The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-07 00:00:00

impotence of the law. Mr. REVANS'S elaborate re-
port on these heads is amply confirmed by those of
all the officials employed in the same inquiry, and
more particularly by the reports of Mr. Huweht and
Mr. ATECKETT. (Reports to the Poor Law Board,
'there are those who have fancied that a national
rate is the sole alternative if the parochial rate is
abandoned and the laws of settlement and removal
are repealed. If it were so,weconfess that the dangers
involved in such a change are of magnitude sufficient
to deter any sane man from attempting it without
much longer experience of the existing evils, and a
conviction, to which we at least ore not likely to
arrive, that the enormity of the latter bears any pr
portion whatever to that of the former. But it is
nut true that we are reduced to any such hard alter-
native. It is not true that we are compelled to
hold the reverse of the wrong course to be in this in-
stance the right course. Those who think otherwise
must surely forget that between the parish and the
nation there is the union—and between the present
parochial rate and the proposed " pull at the Ex-
chequer" there is the experiment of an union rate—
an experiment worth trying. Let us add—and we do
so with great satisfaction—that not one official
of the l'oor-Law Board, and not above two or three
of the local boards have consented to entertain for
one moment this dangerous and alarming suggestion;
and yet all arc unanimous in condemning the present
system, and demanding the enlargement of the area
of taxation and the abolition of the law of parish
settlement.
To enlarge the area of taxation, by converting the
parochial system of rating into a system of rating by
unions, will, in nearly every instance, be amply
sufficient for the purposes which the advocates of a
national rate propose to themselves to accomplish.
Instances, no doubt, there are, and must be, where it
will be necessary to go somewhat further ; but those
instances will he rare, far too rare at least, to justify
general and permanent legislation. It may be safety
left to the unions themselves, if they can agree, or to
the Poor-Law Board, or even with the consent at
the Secretary of State, to the county boards, when
once the county boards shall have been re-
formed by parliament, to provide for such cases.
Just as the present law enables parishes, if
they please, to combine for certain special purpose
not included in the general obligations of the =
law Amendment Act, even so may it be granted to
two or more unions to combine in like manner for the
purpose of enlarging to their respective ratepayers
the areas of rating and assessment. Large towns
constituting in theinselvesentire unions, and inequit- '
ably and ruinously overrated for the benefit of
rural districts under the present defective state
of the law, will certainly derive no relief
from the mere conversion of the parochial
rate into a union rate ; and are, therefore, entitled to
demand such an extension as will be found adequate
to their own peculiar grievance. Norwich is suchen
instance. ith a population of only 00,000 souls,
that union is reported as being charged with the re-
lief
of the enormous number of 10,000 paupers at the
yearly rust of 50,0001.—a burden Oddly due, says
Mr. Alteexerr, to " the influx of poor from the
agricultural parishes in the immediate neighbour- I
hood," occasioned by the circumstance "that the
clearing system has been adopted by the large
landowners in those parishes;"- a cause quite ade-
quate to the effect. But the total repeal of the
law of settlement and removal will deter such
clearances in future, by taking away the power of
the landowner to exclude from relief the unsettled
poor of his parish ; and the permanent or even tem-
porary consolidation of Norwich union with one ae
more of the adjoining agricultural unions in the
manner we have described will be found amply suf
ficient to the redress of the present injustice. Sock
in substance, was the plan proposed in P 417, to the
Pour-law Board bt Sir JOHN WALSIRM, as "the
I result of 20 rears experience as a magistrate and
assistant poor-)aw commissioner." Themischiefs which'
that plan was intended to remedy exist still, and in-
deed appear to have become only inure numerous and
more intense than they were when :sir Jolts Wm.!,
NAM wrote. But the increased experience of the op-
posite system, and the general adhesion of the other
officials of authority at Somerset House, have been
not without their effect, and the proposal of Sir Jolts
WALSIIAX has gained by the &lay. It is now
generally understood that it is to be laid before par-
liament next session in the name of the Poor-law
