The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-02 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PA RL LAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—SATunDAY, JUNE 30.

The SPRAYER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
THE CHOLERA.
Mr. FREWEN said that the papers of that morning hav-
ing mentionLd that several cues of malignant cholera had
occurred io a pavicular part of London, he wished to know
whether the government had taken any precautions to
secure the health of the metropolis against the spread of the
diseue. He also wished to know whether any steps were
taken to prevent burials in St. blargarst's thurthiard in the
' neighbourhood of thvt house.

Sir G. GREY said that the Board of Health would take
every precawion which the law enabled them to take. They
hail no legal power to prevent the interments in the church-
yard to which the hon. gentleman alluded.

POOR RELIEF (IRELAND) BILL.
The !tense then went into committee on the Poor Relief

Tr;laiid i:ii.

On the motion that clause 12 be agreed to,
Mr. HENLEY said that the clause would, in his opinion,
be very prejudicial, and give great encouragement to oppres-
sion and litigation by extending judgments to small sums.
' .

After a few words from Sir R. Feuo CSON,
Mr. NAPIER said that the observations of hie hon. friend

(Mr. Henley) applied to the 16th Ciauseratlerti;ltu....ti;
12th.

Sir D. NORREYS thought they ought to introduce a
clause for the purpose of giving additional facilities for the
collection of the rates.

Col. DUNNE concurred in the op;nion of the hon. mem-
ber for Oxfordshire, that the cltuse would lead to oppression.
After a few words from Mr. FRRSCR, Mr. STAFFORD,
and Mr. SCULLY,
Mr. HENLEY suggested that if a civil bill decree wtre
obtained tor the rate, it should be handed ovtr to the re-
ceiver under the Court of Chancery, who should pay it out
of the rent he received.

Mr. NAPIER was quite of opinion that a poor law having
been once established, and the rats having been made the
first charge upon the land, it was only just that a competent
portion of the land should be sold out to pay the rate. (Heir,
hear) He thought that the suggestion of the hun. m,roloir
for Oxfordshire wu sufficiently provided tor by the 13.4
section.

Mr. HENLEY did not s 3 understand the bill. It seemed

to him that in case of non-payment of the rate judgment after
judgment w0..14 have to be obtained year alter year, thus
avumulating costs unnecessarily en the hod.
Mr. SCROPE said that the suggestion of the hon member
(or Oxfordshire would apply only to estates on which there
were receivers. It was worthy of consideration whether
some such plan should not he adopted with regard to estates
which were not under receivers.

Mr. MONSELL thought that the government should give
a pledgi that the operation cf the law shtuld extend to the
eleituel division only—(hear, hear)—and also that they
would introduce a those piriog the landlord a .umicary
power of possession over that land for the rates of a hich he
was liable.

Mr. HERBERT thoug'it it would be moat unjust towards
the landlords if the suggestions of the hon. member for
Limerick were not adopted. As the bill now stood, the land-
lords would be liable for a debt which they did not contract.
(Hear, hear.)
Sir G. GREY said that the bill would only render so liable
the interest of the party from whom the rate was due. The
governnd nt had alrea..y 'muted to limit the operation et
the bill to the union, and they would consider whether it
might not be further ltmi,ed to the electoral diviiou.
(Hei.r, hear.)
Mr. STAFFORD said that, unless the government gave
a distinct pledge that they would adopt the suggistions of
the hon. member fur Limerick, ht WOW divide the holde
spinet Ilse clew.
Sir L. O'BRIEN would also oppose the clause, unless he
had a distinct pledge from the government. They must alto
r•eped the 41. rating clause, wh ch was the cause of all the
evictions. It was the cause of the evictions in Kilrush of
which they heard so much. He Lad himself raid 1001. tate
for his tenants last year though he had not got any rent.
Was it p isedble that landlords should not give directions t
distrain under uch citcumstances ? (Hear, hear.)
Mr. SCROPE would not say a word about the Kibosh
evictions which were wQrthy of a debate for themselves.
(Hear.) But with regard to the demand of the pledge from
the government that they would introduce a clause giving a
summary power to eject the tenants fur arrears of rate due,
he thought it would be the mostflogitious thing in the world
to give the landlords another act, in addition to the 50 or
60 which they already possessed, to drive the poor people
still more out of the country, especially at a time when they
had passed through several successive years of famine.
- • - - • " • • •

