The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-03 00:00:00

THE RURAL POLICE.

The Quarter Session for the County opened on 1
Tuesday, at Gloucester, and see of the mom crowded meet- I
lags of the county crag istruay terse = tegmber new ,
beriag amerly 100) imeeibbled -wash* ,in sonesqueee 1
of mattes tumble best gleen lisit a proposal would be made
fur teduesiag the Somelg pidies dies tmeelfth, mad fee re.
daciag the salaries eerie seessiader of the foes, sad also the
salaries of all the other slims of the .simanty,ia essisegaesse
M the existing dishes In the agricultural- distriets of eke '
agianty, and also en sesennt of the itheapersa of
Among the magistrates went, were the Duke of Beaufort,
Seri Fitabardinge, Ilea. 0. Berkeley, M.P., Hos. C. Berke.
kr', Mr. Mulling., M.P., Sir W. Cadriagten, M.P U.S.
Kr. 1 albct, EL H. Beach, Bir J. Guise, Kr. Biased°,
M.P., do. Mr. Parnell la the chair.
The CHAIRMAN reed the report of the special committee
appoiated et the last quartairoeseirms to cloosider the practi-
cability of vedette( the pollee Wee net diadaiehing the
salaries of the county officers. The report was a very long
one, bra* it recommended that the salaries of all the officer'
above 601. per aunties should be reduced 6 per cent. ; all
salaries above 1001. mad lees time 2001. to be retailed 10 per
out ; and ell above 2001. per annum 16 per cent. A nNsloa
of the dietaries of the county prison was recommended, with
the v ew of lowering it, Si it wee oonaidered too high, sad as
affording a premium to crime. The Secretary of State for
the Home Department had seat down tables of dietaries for
adoption by the fault, but the chairman said it was the
duty of the courts of galena...sessions to form the dieters',
and lay them before the Secretly of State for approval. It
was recoassameded that In future dr re should be only one
chaplain to the timanty prison, instead of two; and that the
salaries of the chaplains to the various hones of correction
should be reduced from 100 L to 1501., where they performed
other clerical daty. The clerk of the peace's fees were also
recommeaded to be reduced. As to the police force, the
pretest number of constables woo 260, and it was proposed
to reduce it to 200; the second class constables to be paid,
as now, 15s. per week; the first Maas to he redasod from lea
and the sergiesolts from 21s. to 215.; Welke&
supertor grade to bele ett to the pft mitage Meek&
of 6,10, or 15 per cent., according to amount. This would
effect a total saving in the police force of 3,1601. per annum.
The county treasuret'a salary was to be reduced from 1601. to
601. per ani.um.
The discussion which followed the reading of the report
accepted about three hours.
Mr. HOPKINSON moved the adoption of the report.
Sir W. CODRINGTON, M.P., seconded the motion.
The Ho.. G. BERKELEY, It P., said the only way in
which he would supper' the motion before the court was,
verb the understanding that at the expiration of the pr. sent
year the whole of the rural polio. form should be discontinued
altogether. From the experience which he had had of other
counties, where there was co rural polio. establishment, he
was satisfied that the peace of the county would be maiig
mined ai.d crime rimmed without their aid.
Earl FITZ HARDINOE o posed the reductio of ths
force and 01 the salaries. They would not get good officers
to remain in the faros if they reduced their pay and in.
created their work.

The diff. rent recommendations of the committee were put
to t►e court seriatim', and all adoptid, with the ,xcerion of
that recommending reduction, in the p,lica wear and as
lutes, which was reserved ter the last. When it came on
for discussion,
L•.rd ELLENBOROIL7OII addressel the court at some
length. He blasted the committee for not keeping a record
of the evidence received oa their inquiry, to lay before the
S.critary of State. For his part, he regretted that the court
had no, gone to t►e utmost limit when they established
their rotten tome. He was inclined to think that tie County
Constabulary Act was intended to be made compulsory. He
was of opinion that a large prepurtion tf the expense of the
rural police force should be defrayed out of the national
exelsequer. That was the original intention oft a Metro-
politan l'oliee Act. The Irish police were established on
the same principal, and now the whole of the cast of the
Irish police force was paid from the public , and he
thought this priaciple should be carried out for all the
police. Without looking to the particular OTCUIZLItaISCIII of
the pressure on the agricultural interest, which had been
alluded to, and which to a certain degree was to be attri-
buted to the legislative measures of the government, there
was sufficient to justify this wart, instead of proceeding
with the proposed plan of reduction, to go at ones to the
legislature and ask to be relieved of one half the expense of
the force, in order to enab:e them to continue it in its
efficiency. He had made such a proposition in his place in
whiniest. feeling that the government ought to bear half
the ezpenes of the rural polio, forte. They dared not make
sus► a proposition for reducing the pay of an armed force.
The principle was not equitable; it was a breach of agree-
ment, and contrary to public policy.
The Duke of BEAIUFORT i :pressed his entire coinci-
dence with had fallen from from Lord Ellenhorough ; but if
he ►ad not had the advantage of heath g his lordship, he
could not have voted for the reduction proposed.
Earl FITZ HARDINGE expressed si•etlar sentiments.
After a good deal of dissuasion on the part of other magis-
trates, the court decided by 50 votes to 30 against any
reduction in the police form, or in the officers' salaries, ex-
cept that of the chief constable (5301. per annum), on which
a reduction of 15 per cent. was to he made on 3001.