218 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



THE MALT TAX. 



Sir James Graham once said, " He was convinced if 

 tliey repealed tlie corn laws, the malt-tax would not 

 survive a single year." Mr. Villiers responded, that 

 " of this he was sure, that all those who were now in- 

 jured by the existence of the corn laws, would be ready, 

 nay, be anxious to get rid of the malt-tax." Lord John 

 Russell coincided, by declaring, "If I were Prime 

 Minister when protection to agriculture was abolished, 

 the first tax I would repeal would be the malt-tax." 

 And Sir Robert Peel urged " as a farmer, let me manu- 

 facture and consume my own malt untaxed ;" and 

 added, " Can you deny the justice of this appeal ?" 

 Most assuredly we cannot ; nor can we understand why 

 such fair promises from the leaders of the Liberal party 

 have been so signally forgotten. The malt -tax still 

 flourishes on, in all its noxious proportions. Every one 

 knows it is a curse, knows that it is an unfair incubus 

 upon the business of a farmer, that it debars the labourer 

 from beer, and causes him and his brother-artizan to be 

 poisoned with the pot-house near by. Every one knows 

 this, and a score of other evils in the long train of in- 

 dustry injured, returns lessened, and crime produced. 

 No one pretends to deny it, but where is the hero to 

 lead in the cause ? It is not the payment of the tax, 

 but the consequences of the tax which are the especial 

 curse. Bad enough to pay £6,000,000 sterling per 

 annum we know, but far worse to straiten an industry, 

 poison a people, and fatten the fraudulent in addition. 

 'Tis a cause that only wants a Garibaldi ; and Italy itself 

 vjas not more ripe for the liberator twelve months since 

 than England at the present moment to be freed from 

 such an impost. 



Dr. Letheby has just recently reported to the Com- 

 missioners of the City upon this subject. He says : 

 " In some cases of adulteration the practice of it has a 

 far more extensive relation to the affairs of the com- 

 munity than at first sight appears. To take the sophis- 

 tication of beer and porter as an instance; it is well- 

 known that the publicans, almost without exception, 

 reduce their liquors with water after they are received 

 from the brewer. The proportion in which this is 

 added to the beer at the belter class of houses is nine 

 gallons per puncheon, and in second-rate establishments 

 the quantity of water is doubled. This must be com- 

 pensated for by the addition of ingredients, which gives 

 the appearance of strength ; and a mixture is openly 

 sold for this purpose. The composition of it varies in 

 different cases, for each expert has his own particular 

 nostrum. The chief ingredients, however, are a 

 saccharine body, as foots and liquorice, to sweeten it ; a 

 bitter principle, as gentian, quassia, sumach, and terra 

 japonica to give astringency ; a thickening material, as 

 linseed, to give body ; a colouring matter, as burnt 

 sugar, to darken it ; coculus indicus to give a false 

 strength ; and common salt, capsicum, copperas, and 

 Dantzic spruce to produce a head, as well as to impart 

 certain refinements of flavour. In the case of ale, its 

 apparent strength is restored with bitters and sugar- 

 candy. Now, apart from the question of how much 

 injury is done to the health of the consumer by this 

 practice, or how large is the fraud on the pocket of the 

 purchaser, it is a matter of interest to know what is the 

 effect of it on the revenue. There are, I believe, about 

 6,200 publicans and beer-retailers in this metropolis. 

 Supposing that each, on an average, has a sale for only 

 six barrels of beer and porter per week, and that the 

 degree of dilution is but to the extent of five gallons of 



water per barrel in the aggregate, there would have been 

 used 186,000 gallons of water per week. This, it' 

 properly and honestly brewed into beer, would have 

 required about 1,722 quarters of malt: and as each 

 quarter of malt pays a duty of 22s. 6d. to the revenue, 

 there is a fraud of rather more than £1,937 sterling per 

 week, or nearly £100,000 per annum. In like manner 

 almost every such fraudulent practice of trade has a 

 wider relationship to the public interest than the mere 

 act itself would imply. 



To apply Dr. Letheby 's calculation to the entire 

 kingdom, not less than £^2,000,000 sterling are ex- 

 tracted annually from the pockets of poisoned con- 

 sumers, to support fraudulent producers. 'Tis the 

 labourer and the labouring classes, too, who mainly 

 support this crew of indolent knaves ; and, truly, the 

 British public are strange philanthropists ; for they 

 consent to entrap the labourer to drunkenness and 

 crime and poverty, upon the principle " The inore 

 snares, the more hares,*' and then, to make reparation, 

 educate the son, at no small outlay, to ensnare him, in 

 his turn, to his father's vices. Surely, a good father is 

 the best instructor. Education is good ; but example 

 beats instruction hollow. Make home comfortable ; 

 give homecomforts; cut off the inducement for pot- 

 house resort and the premium on pothouse decoctions. 

 This is wise legislation. We cannot afford to retain a 

 law which makes the publican a rogue, and the public 

 drunkards. 



To show the effects of the malt-tax upon the industry 

 of the kingdom, we give the following ascertained facts, 

 which are based upon the interests neither of a section 

 nor a class, but upon the broader basis of the interests 

 of the public at large in the question : 



Tax annually paid 6,000,000 



Payments to adulterators 2,000,000 



Consequent loss, in time, health, and crime .... 2,000,000 



Ditto increase in penal and pauper charges .... 1,500,000 

 lujury in preventing the malting of inferior bar- "l 



ley and other corn, whereby to increase its ^ 4,000,000 



coDBumiug value J 



£15,500,000 



Thus, for a net tax of jg5, 000,000, the bone and 

 muscle of the kingdom pays, directly and indirectly, 

 £15,000,000, or 300 per cent. Such legislation cannot 

 be the combined wisdom of an enlightened people. It 

 cannot be wise to drug the consumer ; to injure the 

 barley-producer ; to increase and perpetuate wretched- 

 ness, immorality, and criminality ; and all for the pur- 

 pose of raising a revenue at the frightful sacrifice of 

 300 per cent. ! Individual prosperity could not be 

 purchased at such a price ; and Great Britain cannot 

 afford to extort from her people on such bankrupt 

 terms. It is even rumoured that Mr. Gladstone pro- 

 poses to increase the malt duty. Such an act cannot 

 be tolerated ; and it is with pleasure we record the 

 operations of the Malt-tax Repeal Association. Never 

 has this question been agitated since the introduction of 

 free trade. The reduction of the wine duties has 

 strengthened the justice of the abolition cause ; the 

 spirit of the age is, justly, for increasing the comforts 

 of the labourer ; and we believe a combined movement 

 of the masses can speedily accomplish a total repeal of 

 the duty. Let the movement only be prosecuted and 

 supported with vigour, and success is sure. 