Board, and as their measure. Whether the rumour
he well founded or not, it is certain that the measure,
by whomsoever proposed, must come under parlia-
mentary consideration in the course of the approach-
ing discussion of the general question; and when it
titers we venture to foretell fur it a most favourable
reception.
The adoption in principle of that measure will not
only secure, eo far ns it is possible fur legislative
foresight to secure, the individual union against in-
vasion, but it will also suffice to the common exi-
gency. When once it is determined to protect from
unfair assessment and undue chargeability the union
'at large, the same principle is conceded as to the
parish. In what way the present scheme of taxation
operates to create between parish and parish an mei:a-
tuil division of interest, and to constitute them in
a state of internecine war, we shall hereafter
have too frequent occasion to demonstrate. For the
present we are contented to assume that which is
undeniable--the fact of the hostility. how is this
state of circumstances to be encountered, but by a
law which shall deprive either belligerent of the
power to oppress? On this subject the evidence is
moat voluminous, and sorry should we be to subject
our readers to the drudgery, which we have under-
gone, of leading through it ; but the result, at least,
usatisfactory. It is proved that, so lung as the pre-
sent system subsists, the nominal advantage of a local
rating is more than compensated for by the real dis-
advantage of a fraudulent expenditure. Every parish
of the union being charged according to the average
amount expended upon its poor, it is clear that the
ratepayers of every other parish are directly
interested in swelling that expenditure to the
largest possible amount. Abolish the localisa-
tion of the charge—that is to say, convert
the parochial into an union charge—and you
abolish with it this temptation—at least—to
abuse. Again, the recommendation of the union
rate instead of the parish rate involves the total abo-
lition of the prevalent distinction of parishes into
"close" and " open parishes." The close parish is
that of which one landlord is the sole owner, or
which is shared amongst a few. The open parish is
that in which the number of proprietors is more
noticeable than their individual wealth. In the I
hitter parish the labouring classes have the means of
residence ; in the former class they arc denied those I
means. We shall have occasion before long to ex-
plain, as Sir JAMES GRAIIAM would say, " the reason
why." For the present we are contented to assume
the fact and to explain it in the only way in which
it is explicable—viz., that so long as the right to re-
lief is made to depend upon birth or residence, so
long will it remain the landlord's interest to eject.
Abolish the inducement, and you also abolish the
crime.
Now it is precisely in this respect that the differ-
ence between a parochial and a union rating consists.
If the landlord of a " model" parish finds that he
saves nothing in respect of rates by clearing off his
ablest labourers, be assured that 'he will not clear
them. If he is told that for every man to whom he
refuses work during the day. and a shelter (rent-
free or rendering rent, it matters not) during the
night, he will have to bear his share of the Union's
liability, be assured he will not be guilts- of such
refusal. If the law compels him to be honest, and
not to saddle the innocent parish or union which
happens to adjoin his own with the consequences
of his delinquency, be assured that he will obey it.

BRITISH LTING-IN HthrITAL FOR MARRIED
Woxxx.—The halflearly court of the governors of this
institAtion, the oldest of the kind in Loudon, having been
founded by Dr, limiter in 1749, was to have been held yes-
terday, at the hospital, in Endell-strcet, Long-acre, but a
sufficient number of members not hating assembled to form
a court, those present resolved themselves into an ordinary
board, Dr. John Clarke in the chair. The report stated
that during the past half-year. coding Oct. 31, there were
54 in and out patients, and 25 were now on the books.
The income (Jr the half•year had been 2961. 153. 94d., con-
sisting of subscriptions, 601. 18s.; donations, 96/. ; divi-
dends on stock. 291. 181. Id. The expenditure was
2:501. Its. MC leaving a balance of 46!. 10s. in the hands
of the treasurer.

BECII:EIT TO THE ROYAL ORTIIONEDIC
HOSPl-
tx.eL.—Vesterda the committee of the above institution
for the cure of deformities, received intimation of a legacy
of 100!. from the late Miss Wightwick, of Chertsey—a con-
tribution, it may he observed, of much importance, the
charity being entirely dependent upon such ♦o:antary
bounty.