The Express.
London, England, 1850-03-09 00:00:00

, THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 9, 1850.

wesigar ken isod is to be dile by a mien
of mei • rentaleW et taxation." Now, I say
enie 1 kit lr• me failk sub • =2;i 1, know
of' se metes Missing taxation by the bar-
, ddeerfrom one t• another
ta—= of de mesa3leaning
ell emelt by »dyeing ; mid I defy yea to lay
Ilese.nmel edy putty halite seenUy who is sew wil-
t, Mee aMillenel Welkin. Ana Mariam caw pa
premiss to soillif button yea will Ind m wadi mist-
imes from these en when yea ere going to put the taxes as
yes will rendes segmert iron those who ere to be yenned.
Then we comelm Ws peke, ore you &anima to give relief
from tense wide pies Imes iMestry t I de not confine
myself to the ended dais, but I tail hes. members—those
erU are etude= he ham the malt tax or the ham duty ro-
wed—Met it as may be Mao by sash a nieeenre es that
whisk I new premme, owl bolono vs are brewed to wte en
the team fit the les. member to the Zs* Riding, I am
maims that we Ass* sews to • eiseidea whether we will
make emit a reinellen of expenditure es wm war-
rant dim esithdenvel of taxation. I ham moved
ea
nimmermenden that we should Mum to the expenditure
of UK Pima I spook of 1835, I am quite prepsred
to tube es average 411835, 1838, and 1837. Now, with the
pennheim of the his... I will reed—ead I Mg hon. gentle-
men to bear with me while I read—a few figures., and that
they will discard eitegether any feeling of prejudice mother
questiom. I oak them to go into this ma matter of business,
with a &dm to emealt the interest of those who send them
to parliament, who I believe, on this question, feel
precisely the same is my constituents do. I will read the
6•
th
of of the heeds of expenditure for the year ending
the 6th of January, 1836, end the 6th of Januavy, 1840. The
interest of the fended and unfunded debt was, for the year
ending 6th January, 1838, 28,514,0001.; and for the year
ending sth January, 1840, 28,323,0001.: so that the Me-
rest of the debt in the Liner year MU surly 200,0001. less
than in 1838. The reeasialog items were as follow Year :
Year evadin ftgleg
Mb 1113 a. 6:11 Jan., 1050.
Army £6,406,000 54,349,033
Navy 4,099,000 6,942,000
Ottnatios
Civil expos:lime of all kinds— 4,225,000 6,702,000

Total 44,395,008 60,018,000
When 1 brought forward my motion last year, taking the
finance amounts of 1843, I stated that theist:retie of onus.
dine* was nearly 10 millions as compared with 1836 ; but
the flume amouste of last year a compared with the pre-
vious year, *hew a 'ldeation of 3,344,000. (Hear, hear.)
Yon have, therefore, at the present time to deal with the
expenditure het year of 60,848,0001., as against an expendi.
tare in 1836 of 44,395,0001., leaving an taco in 1850 of
6,453,0001. And, hear in mind, I take the last year's
expenditure from the finance accounts; I am not dealing
with the estimates of the present year. By the army
and ordnance estimates of this year, so far as they are
laid before us, I see there is • considerable further
reduction ; I believe I may assume that it will be nearly or
quite a million—(hear, hear);—end that will bring the
exam at the et* of this year over 1835, to something like
6i millions. Well, that is encouraging, end so far satis-
factory ; and it ought to be encouragement for us to mu,
sue the same course in this house, by peering a similar line
of policy on the executive. (Hear, bear.) For I venture
to gay that if these effort' had not been made in the MS"
and by those gentlemen in Liverpool who have beat soar
what at:need—l mean the Financial Reform Asseeleilien
I very much question if these redactions weeded
have been made. (Hear, hen.) Amusing then that
there is an excess of 61 millions in the expenditure of this
year over 1836, how do I propose to reduce that lames. se
as to return to the 44,205,0001. which we spent in 1835 ?
