The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-07 00:00:00

Crohan, to the Cambridge; Sub-Lieut. John W.
Brackenbury, to the Black Prince ; Gerald Money
and Leonard Lucas, assist,-snag,, to the Royal Ade-
l:Ade, for Plymouth Hospital ; Henry Ellis, assist.-
paymaster, to the Imprcgnable ; and Charles J.
Curgenven, clerk, to the Indus.

Mr. Locke and his Constituents.

Mr, Locke, one of the members for tho borough

of Southwark, met his constitucrats last night at the
Bridge House Hotel, London bridge—Capt. Hep-

burn in the chair. The following were aIED pre-

sent :—Messrs. C. Legg, Collinson, Newman, White,
and Harris, Captain Darrell, Mer ars. Bevington,
Glover, and Redgrave, Dr. Barker, Dr. Paul, Capt.
D. Roger, and Messrs. M. Sharp, Love, and Tooke.
The CHAIRMAN said they did not want to hear a
speech from him, but from their representative, who
was a conscientious Reformer, and devoted a good

deal of his time to their local concerne—(hear, hear)
—and he should not therefore detain them. This,
he believed, was the seventh or eighth time their
respected representative came before them.

Mr. LcCKE next presented himself, and was
very warmly received. It gave him, he said,
great pleasure for the eighth time to appear before

:hem as their representative—he could hardly say

o give an account of what he had done in the House

of Commons, because he knew that among so intel.
ligent a body of men, with whom from time to time
he had had an opportunity of conferring, everything
he did was already well known to them, and if he
did not do what was right he should have heard of
it long before this time. (Hear, and a laugh.) It

afforded him, however, great satisfaction, not only
in giving an "account of his stewardship," for that

wad Llie expression now usei throughout the country,
but to hear his coristituPnts, sentiments on many
subjects, so that by hearing each other they may
have an opportunity of modifying in many respects
their opinions, and so in the end come to a just con-
clusion. He was willing to confess that he always
met with their very kind consideration for his own

shortcomings, as none of them were perfect ; but
an assurance of their approbation enabled him to go
forward and perform his duty not only to the borough

but to the country at large in a manner to do credit
to all of them. Since he last addressed them many
questions had been disposed of, not only of impor.
tance to the borough but the whole of the kingdom.
And first with regard to St. Thomas's HoEpital,
they were, he could assure them, very much in-
debted to Mr Kendal and Mr CoHinson for the very
active part they took in that affair. They went to
Lord Redesdale and succeeded in their opposition
to the scheme of removing it six or seven miles into

the country, although he admitted they were not
entirely successful. The hospital, however, was to
be retained in London, though not in the Borough,
and for his own part he owned he deeply regretted
that the Corporation of London had many years
since admitted persons to be ite governors and sub-
mitted to be overidden by them, the consequence of
which was, according to the decision of the Lord
Chancellor, that they were now in point of law pre-

chided from controlling them in the government of
the institution, althoughthey still retained the power
of choosing a site for it in any locality they pleased.
He (Mr Locke) feared it was lost to Southwark
as a local institution, where, according to the ob-
vious meaning of the original charter, it ought to
have been placed. (Hear.) There was another sub-
ject of social importance, which not only agitated
the borough of Southwark but the metropolis and
the country at large, and that was the question re-
lating to the dwellings of the labouring classes.
(Cheers.) That in his opinion was now one of the
most important questions which could be brought
under the consideration of the House of Commons.
(Hear.) He did not call it a local question, but one
of the most important ever brought under the con-

