The Express.
London, England, 1855-05-15 00:00:00

CUSTOMS DUTIES BILL

The bill was read a third tune cad peewee
SPIRIT DU CIES (SCOTLAND AND =LAND)
BILL.
Upon the order of the day for the coneide:atien of this
bill,
Tile CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that

upon eoustderatiou he had decided upon iskiug measures
to permit toe distillation of spitits from malt, making some
regulation with regard to the duty. (Hear, hear) He in-
tended that the proposed change in the law with regard to
these matters sttt uld not take t ff-ct until October next.

The bill was ordered to be read a third time to-marrow.

METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT BILL.
On the motion that the house go into committee upon
this bill,
Sir B. HALL said that, having trrubled the house at
seas length when he introduced this measure, he should
ISM at that moment have intruded himself upon them had
411 ant been for the motion of which the noble lord
Ms colleague (Lord Ebringtou) had given notice. Under
lemistiog circumstances, however, he felt it his duty ti
remind the house that when he intioduced the bill he
'stated that if the measure should be received in the manlier
which would enable him to feel morally certain that it would
lessen, low, he shoulo then move for leave to hrieg in a hill
M amend the act, commonly known as Hobbouse's AM.'
the noble lord bad given notice of an intention to mow
Ithat the further consideration of this hill be deferred note
the hove had decided upon the principles cf the Messing
so announced by him (Sir B Hall) for the further amend- ,
meet of that act. Now, it was not his intention to inter. I
fere with the principles of Hubhousst's Act, and therefore
there would ho no mew principles in the bill
which he propoied to introduce. (Hear, hear.) Hobbouee's
Act was a public, general act, applicable to all England anti
Widow, and hence any alterstion which was to be made in
it ought not to be mixed up in this metropolitan bill, but to
be embodied in a short separate act of parliament. Having
premised that he intended to make no alteration in the
principle of the act, he would proceed to state to the house
the alter.tions which he did intend to propose. By Hob-
house's Act, the qualification fur vestrymen was fixed at 101
per annum, in all places ..rapt the metropolis, where
the qualification was 401. In looking through the returns
Presented to parliament, he found that in many parishes in
the metropolis the houses worth 401. per annum were very
few in number when compared with the aggregate uf :
bones in the parish. He therefore proposed that in those
parishes where few houses were worth 401. a year to fix the
qualification at W. per annum, leaving it however at its
present rate in toe larger and wealthier parishes of the
metropolis. Again, under Hobbouse's Act, it was enacted
shot, puler' where parishes were divided into separate foie
@tastiest districts, there should be but one polling place.
The coneequesce of this was that in St. Pancras parish,
where there were 10.000 electors of members of that house,
with four polling places, there were 20,000 eleetdrs of vestry-
men with one polling place only. (Hear.) This was a pree•
deal grieving's which he proposed to remedy. %mother provi-
sion of Hobbouee's Act required that electors for vestrymen
should be resident within the pariah, and thus many gen-
tlemen with large property within parishes were unable to
vote through the circumstance of their residenoes being else-
where. These were the alterations which to intended t 3
propose in Hobhuuse's Act. With regard to the bill then
before the house, be found from the report of the Corn
mitt.* of Petitions that there bad only been four petitions
presented directly against it, not signed by chairmen on
behalf of bodies, and that these petitions contained only
271 aignatures. Eight other petitions had been presented
against it, emanating from bodies whose emir enoe would be
terminated he the bill. There had only been bye petitions
signed by 612 persons, presented, asking for alterations
in the bill, and he believed that at only one public meeting
had its principles been attacked.
Lord EBRINOTON consented, after some conversation,
to withdraw his amendment, and the house went into eons-
mitts', and several clauses of the bill were agreed to,
though not without considerable discussion.
The house then resumed.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
Lord PALMERSTON stated that he proposed to take
the Scotch Education Bill on Friday evening, and be bad
I arranged with the right hon. gentleman the member for
Manchester, to give him Monday for his motion. He
wou.d take gentile on Thursday and Friday.
Mr. WALPOLE asked whether the motion would be
hissillt nu as an original motion ?
Lord PALMERSTON—Yes; it will be taken as a sub-
stantive motion.
Mr. HENLEY—Then I suppose the Testamentary hair
diction Bill will not cons, on before Whitsuntide ?
Lord PALMERSTON was afraid it would not.
Mr. MALINS—WiII the noble lord say decidedly no
Lord PALMERSTON—NO; it will not come on bo-
lero that.
Ileveual ether bills were advanced a dap ; and the house
ellanned at one o'clock. •