Without warning the functions of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, or making myself responsible for the details, I
will just intimate one Fracas by which this reduction may
be effected. I prepose to take gradually 5,823,0001. iron the
amount expended last year in the army, navy, sad ord•
nonce; already nearly • million is takes off—(heat)—bat I
wish to be understood as dealing always with the excess of 61
millions, not taking the estimates of the pre sent year into
account at all—(bear, hear wcul4 take 6,823,0001.
from the amount expended last year, by gradually reducing
the army, navy, ar d ordnance by that amount. That would
leave ten millions as the expenditure for our
armaments ; and I beg hon. gentlemen to remem-
ber tt at amount 'of ten millions, that I may not
hear repeated what was stated last year, namely,
that I was dealing with this subject in the spirit of a quaker,
and proporing to leave us utterly definceless. (11,ar,
hear.) I would do this gradually. The mashing
630,0001. I propose to take from the civil expenditure,
from the cost of collection, and to gain it from the better
management of the woods and foresee. (Hear, hear.) To
begin with the civil expenditure. The expenditure for all
branches of the civil genies last year was 6,702,0001; in
1635, it was 4,2:5,0001. Of the seven items under this
head, I begin with the civil list, which stands at 396,0001.,
against 510,0001. in 183.5. On this, u the amount appro-
priated to the **nice of her Majesty, I have not one word
to offer. The amount settled upon the Queen on her
accessirn to the crown having been ds an t quivalent for here-
ditary revenues surrendered to the country, in my opinion,
gives the sovereign as good a title to that amount during
her lifetime as many of our ancient nobility possess to their
estates. (Hear.) Therefore, Ist me not be understood,
after such • plain avowal of my conviction, to utter a
syllable differing from that which any one has ever heard me,
either in this house or out of it. (Cheers.) There is a
general impression throughout the country that the Queen
has an exorbitant income, because this amount of 396,0001
is applied to her civil list ; but the country ought to know
that the Queen bluetit has only 60,0001. a year placed at
her disposal. (Hear, hear.) The rest roes in the expen-
diture of different departments of her Idsjesty's bons-hold,
and for maintaining the state and dignity of the throne.
If I remarked at all upon this expenditure it would be
upon same of those points. There are items in that expen-
diture which I think might, with great advantage to the
crown, be transferred to other purposes. Take the case of
the buck hounds. I believe that establishment costs 6,0001.
or 7,0001. a year. It is really an absurdity. (Hear, hear.)
However, I never dwelt upon this as an amount that would
largely coutri`ntte to the relief of the country; and I pass on
to the next item. This is, 464,0001, annuities and pensions
for civil, naval, military, sod judicial services, charged by
various seta of parliament on the consolidated fund. In 1835,
this item was 624,0001. It consists of pensions and annui•
ties ; it would be obviously very invidious to
point out particular names; and I do not propose to touch
them. They have been granted by acts of parliament; par.
tits have made their arrangements expectant ott those pen-
sions and emoluments being theirs for life ; and theirs they
shall be, for anything I will do to disturb them. (Hear,
hear.) But,l think hon. gentlemen on the other side will agree
with me, that it is essential to guard against the repetition
of these pensions and emoluments in future. (Haar, hear.)
Hon. gentlemen looking over our finance accounts of last
year will find on. feature very prominent—the number of
commimionerships. (Hear, hear.) I think we have too
many comotitsions. (Hear, bear.) I should very much peeler
to a commission one well.paid responsible functionary. (Hear,
hear.) I come next to diplomatic salaries end pensions.
I nue, I think, we have • rich harveet.field indeed. (Hear,
Mar.) The total charge for one year is 172,6951.
Our ambassador to Paris gets 10,0001. • year; the
American ambassador gets 2,0001. Our ambassador to
Austria gets 9,9001. ; the American minister 1,0001.