eideration of the Legislature, and which involved the
wellbeing of this great country. Those who con-
tributed in so high a degree to its great wealth and
prosperity should be well considered and well taken
care of, Now. the argument he always used on this
subject was this—He did not wish to make any innce
vation on their laws or Constitution,but he contended
that the mischief which modern legislation had done
ought to be repaired, and that if Acts of Parliament
were introduced authorising houses to be pulled
down and property taken to make railways, or other
public works or improvements, and the persons who
lived in them removed or driven out, then others
should be provided for them. (Hear, hear.) But
that was not so, and the evil it occasioned was be-
cowing a very serious one indeed. The course of
modern legislation in this respect has been most
mischievous. There was first Regent-street and
then Victoria-street constructed, ley which thou-
sands of families have been driven from their habie
tatione, and left to provide for themselves. (Hear.)
Then came the construction of railways within the
metropolis which drove as many more thousands to
seek shelter where they could, and to pay enormous
rents for miserable and inconvenient accommodae
tion. (Hear, hear.) Attempts had been made to
remedy this great social evil, but he feared they
were like a drop of water in the ocean. Mr Peabody
as they all knew, generously gave the sum of
£150,000 to be laid out in the erection of dwelling.
for the poor of London. In carrying out his object,
the eommittee had, he thought, adopted a most ex•
cellent course. They agreed to expend in the first
instance inibuilding model dwelling-houses £50,000
and got for that purpose good sites at Shadwell and
Bermondsey. They also erected four blocks of houses
at Islington, and in Commercialestreet, Spitalfields,
57 tenements and nine shops. It was said that all
these will pay an interest of three or four per cent.,
and it was calculated that the original sum would
build ten large houses, to produce £6,000 a-year,
and from this income they hoped to be able to build
new houses every two years. That, in his opinion,
was an excellent plan, but it was only intended ae
a model, and he hoped sincerely that others would
follow this most useful example. (Hear, hear.)
The City of London had advanced likewise £40,000
for the same purpose, and he was disposed to believe
that an opportunity would thus be given to spe-
culators to follow in the same course. But what was
the real state of things ? for after all this was but
showing what could be done. They had a poor law
which was most iniquitous, unequal, and unjust.
(Cheers.) Since he had the honour to represent the
borough, he never ceased to enforce the idea that it
was the duty of the legislature to establish an equa-
lisation of the poor rates. Ever since he had the
honour of a seat in the House of Commons he en-
deavoured to obtain that. (Hear, hear.) In con-
sequence of the distress in London in 1861 a com-
mittee was appointed to inquire into it, of which,
in the first instance, he was not appointed a mem-
ber. He had, however, spoken to Mr Villiers, one
of the ablest members of the Government, and for
whom he had the highest respect, on the subject of
an equalisation of their rates, and in 1862 ho was
placed on it. Evidence was taken before that come
mittee—the late Mr d. Day, Mr Collinson, and Mr
Warwick were ex emitted, but it was not until April,
1864, they were called on to make their report. That
committee was composed of all Glasses of politicians
living in every part of the country, who gave the
subject the most careful consideration. Lord Robert
Cecil, a strong Tory, was a member of it. He was
a man of high intellect, and when his Tory propen-
sities permitted him, went as straight as an arrow.
(Hear and a laugh.) Now he (Mr Locke) held in
his hand the report of that committee,which she wed
clearly what ought to be done, and he therefore
would read it to them. (The hon. mcmber then
read an extract from the report of the committee.)
Thus that report, while dep!oring the destruction of
whole districts by railways and other buildings,
resolved that much evidence was produced to show
the inequalisation of the present system of rating,
especially in the metropolis, and that measures should
be taken to extend as soon as possible the area of
rating. Now, that was the most important decision
ever come to by a committee of the Houe of Commons
fi
that i a l
whenresul t a
Villiersr h
ande he had no doubt would produce the most bene-
ficial
u) g Ihlteinhandisa. lbsioutotoobmsearkvee
the settlement ofn othveeraosratnharee years instead of five,
he (Mr Locke) moleendfment that for the
purposes of the act tho whole
doubt they would in the end succeedan
should be considered as one union, throl metropolis
(Hear,
rhad e a o
A Voice—Why don't you do it at once ?(A 'lea h.?)
Mr LocerE should like to See that gentleman doing