The Sun.
London, England, 1806-06-27 00:00:00

IRISVI POOR RELIEF BILL.

Sir JOHN NEWPORT brought in this Bill; and on
rnoviog that it be read a first time, •
.• _Mr. BAGWELL thanked the Right-Hon. Ba-
ronet_ Fir 1413 lictz,vt-icrix..t.,- d[l3' 13111, UuL
hended there Was a point or two on which they may
have sonle difference of opinion. 'As the law vas
already, Grand Juries had the power to raise 4001.
on counties, and 2001. on cities'; the consequence of
wh"ch was, "that in those counties :which had cities;
there were houses of industry, supported,lay,the
aggiegate snip ; but in those counties - whiCh had
no cities, the contrary .was 'the case ; and he there-
fore hoped that. power would be given to the
Grand *JUries, of the latter to make up that: de-
'ficiency, as many of the counties so .situated in Jre-.
land possessed more: opulence than sorne of, those
which
.had cities.. From the time that this.assssinent
of 400,1. upon counties was first.granted for the-poor,
it had never been iuereased,..although for other pur-
poses rates had been made to the amount of 30,0001.
and the people themselves were. Se' anxious to
have provision made for, the pbor,' that hotises were
built by private subscriptions, rising in a gradailon of
from one to. too guineas. It should be remember-
ed -that -th6re:Were no poor laWs in Ireland; :and he
hoped it would reinain so, for the -cOuntry Was too,
poor to support the extravagance OF then.). 1--
Mr. FOSTER considered this as alaiv professing
to assist that. Of 1772, for taking
.up idle, persons,.
And .obliging them to" work.. That Mt :was only
carried into execution' in Dublin,- where there etas
now the stun of Q0,(V01 paid annually'for the sup
,port of vagabonds ; and Dublin being..considered
as the centre, all the other. counties entirely • Lie-
gleaed them. • If.the Bill was, as he supposed; in-
tended‘to compel Grand Juries to extend their powers
,n this respect, he should vote. _against it, and par-,
ticularly as he thought it V far too late in the Ses-
sion -to press, a measure .which had before been
frequently a4itated and rejected in the Irish Par-
liament.

Mr. ILIGUE,LL said there 'were houses of in-
dustry in ether places besides Dublin, but that, they
were'supported by private subscription,
'gir J. NEWPORT explained, that if the Right
Hon. Gentleman (f'lr Foster) attended to the Bill,
he would find it expressly provided,- that one 'half
of the henseS should be appropriated 'to the correc-
tioh of, tiagabonds and sturdy beggars, and the
::half to the relief of the needy poor. The
Ilight Hon. 'Gentleman -was also wrong m supposing
that this was the- first tiine of let,ies for this
.purpose
being made ,compulsory upon Grand Juries,, of'
which he 'quoted two or three instances, and the
quly computsion was on the Counties :,which
hart houses of industry, to maintain them. As to
the t:harge of bringing. it forward so late in the Ses-
-1;iou, he appealed to the rccolleaion of Members,
*healer he had not made the same propoSition last
Year. in the early part of this Session, he. was, for
a time, kept out of uis seat, by what he must .consi-
der 'ery improper poceeding. •Suice then, ,his
time had been fully oc:upied, as, would be proved by
The ;21-etti. Mass, of businesS- he'had already brought for'
!kyar4 and, late as it may be, he hoped he may now
he perr..itt-d to p ith a measure I.V.hieh hetelt
ti e:sserittai lo; the of hia Country.
• !,!1/...41_,E.UNDL11 said, that however a;agree-
abid'it may he to Qppwe a measure,' the, objeU of

Which was professed to be humane gild charitable,
he must obje& to all neyv and partial, schemes, as
hitherto the relief held out to one class of the poor
in Ireland fell heaviest on the other.poor part of it.
The greatest part of the Taxes of the North °Tire.
land.swas'paid by people inhabiting houses of about
5). a year, and as" no other property there but lands
and houses Contributed to the payment of'the Poor,
he .was desirous of haying some more general mea-
sure.
\Mr. PARNELL said, it was imposble to travel
over the high roads in'lreland without being -sen-
sible of the necessity of this measure ; and as to the
Objeolion of' its falling heavy on the land owners,
they were a description of persons in that country
best able to bear it. 'r.
The .Bill wasttbert read a first, and ordered to be
read a second time to-morrow.