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    FIRST ANNUAL REPORT of the COMMITTEE of ...

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    Great Fire At Manchester. On Saturday Ev...

    moment . By half-past six oVock the entire miU jas on fire , extending 6 Ql yards in length by 2 O' » breadth , and the flames were streaming forth f ' ° ^ ^ Wm ^ at each front of the lofty pile , till they met and formed an immense single sheet of fire over the roof . The building , though of fine construction for the period if was built , wasW , years old , had nofire-prpo'floors , bu £ simply bdarded ones ? which would of course be saturatedi with oil , and these materials burnt with a fury ataQSlincqnveivable . The sight of such a blazing "jass , wherrthe ««„ , « nf its hPiVht . was magnificent , and it lighted up town

    The heaves for miles round . The people of the rushed to the spot in thousands-font was near the centre of the borough—and at Cheethan-hill , Gorton , Levenshulme , Didsbury , Eccles , and other elevated places some miles from Manchester , vast crowds were gathered , to look on , and could not only see the firemen moving about and directing the streams of water upon the flames , but everything about and around the mill , so vivid was the light . The destruction of the mill was accomplished very rapidly under these circumstances . Floor after floor each thr with

    gave way in quick succession , falling ough its heavy masses of machinery ; and the roof and large portions of the walls were also destroyed at the same timer—In-less-than-an hour all thatJgaslefl :--Qf-pr _ Q perty ^ worth more than £ 20 , 000 , was a few shattered walls enclosing a huge heap of broken , disjointed , and blackened ironwork , mingled with masses of bricks , charred wood , and smouldering cotton , the mere debris of an establishment which had been amongst the wonders of the age for the collection of mechanism , and the result of ingenuity and skill brought together within its walls . The machines were not of the latest invention , but included

    the self-actors , so wonderful in their productive power , and when at work apparently almost instinct wjth life and motion , and requiring but little superintendence from human agency compared with the great quantity of work they turn off . Mr . Frost , the managing partner of the millowners , was present at an early period of the fire , and directed steps to be taken for saving some cotton in an outhouse . The crowds of people who gathered round the premises gave willing aid at the engines , but the police were compelled to act with some vigour to keep back the masses so as to enable the ^ firemen to operate with freedom .

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    First Annual Report Of The Committee Of ...

    FIRST ANNUAL REPORT of the COMMITTEE of the ASSOCIATION for PROMOgasyaJHE RErEAL of the TAXES on KNOWLEDGE . - In giving our first annual report , we feel it necessary to make a brief statement of our origin and objects . The Newspaper Stamp Abolitioir Committee was formed on the 7 th of March , 1849 , and issued its second annual report on . the 8 th of January , 1851 . On thel 3 th of February last , a meeting yvas held at Fendall ' s Hotel , T Milner Gibson , M . P ., in the chair . Present , John Bright , M . P ., Richard Cobden , M . P ., Wm . Ewart , M . P ., Joseph Hume , M . P ., Wm . Scholefield , M . P ., and other gentlemen , who then and there formed themselves into an Association for promoting the liepeal of the Taxes on Knowledge . The Committee then elected included the members of tho Newspaper Stamp Abolition Committee , and , on their first meeting , resolved to adopt their policy and their liabilities . On the ratification of this understanding , the Newspaper Stamp Abolition Committee dissolved itself . Our object is to obtain the exemption of the press from all taxation , and its emancipation from all control , except that of a court of law . Our endeavours are directed to effect the repeal of all taxes on knowledge , and particularly that of the penny stamp , by collecting and distributing information on the subject , by influencing all organized bodies of reformers to petition the House of Commons in favour of the freedom of the press , and by endeavouring to oblige the Stamp-office impartially to . enforce the existing Jaw , so as to bring its absurdity prominently before tho public . The taxes on knowledge consist of—The duty on foreign books , which , in the year 1850 , prodncod £ 7 , 670 0 4 The duty ou paper 852 , 91 ) 6 13 10 Tho duty on advertisements 16 H . 038 1 0 The penny stamp on newspapers 356 , 964 17 2 q £ 1 , 280 , 069 12 44 In addition to these burdens , the proprietor of a newspaper is bound to give security to pay any damages that may be awarded against him in case of libel—a system which seems to infer that to publish a newspaper is of itself evidence of an intention to break tho law . Our iiiinncial report has been made up to Michaelmas , and published in a separate form . The receipts amounted to £ 208 . !(>« ., including the munificent donation of £ 100 from Mr . Edward ' Lornbe , of Norfolk ; tfie expenditure was £ 19 !) . 4 h . 8 < 1 ., including the dcbtH of the Newspaper Stamp Abolition Committee , amounting to £ 40 . 16 s . lOd .: leaving a balance in hand of £ <) . Us . 4 d . On Wednesday , tho 5 th of March , wo held a public mooting in St .. Martin ' s-hnll , winch was crowded to excess by persons of all cluHses , whllo hundreds were unable to gain admission . Eight hundred , of tho « e present signed a . petition for the totul repeal of the taxes on knowledge . A few days afterwards Mr . Hume , accompanied , by a number of members of the House of Commons who support \\ w measure of Parliamentary . Reform , waited on Lord John Russell , and urged him to abolish the penny stamp on newspapers ; at this interview Lord John Russell emphatically denied that ho wished to retain tl > o Htarnp fur any other purpose tluin that of revenue . A few days afterwards he granted to Mr . Milnor Gibson a committee to inquire into tho operation of the Newspaper Stamp . That Committee reported to the House of Commons that , apart from fiscal considerations , it considered news as an undesirable object of taxation ; and it recommended that a postage wrapper , not to exceed one penny I