L trd J. RUSSELL thought that his right hon. friend
(Sir G. Grey) was quite right in not pledging himself
to any exact form of clause on this euhject, which, in
itself was one of great difficulty, and it would be very
inconvenient and prejudicial if the government wire to
commit themselves to te particular clause which, on further
consideration, they might think inexpedient. While on the
One hand there seemed to be greet &lentil in the proposition
of the hon. member for Limerick (Mr. Moesell), on the
ethic there seemed to be great fume in the objection of his
hoe. friend the member for Stroud. (Hear.) Re should
he sorry, on account of the present clause, to give power to
carry evictions further than they had gone in Ireland—
(hear, hear—)—and that. a number of tenants should be
driven out of their holdings because some rates were due.
But it was undoubtedly a erect hardship on the landlord,
where no rent or rate wee paid, to make him lieb"e for an
, accumulation of rate which he would have the power of dia.
chargine if he could get pweession of the land. (Hear,
hear.) He thought it possible that there might be some
limit of time which would give a remedy, as far as a remedy
cau:d be given, awaited the inconvenience and iejurrice of
'such a state of things. (Hear, hear.) But he could not
pledge himself as to the else: terms in which the clause was
to be framed.
Mr. VESEY thought that there ought to be some provi-
sion to pr vest a landlord lodine made liable for rates ot en
unfortunate tenant, between whom and the collector there
might be some collusion.
Mr. H. HERBERT begged to impress en the minds ef
bon. members, before they Lie hied on the clause, that they
were now shout to affirm or reject the principle o hich, as
the late Poor-law Comtniadoner, Mr. Teisleton, "s-dared,
would be giving porter to sell the land of one man for the
debts of another.
Mr. V ESEY hoped the committee would not divide after
the noble lord's statement.
The clause was then agreed to without a division.
Clause 13 beteg proposed,
Lord NAAS moved as an amendment that the wore.
" electoral divisions " be substituted for " unions."
' Sr G. GREY said that he preferred the word union to
electoral division, Red theta Ire should uppeso the alteration.
The cemmittre then divided,
Fur cha amendment 4O
Against e
The clause was then agr .ed to.
Clause 14 being propewl,
Mr. AUGUSTUS STAFFORD seehig the hon. and
learned Atterney-General in his place, b .prged to ask him
why there wins exceptional CUP/ is seised in the bill, es.
empting the land In some hestenees from its operation, and
also why the list of exoeptions warn nut greater ?
The ATTORNEY GENRRAL said that the excepti ms
were only such as were usually insertel in acts of paellas
m nt ; they principally related to crown and fee farm rents,
sad other similar clearest in land.
The clause was then agreed to.
Mr. P. SCROPE expressed his intention to bring f rward
Certain clauses, the purport of which wee specified in the
paper ; but, not being prepared te Wife them forthwith,
the bon. member was called to order by the chairmte.
Mei'. HERBERT then rose to move us additirmal clause,
with the view of diminishing the evils and inns .veniences of
the present law. His object was to discourage the evictions
of tenants, and thereby to prevent the tows uniees from
being over-flowed with agricultural pincers. The hon. t
member then mitred that the follow:rig clamor be added to I
th b:11 ;
And be It enacted, that, for the porpone of thirsting the expellee of
relief to any rating district, every person making application for
relief shalt, star the passing of this act, be deemed to have been resi-
dent in such rating oletrict in which during the period of five ye-ors
next Immediately before his application foe relief be shall have been
longer* usually resident, whether by usually occupying any tenement
eituate or by usually eleepiag within such district : provided wimps,
that where any such person shall not have occupied a tenement, or
slept within any such :rating district for at I sat six months in the
whole duriag the said perksi of fire years, the expense ot the relief of
such person shall in such cast be borne by and charged against the
whole union in which he or she is relieved.
After an observation from Mr. W. PAGAN, id opposition ,
to the clause,
Sir W. SOMERVILLE (who was very inaudible in the
gallery) was understood to say he had no objection to euhe
recite an eighteen months' fur a six months' residence, and
a three yearn period for a flee year,' one as was propose d
in the clause. With this limitation he was prepared to ao-
cede to the motion that the clause be added to the hilt,
After some conversation, in which Sir D. NORRITS, Si:'
H W. BARRON, Mr. SCULLY, and Mr. M. J. O'Cortresii.
took part,
The amendment' suggested by Sir W. Somerville were
adopted, and the clause u amended was agreed to.
Mr. 11. HERBERT then prepared a clause for the purr
peee of empowerieg the commiadoners under certain circum-
stances to alter the limits of electoral divisions.
Mr. C. LEWIS had no objection to the principle of tbe
clause, but believed the object of the hon. gentleman would
be best attained by the aiotion of a proviso such as that
which his hon. and learned friend the pres:dent of the
English Poor Law Board proposed to Introduce into the poor
law of this couidey, a-el usd- r which the cemmietioners
would be empower.-d to bind several email parishes to the
election of ring., guardians.
Mr. HERBERT expressed his readiness to withdraw the
clause, on the understanding that such a proviso as that Bug
Rested by the hon. gentleman should hereafter be introduce d
in its stead.
The clause was sccorerngly withdrawn.
Mr. H. HERBERT next proposed the introduction of tit--
role:mien clause:—" And be it enacted, th et from and after
the musing of this act, every justice of the peace acting for
any county in Ireland, and otherwise qualified umber the
laws now in force to he, or to b- appointed, an ex (Ado
guardian of any union w.tein such county, and who shall hi
seised, possessed, or entitled for his own use and benefit of
or to any Lee, tenements, or hereditament. situate within
such name, or in the rents and profits thereof, for any lite
or lives in being. or for any term of 21 years at the least, such
estate being of the yearly value of 501. at the least, shall be
eligible to be, or to be appsinted an ex °facie guardian of