Oar Turkish ambassador gets 6,6001. • **American minister
VOW. Our envoy to Ream gets 6,6001 ; the American 2,0001.;
end eo on. Many of them little diplomatic appointments ought
to be suppressed altogether. For instance, Hanover, with
34001. for a minister. (Hear, hear.) Bavaria, with 4,0001.
What earthly ground can there be fee keeping • minister at
Munich ? (Hear, hear.) I come next to courts of
justice, the cost of which for the year ending the
ith of January last was 1,106,0001. In the year ending
6th January, 1836, it was 430,0001., an WWII!' of nearly
700,0001. as hon. gentlemen know, that mainly arises from the
Word= of a charge of 651,0001. for the Irish constabulary
fares. Though that item, I suppose, must re-
mahi, on looking over the list, we shell find a
great deal to do. The salaries of our judges were
raised wring to the special circumstances of the time. lam
we who think it would be very bad economy to pay judges
We low, lest they should resort to the practice which has
hien used elsewhere, of plias themselves; but I think
lleant is great room for reduction in thou salaries in future,
Ulm I find suck sums as 7,0001., 6,0001., 8,0001., and
I SPA a year as the current emoluments of those officers.
The emsemens salaries paid in Ireland are wholly &weeper.
Itiesene M the resources and position of that country. (Hear,
lager.) To find a dge in Ireland receiving 8,0001. a year,
sad to know that In the United States the highest judicial
fusedesasy that exists is the world—the one who has more
responsible functions than say existing judge, the judge of
the supreme court at Washington—who, besides settling all
international disputes between the several states in the
union, interprets, without appeal, along wi* his col-
leagues, the eonstitutioa of the United States—that
this officer receives may 1,2001. • year, and that
some of the most eminent men of the age have filled
that chair-1 say it is an anomaly and an unjustifiable fact
that you have judges In a eaustsy like Ireland receiving
8,0001. a year. (Hear, hear.) Here is an item of 398,0001.
spent last year, against 274,0001. in 1835, for miscellaneous
*ups on the consolidated fund. Of thh item upwards of
60,0001. is for commissioners in Inland. Barely these are not
to last for ever; and some might be managed at a little lees
expense. Ipm on to the miscellaneous charges and annual
grants of parliament, 3,911,0001., against 2,144,0901. In 1835.
Under this beacons all our publiegrents, all the salaries and
expenses of the public, departments, and all our colonial and
consular establishments. The very words I have read indi-
cate the euessive amount of expenditure involved
under this head. First, "public works." Why, the house we
are or rather that we hope to get Into, lea scandal to us.
(Lend cheers.) I had no voice IA the selection of the form
end style of architecture of the new houses of parliament,
or prably I might have erred as well as the rest ; bat it
mom to me from the beginning to have been a most
melancholy blunder. (Cheers.) If you had been deer-
mined to adopt the most expensive style, and had sought for
moue of lambing the public money so as the result should
um be ens, known, or appreciated, you could not have
done worm than adopt this florid Gothic style. (Hear,
hear.) I have proposed that there shall be) • saving of
650,0001. upon the expenditure to which I have referred;
and I have no doubt that the hon. member for Oxfordabirs
(Mr. Halley), from the views he entertains as to the meow
Isity of reductions in the salaries of public servants, and the
cutting down of our establishments generally, will guaran-
tee me • larger saving than that in the course of a few years,
and will admit that it is very easy to see our way to • great
redaction in the 61 millions of civil expenditure, coupled
with the 4,800,0001. the east of collection, together upwards
of 11 millions sterling ; and that I as not messaing an ha-
possibility when I say, that from that mama% you may save
lie no very distant period, 650,0001. (Hear, hear.) Without
dasoUln es that plat, I will pow on to that whisk, as the
Wipe Mo. disarm Ike mat eonidderatket—the wet of our
asswowsla. (Rear, boar.) Last year when I had the
el Irma Submitting this motion to the basso, I began by