    for four ounces , should be placed on newspapers and other printed matter actually sent trough the post . To this recommendation a strong objection has been raised bv parties who post their newspapers four or five times ¦ but it is easy to see that the more this practice prevails the more unfair is the present system . There . arc" annually . ' ¦ ... " about . ¦/ , ¦ 66 millions of postal transmissions ..-. . Ditto ditto . » ., * ... ; . 86 millions of newspapers stamped , Suppos that on an ' . average every newspaper posted is posted . twice , there will be .. 33 millions of twice posted newspapers . Leaving 53 millionB of newspapers paying stamp duty and enjoying' no postal

    pnvi-, lege . But the injustice done to the purchasers of the 53 millions of unposted newspapers is not that which touches us most deeply ; what we complain of , is the in justice done to those , who , because they cannot afford to pay the postage , are deprived of the newspaper which they might have for a penny , and which the p eople of the United States , with far smaller facilities than ours , actually enjoy . We hold this deprivation to be a great of this

    wrong inflicted upon the working people country , who need , above all things at the present day , jsorrect information , not only on political subjectS 7 " and orrifae laws and institutions under which they live , but more especially on those events in the commercial world by which their labour is affected ; and also on the progress of colonization in other parts of the globe , and on the prospects offered to enterprising Englishmen by emigration , to acquire the independence which in many professions they are unable to realize at home . ¦ If the free passage of newspapers is to be considered as a private advantage , it should be paid for by those who

    enjoy it ; if it is to be looked upon as a great public good , no charge should be made for it on any particular class . The evidence of Mr . Rowland Hill proves that the extra expense of transmitting newspapers is trifling . He calculates that , were the newspapers charged at the rate of two ounces a penny , the revenue derived from that source would be £ 137 , 500 , giving a loss of £ 220 , 500 on the amount of the present stamp duty . He considers that the newsvenders would be able to transmit the greater proportion of them , and successfully to compete with the Post-office . That there would be no difficulty in circulating the most influential London newspapers without the help of the post , is proved by the fact that , at the present time , some of the cheapest pf the unstamped publications are thus circulated , while the daily papers are forwarded by rail to the principal towns many hours before the arrival of the post .

