The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PA RLIAMEN T.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—Fnmsr, FED. 21. •
• TIE Hot ba of Lonna sat but a few minutes, and
transacted no business of importance

HOUSE OF COMMONS. -FRIDAY, FRB. 91.

IN the Hones of Costecuss, Lord A. CurroN, I
who had a notice on the paper for a series of rasa-
lutions respecting the condition of Ireland, post-
poned them until Tuesday, when he said ho would
move them as an amendment on the motion of Mr.
Magire.
Mr . G. HARDY stated, in reply to Lord Enfield,
that, having last autumn discovered that the police
had an amount of work cast upon them which pre-
vented their obtaining essential rest, he had
directed the increase of the force by 1,000 men, and
l 0 inspectors and 100 sergeants, making 1,120 in
all. Be was having conducted an inquiry into the
state of the force, and until that inquiry was com-
pleted he could not say whether there was any in-
tention to make any further alteration in the num-
bers pay, duties, or organisation of the force.
Lord STANLEY, replying to Mr T. Baring,
stated that in September last the Mexican govern-
ment gave notice to our chargd d'affaires in Mexico
that they would hold no official communication
with the representatives of a government which
had recognised the Emperor Maximilian. Of
course her Majesty's government had no option
but to withdraw the legation, which they did, and
at present no diplomatic relations existed between
the two countries. The conventions remained in
force, but it was a grays question as to the mea-
sures to enforce them.
Mr. Goscass called attention to the last report
of the Metropolitan Board of Works, and to the
continuous increase of tho burdens laid and pro-
posed.to be laid, in London and elsewhere, on the
occupiers of rateable property. He said the
public opinion was that many sanitary improve-
ments should be made in London, and the Bletro-
politan Board of Works had many ambitious
schemes in hand. But the problem was how these
improvements were to bo carried on with the pre-
sent limited resource/. The Metropolitan Board
.4 Works published annually what they called an
abstract of account; but it was impossible for any
one to gather from it a correct idea of the *tato of
their affairs. It appeared that their expenditure
between 18.57 and 1806 had amounted to nearly
eleven miUions, having increased from 90,0005
in the former year to 1,070,0001. in the latter.
For certain purposes parliament treated London as
a whole ; for other purposes they treated it as so
many separate cities. They said improvements
should be made, and they taxed the poorer dis-
trictsfor improvements in which they had really so
interest, which was manifestly unjust. The local
taxation of the metropolis amounted altogether
to nearly three millions and a half per annum,
and there was no pro:ability of any decrease. They
were at the end of their resources, and if further
improvements were required, the question was,
where was the money to coins from? House pro-
perty was taxed to the utmost, sad the tax came to
a point that interfered with capital going into'
the building trade. They must find new sources
of taxation if improvements were to be carried out.
It had been sag that the owners of property
should be taxed, and to a certain extent that
resource was available, but except in cases where
the occupiers had leases the burden would, in the
end, fall on the occupiers. Another suggestion
was, to equalise the rates all over the metropolis.
But these suggestions went on the assumption that
only one description of property—house property—
was to be taxed, and it had been asked why
should we not impose an income tax. It might
be objectionable to allow local authorities to im-
pose an income tax ; hut this might be obviated
by the government levying the tax and giving up
the house duty, which yielded about an equal
amount. _

_ .....
Colonel HOOO defended the Metropolitan Board
of Works from the attacks that had been made
upon it.
Colonel SVKIL.4 remarked that the Metropolitan
Board of Works was trying to swallow up every
other local authority. It was an smperiunt in int-
perio which ought not to be allowed to exist.
Mr. Avaros defended the bill which he brought
in last session for taxing the owners of property.
He pointed out that the finances of the metropolis
were in a state of confusion, duties being specially
mortgaged for loans, and he suggested that there I
should be a consolidated debt for the whole of the
metropolis.
Tho discussion was continued by Mr. NLVILLE
Gur.svitts and Mr. HARVEY Lewis, and the latter
was speaking when the house was counted out at
ten minutes to ti o'clock.