The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-03-04 00:00:00

emanate from them, which might tend to the adop•
Lion of a general measure of a salutary and bene-
ficial nature.

Sir CHARLES MONO( hoped a proposition of the
nature alluded to by the Hon. Member would, as
soon as possible, be made in that House, and that
*boa it Ants battig.b.t fatmaxl J.twighS be lUPPortgit
with all the weight and influence of Government.

Mr. CaLcaave hoped .the two Hon. Members
who bad addreeked the Kowa had no intention of
making any attempt to get rid of the Poor's Rates
as established by lisle. He *email never lend his
hand to such an issuaratioa. so long as the Infect
order, of society felt generally a vostaiderable por-
tion of eiejorraistatesit and partition. if the lions
Gentletnen fkfr. D. G. (Albert) would attempt
atitb 1;4 to put a stop to the misapplication of the
ft l woozy, by extrevegant Ministers, mucn
"'odd be sodsi effeated as to the reduction. if not
abolition, at least practically. of the Poor's Rates.
—(Afar, hear. heir, frost the (llppositiox.)...
At Enure were a set of sage Legislators in that
WhW would have Curti sill, that is. a high
pare for their corns and yet Ititre a low rate of la.
bow. and 110,Poor'. Rates. Now all these %ere nut
to he loud. ff the labourer's wager were extremely
low. the Poor's Rates, Miller there circumstances,
must be increased. He should like a low average
of labour but it must be one competent to ensure
titre Itutb:lndotan or workman the stibsistenCe mid
caeca.' suited te leis rank in society. The object
of the Howe should be to inquire into the causes
of the shameful maladroinistretioss of the foods

created for the relief of the Poor.- This had been
his endeavour, air far as lay in his contracted sphere
of observation • hut as to the system of the Poor's
Laws, as founded upon the Act of Elizabeth, lie
would inform those Hon. Members, that as things
*ere now circumstanced, he would be the lost man
iu the House to lift up his hand for their repeal.
Sir C. Morsel( begged to be understood as hay!
hat wished Government would look to the correc-
two of tl}e abuse* of the Poor's Rates, and not
apply it elf to the abolition altogether.
Mr. F. LEWIS hoped the House would unfit to
no precipitate determination as to the immediate
necessity of legislative interference. He hoped
the Committee appointed to exocnine this subject,
would coutin.ue to be charged with too much can-
than, rather then without due consideration reconi-
tumid a measure not properly digested. It was
vain to think of withdrawing now the supplier:
limited to the poor under the 4.3 d of Eliiabeth,
and the laws grounded upon that well-known Act ;
Wethe could net help thinking the better and the
lower order of people would be much benefited if
no such Act as the 43d of Elie. had, ever passed.
He had formed in this respect a different opinion
rrom some of the Gentlemen he had heard that
teeming. Lu hu mind the unusually low price i:f
labour might he considered the cause of the evil ;
and here lie could not lielpadeertilig to a species of
traffic in the Poor's Rates carried on by manufactur-
ing persons, wbo were not unfrequently overseers of
the poor. ft wart. not unusual with such Gentle-
men to pay their labourers 44 the rate of fid. or
some such trifle par diem, and hand these very peo-
ple over to the Poor's Rates for a supply of not !esti
than eighteen or toasty shillings a week. Thus
the landed property which wits forced to comitbute
most largely to the Pixie* Rates. had to make up
the deficiency of the wriges.of the manufacturing
poor, whilst the manufacturer was:thereby enabled
to meet the foreign market at a reduced price, or to
vie with his neighbour, and undersell him at home.
He.could net see as to the effect produced by the
taxes, keiterally, what great difference there was
created by, a greater or less 4:lemma of a greater or
less. qualitity. of labour throughout the country.
The only effect produced by taxation was, tient it
changed the hands into which the wages of labour
were distributed; as during war, a time of greatest
I taxation, ull that could be said was, that a her
of soldiere, sailors, arinourers, and •gturistuitlis, were
Dow employed, itetteati,ollabpurera and manufac-
turers. With all this compulsory. contribution on
this part of the landed proprietor, it was very re-
Insrltalilv the funded proprietor might evade any
coetribotieti„elthough it *in well known. that of
the 154 gout. annual expenditure, not lest
than 31 millions were appropriated to the payment
of the, stock.holden.—(fieur.)
Mr. Rioyeal4*. wip surprised hie Honourable
Friepd, who.edprotnited not to enter into the dis-
cuistiat; at.upg.lerigth. ohould :have so fir ,bigot
himself. as to exhaust this subject of the Pool's
Oust of taxation, and its consequences,-
andefter talking highly objectionable views of both
.subjectty utter ii.doetribe which, for its nevelty and
atiomoi4s, utter
coulg potzlielp rising, sod :Professing
against. Mutt ! did his Honourable Friend umtti
to say that it was s. matter of indifference to tnd
public, whether at, sum .of money should be per-
milted
.to float, at,large through the mercantile t.r
general. intemts,as each toight,soccepy it it) their
turn, or bettrewo,outof the comiutiu stock. by the
opefuthig..of lay, or, two. au& be, given by his
Majesty's Minister*. at the rate of 1,0001. a year,
to a sinecure Lord of the Admiralty I—(Hcar.
Gear. f--'Where were other ;mints of his speech to
which he hactstroug,otocctian. but he should con-
tent himself with:protesting. fir, the present against
this doctrine. as.equally false and dangerous.
Me. F. Lewis ,ouid, his intention in what be had
said woo merely to prove that the Poor', Rates were
.„.
uRt
created,by, taxation.
Mc.. BRA ti altrt*.exPloinelL
Mn Cuawsit diffoced from. his lion. Friend be-

low, and :considered • that taxation clearly entered
itito the condition of the labouring poorer classes,
and belie,yed they did not pay Tess than 2S per
geiktcto Abe Governme4 at.premtut. iu the shape of
taxes.
Mr. Bushsox presented a Petition from the Tan.
nerd of Stafford, praying that the present Leather
Tax might be repealed—which, with two similar
Petitions front other place., were read, and laid on
the tatter
Ott the motion of Sir M. W. RIDLEY,• Petition
from certain Inhahitanta of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
against the Indemnity Bill, and praying for a Re-
finni in Parliament, was read and laid on the table,
aucl,ordered to be printed.
Mr, Losirrox /soured the House, there existed
but one opinion throughout the country as to the
injustice of granting a Bill of Indemnity to Mi-
nister; fur their late unwarrantable and tyrannical
conduct during the !ate Suspension Act. He felt