, but the present is not a favour- 

 able time to urge it when the Government are needing so 

 much money."— Answer : We freely admit the force of this 

 objection, but then it must be remembered that an association 

 like this is not formed in a day— many months will probably 

 pass before we are in a position to act vigorously. If we wait 

 for a fitting moment before we start, it will be passed before 

 we are ready to strike a blow. What we aim at now is, to 

 band ourselves together, quietly and firmly, ready for a fa- 

 vourable opportunity. We have recently had an illustration 

 of the truth of our reasoning. When Mr. Gladstone intro- 

 duced his budget there was an admirable opportunity for a 

 vigorous movement, for he proposed to benefit the French pro- 

 ducer of grapes at the expense of the British producer of 

 barley — to cheapen wine, the rich man's drink, leaving beer, 

 the poor man's drink, enormously taxed. But we had no 



