The National Register.
London, England, 1818-05-04 00:00:00

THE LOAN BILL.

The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER mover! the ,order of
the day for •the Mete to go into a Gotnnsittoit on the Loan
Bill. •

MAY 4

Mr. VII ENFELL thought it necessary to declare, that the
opinion he had already given on this subject entained unal_
tered. Bitt what he chiefly rose for, at present, was to give
notice, that after the Speaker left the Chair, it was his inten-
tion to oppose altogether that clause of the Bill which went
to give the Bank of England a fee of twenty-pence in every
hundred pounds of money, raised by way of ;own ; and a fee
of ten-pence in every hundred pounds of Exchequer Bills
funded. lle wished that every transaction relative to the
Bank be strictly examined by a Committee of that House.
Mr. J.IP.On arir said,he shoal& give his decided oppceition
to the whole of this proceeding ; end he could not help ex-
pres,ing his surprise, that the Right Hon. Gent!eman oppo.he
should come down, year after year, with proposals for bor.
lowidg money, during a "wind of profound peace, without
specifying the means he intended. to adopt iu jut ore for tb.:
service and the relief of the country. - In such a situation, it
was the duty of the House to insist on seeing the actual situ%
Lion of the country ; for there was not the least prospect, that
the Right Hon. Gent. would ever be able to reduce its es-
penditure to a ley el with its income. • .

The CIIANCELLOR of the Eat:iitclunt observed, in reply,
that money must be raised in some way or ogler, and he
knew 110 way of obtaining it, except by direr' taxation or by
borrowing it. From 'he financial operation of the last three
years properly considered, it would he found, 'that we had
:educed the ettfunded debt to a lower *mown than it way at,
before the nuzmentation -, while thefunded debt would ap-
pear to have horn reduced to the amount of fifteen millions.
The House having gone into a Committee, 11r. GuEnsims
then called the attention of Committee to the very trifling
service performed by the Bank, in proportion to the very
trifling service they would have to perform in consetnenee
of the operation of the hie would therefore move that
the wi.ole of the obtuse fur git lug this remuneration to the
Bank be left out of the Bill.

The OnaNcEt.t.ost of the Excites:wen had ato objection
whatever to the tallest inquiry. The operation now in tines..
tion,3V3% not simply a funding of FAcherpier Bibs—it was a
complicated matter, %sisas was connected still' the creation
of a new stock to a considerable amount ; the accounts of the
whole of which were kept by the Bank. The Rank hail . a
great of trout:lc—And nitwit responsibility; for %%Web
the consideration allowed was b: au means too lacur.
On a divi ion, the clause in favour of the charge allowed
to the Rank v.as carried by a majority of 15.

he other classes of the.itill Went through the Committee,
and the report wai ordered to be received on Thursday.
No other business of importance.
THURSDAY.
COUNTRY BANKS.

Th,-Cil.4l7Cl7lLfat or the Pseittarectt rose for the purpose
°craning tlt attention of the .House to the subject of a notice,
which stood at p: esent for Monday nest, for the first reatlißt
of the Bill, for regulating She circulation of Country Bank
Notes. Iu not Mg the discharge of this order, it was proper
at the same time to state that it was only abandoned for the
present, from a belief that some modifications were necessary,
and in the apprehensions that the • discussions to which it
might give rise could nut be brought to a close ..dut:ng the
present Session.
After a warm debate, during •witich the total relinquish.
ment of the measure was urged by the opposition, the order
was discharged.
POOR JAWS.

Mr.C. 'firearm begged to call the attention of the House
to the existing state of our Poor Laws. These Laws had
been introduced into tl.e country in the reign of Elizabeth ;
heforestonieh time, poverty had uo dependance but on private
charity. From the di"•erent enaetmeets and alteration it hail
been' found necessary to make tion► titre to time in these
Lawai partieularly in those which re; elated the settlement of
the Poor,they were become so involved in doubt and intricacy
that lawyers themselves were pnrzled, and it was hardly
possible to obtain a consistent opinion, and the litigation on
the subject was incessant. Then, again. came the case of
hiring with respect to service. Great difficulties, and nume•
Tons gitestions, hail arisen on this head. Qiiestlons arose,
vitetbsr the contrazt had been dispensed with, or whether
it hal been dissolved. In many places (much, lie confessed,
to 'the disgrace of the persons) it was covenanted that they
sheuld not hire a labourer for more than 50 weeks. 'there
was, in his opinion. no better principle, than that the place in
which the party had resided, and which had had the benefit
of his earnings, should be liable to provide for him in his
poverty or of age. He should have to suggest to the house,
that after a person had resided a certain time in a parish, be
he should go before the parish officers, who should grant him
a certificate, specifiying that he had resided in the parish
during that time. At the same time, it wenld be proper to
provide against that temporary absence which •might occur ;
and, in this view, it fright be wise to allow, that sixty Jays
should be allowed for absence, presided that the party had
not been guilty of any crime or misdemeanour. By such a
law, he hoped that an end would be put to the present
complicated and vexations litigation. •Luotimer alteration of
the present system which he wee to propose was, that, in case
of appeal, no removal should take place till the appeal should
be decided. If in any circumstances the parish should ►o.
move the•individual before the decision- of the appeal, they
were to pry all the expenses occasioned by the removal.
By those alterations be hoped to simplify the law of settle-
meat, and to remove many sources of litigation and expense.
He eoncludcd with leave to bring in Ishii{ to alter and amend
the laws respecting the settlement -of the peor.—Lease
granted.