    The tables published in the appendix to the report made some startling revelations . The whole daily press appears to be sinking rapidly , with the exception of the Morning Advertiser , which maintains its ground , and the Times , which not only has obtained all the increased circulation which is caused by the increase of population and education , but is gradually absorbing that which formerly belonged to the other members of the daily press . It is doubtful whether any daily paper , except the Times , is ' supported entirely by its readers , independently of extraneous assistance ; and there is nb doubt that the circulation of the Times would be , as its own manager states , largely increased by the abolition of the taxes on the press . The following table shows the state of the principal daily papers in 1837 , the year after the stamp was reduced to a penny , and in 1850 : — - 1837 1845 . 1816 . 1830 . Morning Chron ... 1 , 910 , 000 1 , 554 , 000 1 , 356 , 000 912 , 547 Morning Herald .. 1 , 928 , 000 2 , 018 , 025 1 , 752 , 000 1 , 139 , 000 Standard 1 , 330 , 000 846 , 000 780 , 000 492 , 000 Morning Post .... 735 , 000 1 , 200 , 500 1 , 450 , 500 828 , 000 Daily News ... ' .. 3 , 520 , 500 1 , 152 , 000 Morn . Advertiser . 1 , 380 , 000 1 , 440 , 000 1 , 480 , 000 1 , 549 , 843 Globe : 864 , 000 852 , 000 764 , 000 585 , 000 Sun . " 794 , 000 1 , 098 , 500 1 , 104 , 000 843 , 500 True Sun 398 , 000 — — — ^ f ' the ' TSnei ™ | . . 9 , 009 , 025 12 , 207 , 000 7 , 501 , 890 Times . ' . ' .. 3 , 065 , 000 8 , 100 , 000 8 , 950 , 000 11 , 900 , 000

    In this dark shadow there is one gleam of light . The Daily News while it sold at threepence had a circulation of three millions and a half , of which three millions were purchased by persons who never took—as is shown by the increase for , that year amounting to 3 , 300 , 000—a daily paper before . Nor is the gap filled up whioh was caused by its rise in price . It is clear , therefore , that there is no fair field for any increase in the number of fivepenny papers ; but that for papers at a lower price there is a field open in England as well as in Belgium and America .

    Wo are glad to find that tho Parliamentary Committee are not afraid of the increase of cheap local papers , but consider that their establishment would be conducive to the best interests of the people . It is worthy of remark that the increased personal responsibility whioh falls on the editors of such papers , will be a guarantee for their respectability . On tho 1 st of December , 1851 , tho Court of Exchequer gave judgment ngainat the Crown in the caeo of Charles DiolcenH ' u Household Narrative . This decision oloses in

    their favour tho question whether monthly publications are liable to stamp ; but it not only leaves open several other question ^ but by introducing publio opinion as a test of what is a newspaper , to tho exclusion of the text of an act of Parliament , ir . opens a wide flold for speculation und uncertainty . Tho Chief Baron's declaration that certain papers are not newspapers , because nobody thinks of prosecuting them , is highly suggestive ; and Mr . Rich ' s hint to Mr . Timm , while giving his evidence before the Committee , that the only way to ascertain tho law-ia by breaking it and taking the chance of a prosecution , is not less so . Unfortunately , this etato of things

    _ - a a V *(^ ^^ t __ _^ B -B- — — - _^ ¦ _ . w _ ^ h ^^ k . ^ a '^^^ b - ^ — ¦ . ¦ «» act * most unfairly . In London , publishers try experiments on the nature of the law without molestation , but in the country suet experiments meet with the disapprobation of the Stamp-office ; as the Crown never gives costs , even when it fails , the poor country publisher is seldom rich enough to afford to gain his cause , much less to lose iti So long as the officers of the Crown can go into court without risk of personal lpgs , while the defendant is exposed to heavy losses ^ even if he gain his cause , the Excise is only another name for the Inquisition . The following questions are still unanswered by the decision of the Court of Exchequer : — - 1 . Is a registered newspaper a newspaper in virtue of its registration ?

