The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-22 00:00:00

LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND.

Mr. HUME gave notice that on Tuesday next he
should move a resolution that no more Lords Lieutenant
be appointed for Ireland.
IRISH MEDICAL CHARITIES.

Colonel CONNOLLY wished to ask the Noble
Lord, the Secretary for Ireland, whether it was
the intention of her Majesty's Government to
legislate on the subject of Irish Medical Charities
this year, and also whether it was the intention of her
Majesty's Government in any way to connect the Irish
Medical Charities with the existing system of Poor-
laws.

Lord MORPETH said it was not in the con-
templation of her Majesty's Government to introduce
any proposition respecting the Irish Medical Charities.
The Bill passed in the course of the last Session to
connect the administration of the Medical Charities with
the Poor-laws it was not intended to modify or repeal.
ECCLESIASTICAL DUTIES and REVENUES.
Mr. GOULBURN wished to ask the Noble Lord
the Secretary for the Home Department, what course
he intended to pursue on Monday next with respect to
the Bills which stood for that day, particularly the Ec-
clesiastical Duties and Revenues Bill.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he intended to
move the second reading on that day, and then make a
statement as to the objects of the Bill.
Mr. GOULBURN said that the day proposed
for the second reading had not allowed sufficient time
for the consideration of the Bill.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that three or four
years had elapsed since the Report of the Commission
was made. He certainly did not think Monday next
too short a notice, because it was, in fact, a notice of
four years.
Mr. WYNN thought sufficient time would not be
allowed to get up petitions on the subject.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in answer to a question,
said there would be some alteration in the Ecclesiastical
Duties Bill of last year.
Mr. GIBSON put the question to the Right Hon.
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as to whether it was
his intention to bring in any measure connected with
the Post-office, based on the statements laid before
the House ?—(The answer was delivered in a low tone of
voice, and wholly escaped us.)
Mr. GI LLON proceeded to call the attention of the
House to the taxes on internal communication, with
a view to their equalization and reduction. It was at all
times, he said, an irksome task to him to intrude himself
on their notice ; but it was his duty on this occasion to
bring forward the motion of which he had given
notice. A Committeee had come to resolutions on the
subject, and on that he should base the motion which he
was now about to lay before the House. The first class
with which he intended to deal, was the assessed taxes;
the second, the duty on the hire of carriages ; third,
a amountn modesot equally
of
mileage duty on stage coaches ; fourth, their license
duty ; fifth, the assessed taxes on coach guards ; sixth,
the duty on draughtohtor
horses.
taxed, Theor
at
t o grossthl
thought he should be able to reduce, was 823,8281.
con-
veyanceir l The
ne
thatx t point
wwe were withnreference
taxed. As Hon. Members must be aware, a new
power of conveyance had arisen, and was fostered '
by being lightly taxed. He alluded to steam, in the shape of rail-roads or steam-
boats conveyed persons from place to place in largenumbers, and yet that species of communication was
only taxed at about one-eighth of a penny a mile, while
that upon other modes of conveyance, by stage-coach,
was three times that amount. As an instance of
that, he would advert to what had taken place
on the London and Greenwich Railway ; in the year
1836 that railway had carried no less than 1,200,000
passengers, and all the duty that they had paid, agree-
ably to their composition, was 400/. while the
stage coach proprietors had paid upwards of
6,0001. In consequence of this state of things
numerous petitions had been presented complaining of
the grievances under which the petitioners laboured,
and praying the House to adopt some means
for their relief, stating that unless they did so
it would be impossible for them to compete
with the railroads and other means of communication.
One of the great coach proprietors, who had been exa-
mined before the Committee to which he had referred,
had stated that unless some alteration was made,
the stage-coach-business would be entirely put an end to.
Another large proprietor, who might be known to many
in that House, Mr. Horne, was examined before the
Committee, when he stated that he fully expected that
the coaching business would be annihilated, and he
was quite correct, for it was nearly annihilated already.
If protection was given in any shape—if privileges were
tobe granted to communications of any kind, it ought to
be to communications carried on by means of animal
power, for animals consumed a large quantity of taxed
commodities ; and they formed the only line of commu-
nication which the public had, as a means of guarding
against the great monopolies which sooner or later would
bcome extremely dangerous.---(Hear, hear.) The
Post, horse Duties was another heavy tax which they
were subject to, that was a daty of lid. per mile. They
also complained of the duty imposed upon Post Car-
rihges. In order to benefit the public, many of the
post-masters kept four of these carriages while only
one was worked at a time, but still they bad to pay
duty on all four. The innkeepers were another class
who had much reason to complain of the rapid increase
of steam power, for their business was entirely
leaving them. They had embarked large capitals
n their business, and they would be obliged to give
them up, and themselves and families would be ruined
unless some relief were held out to them by the abolition
of the Post-horse Duty and other taxesrelie which
I were
the Chancellor of the Exchequer would find
given e Duties would
his from John John-
pressed heavily upon them. Unless this
entirelyrevenue from the Post-horse
flail him. He had a return
f 1837 he paid Government taxation
three months o
John-
ston of Glasgow, in which he stated that in the last
d'ng months of 1838 he paid only 31/.
in the corresponding
75. 6d., and as the earnings of a postmaster ought to be
upon travelling to the amount of 112/. 7s. 54d., while
eight times the amount of taxation which he paid, the
to Mr. Johnston in that three months was 648/.
lossllo w was it possible that men could carry on their bu-
siness at this rate. They could not as was proved by
list of forty-two coaches which had lately been taken off
the road. The tax upon steam carriages was a mere nullity
while there was no tax whatever upon steam-boats, the
•g
n
proprietors of which had also the privilege of carrying
on the trade of innkeepers, without being at any
expense for licenses. Thero bad been a great
cry for justice for Ireland, but he would cry for
justice to the other parts of Great Britain. Ireland
was entirely free from these duties, and he would have
justice done by assimilating the taxation of both countries.
The Hon. Gentleman, after reading extracts from a
series of documents, proceeded to say that all
the information ho had procured established him
in the conviction, that if the duties on carriages
and post-horses were removed, or materially dimi-
nished, the use of those vehicles in Ireland as well
as in England and Scotland, would be very much
in-
creased, and the accommodation of the public
e greatly
promoted thereby. This would lie the only way to de-
feat the great railway monopolists, at whose m( r,!a-
Parliament had most recklessly allowed several very
important interests to be left. In fact, if the taxation
against which he contended were kept on, there would
be no means of competing with those gentlemen. In the
conduct of the Railway shareholders there was, as.