Bounties On The Importation Of Raw Materials

⁶ The encouragement given by bounties to the importation of manufacturing materials was confined to those imported from our American plantations.

⁷ The first bounties of this kind were granted at the beginning of the present century on the importation of naval stores from America including:

• Timber fit for masts, yards, and bowsprits
• Hemp
• Tar
• Pitch
• Turpentine

These bounties were extended to those imported into England from Scotland=

• 240 pence the ton on masting-timber
• 1,440 pence the ton on hemp

These bounties continued without variation until they were allowed to expire=

• The bounty on hemp expired on January 1. 1741
• The bounty on masting-timber expired on the end of the parliament session immediately following June 24, 1781.

⁸ The bounties on the importation of tar, pitch, and turpentine had several alterations.

Originally:

• the bounty on tar and pitch was 960 pence the ton, and
• the bounty on turpentine was 720 pence the ton.

Afterwards:

• the 960 pence tar bounty was confined to those prepared in a particular way,
• the bounty on other good, clean, merchantable tar was reduced to 484 pence the ton,
• the pitch bounty was reduced to 240 pence, and
• the turpentine bounty was reduced to 360 pence the ton.

⁹ The second bounty on materials importation was granted by the 1748 chap. 30 on the importation of indigo from the British plantations.

When the plantation indigo was worth 3/4 the price of the best French indigo, this act entitled it to a bounty of 6 pence the pound. This bounty was also granted for a limited time. It was continued by several prolongations, but was reduced to 4 pence the pound. It was allowed to expire with the end of the session of parliament which followed March 25, 1781.

¹⁰ The third bounty on materials importation was that granted by the 1764 chap. 26. on the importation of hemp or undressed flax from the British plantations. (It was the time when we were beginning to court and quarrel with our American colonies)

This bounty was granted for 21 years, from the June 24, 1764 to June 24, 1785.

• For the first seven years, it was at the rate of 1,920 pence the ton.
• For the second seven years, it was at 1,440 pence the ton.
• For the third seven years, it was at 960 pence the ton.

It was not extended to Scotland. Scotland’s climate is not very fit for hemp (although a few hemp of inferior quality is sometimes raised there). Such a bounty on the importation of Scotch flax into England would have been too great a discouragement to the native produce of the southern United Kingdom.

¹¹ The fourth bounty on materials importation was granted by the 1765 chap. 45 on the importation of wood from America. It was granted for nine years, from January 1, 1766 to January 1, 1775.

During the first three years, it was at the rate of 240 pence for every 120 good deals.

• For every load with 50 cubic feet of other squared timber, at the rate of 144 pence.
• For the second three years, it was at the rate of 180 pence for deals.
• For other squared timber at the rate of 96 pence.
• For the third three years, it was at the rate of 120 pence for deals.
• For other squared timber at the rate of 60 pence.

¹² The fifth bounty of this kind was granted by the 1769 chap. 38 on the importation of raw silk from the British plantations. It was granted for 21 years, from January 1, 1770 to January 1, 1791.

• For the first seven years, it was at the rate of 6,000 pence for every 24,000 pence value.
• For the second seven years, it was at 4,800 pence.
• For the third seven years, it was at 3,600 pence.

Silk-worm management and silk preparation need so much hand labour. Labour is very dear in America, that even this great bounty was not likely to produce any considerable effect.

¹³ The sixth bounty of this kind was granted by 1771 chap. 50 for the importation of pipe, hogshead, and barrel staves and heading from the British plantations. It was granted for nine years, from January 1, 1772 to January 1, 1781.

• For the first three years, it was for a certain amount of each, at the rate of 1,440 pence.
• For the second three years, it was at 960 pence.
• For the third three years, it was at 480 pence.

¹⁴ The seventh and last bounty of this kind was granted by the 1779 chap. 37 on the importation of hemp from Ireland. It was granted in the same way as the importation of hemp and undressed flax from America.

It was granted for 21 years, from the June 24, 1779 to June 24, 1800, divided into three periods of seven years each. At each of those periods, the rate of the Irish bounty is the same with the rate of the American bounty.

Unlike the American bounty, it does not extend to the importation of undressed flax. It would have been too great a discouragement to the cultivation of flax in Great Britain.

When this last bounty was granted, the British and Irish legislatures were not in better humour with one another than the British and Americans were. It is to be hoped that this boon to Ireland was granted under more fortunate auspices than all those bounties to America.