    The Household Narrative is a registered newspaper , and nothing could have been easier than to try this question with the other , had not the Stamp-office desired to keep up the anomalous system which obliges a . newspaper to stamp every copy , and allows what is not a newspaper to enjoy the privilege ¦ without paying the penalty . 2 . What is puhlicnews ? The Stamp-office have invented the term Class-news ; under this head they class the news which occurs in certain papers , which are not newspapers , because nobody thinks of prosecuting them . For instance , the Legal Observer publishe ^ r ^ very week without a stamp , reports of recent legal decisions , and news

    of every kind , particularly interesting to lawyers ; and , though it is admitted by Mr . Keogh that this is perhaps news , yet it is not prosecuted . On being shown an account in the Legal Observer of a meeting of lawyers on the subject of Papal aggression , he said that it would certainly have been illegal had it been an account of a meeting of clergymen . According to this system , that which is public news in one journal is private news in another , and every profession is entitled toa privilege of reporting those matters in which it has an interest different from , or even opposed to , that of the public at large , while a journal established for the public is

    forbidden to report those very same articles of news . The Racing Times also publishes every week * without a stamp , full reports of races , of matters connected with the turf , and of every transaction of interest to the racing world . 3 . What is a commentary on public news ? It is illegal to publish such commentaries oftener than once in twenty-six days , and several country papers have been warned that in this particular they were liable to prosecution . This question would be set at rest if the House hold Words , which is published weekly , were prosecuted . The policy of putting down monthly publications is thus defended before the Committee by Mr . Rich and Mr . Timm : —

    Mr . Rich : "If Mr . Dickens were nowto establish his right to publish his newspaper monthly , would it not be competent for him to combine with some other persons who might also bring out what they called a monthly newspaper , a « d then publish them in succession on the first week , the second week , the third week , and the fourth Week ' of every month , whereby they would , in fact , have , a weekly newspaper , and avoid paying the stamp duty ? Mr . Timm : " Certainly , that plan might be adopted ; and , unless we could prove that these publications were one and the same , the newspaper stamp duty would be evaded altogether . "

    From this it appears that , though it is illegal for four persons to conspire to bring out a weekly publication , it is not illegal for them to combine to bring out four monthly ones . All that is necessary is that the four papers should be actually and bonfi , fide separate propert ies , with different publishers , in which case it would be impossible for them to be ' one and the same . " In London such papers might be published each for and in a separate borough ; in the country , in and for separate towns at a moderate distance from each ottTer . The carrying out of this plan would not only be a step in the agitation , but it would be a positive advantage , as in the country it would confer the advantage of a weekly paper in those places where the Stamp-office have hitherto prohibited unstamped monthly papers . While in London an unstamped newspaper at twopence would not only be a publio boon , but would so rival the threepenny papers which have a large circulation , as to oblige the Government to alter the law .

    Perhaps the simplest plan of carrying out Mr . Rich S suggestion would be for the proprietors of any existing newspaper to divide their property into four , and let each proprietor publish his own share every month , which cauld be done unburdened by the stamp , if they did so in four distinct offices . The iniquity of the advertisement duty is most forcibly shown by the tables already alluded to . One insertion of an advertisement in a newspaper circulating 60 , 000 copies pays Is . 6 d . to the Government ; in order to obtain a similar publicity in country journals with ordinary circulation , it will be necessary to advertise in about forty , at a cost of £ 3 for duty only ; tho advertisements in those journals will now fall dn more than ever .

    We have already stated that Lprd John Russell has declared the question of the penny stamp to be a revenue question ; wo solemnly protest against weighing so small a sum as a quarter of a million against eo sacred a rig ht as that of the freedom of the press . At a time like tho present , when liberty of thought and Bpeech are banished not only from Germany , but even from Franco , behoves tho English Government to make every peaceful demonstration of its attachment to those principles of freedom , whioh are trodden under foot on tho Continent . Lord John Russell hus told us from his place in Parliament , that there is a conspiracy in Europe against constitutional liberty ; all the members of this conspiracy , from tho Emperor Nicholas down to M . Bonaparte , are opposed to the freedom of the preaa ; if the English Government are really opposed to the conspirators , let them put down tho flag under whioh the friends of despotism are fighting ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 31, 1852, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_31011852/page/8/