The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-29 00:00:00

The Abolition of Metropolitan Tolls Bill.

Yesterday a numerous meeting of the vestry of
St. Pancras was held at the Court House, Camden-
town, for the purpose, amongst other subjects, of
considering the report of the Public Works Com-
mittee as to the bill about to be introduced in the
next session of Parliament, at the instance of the
Metropolis Roads Commissioners, for the abolition
of turnpike tolls within a radius of about five miles
throughout the metropolitan suburbs. Mr. Church-
warden S. Taylor occupied the chair. Mr. Lawford,
as chairman of the Public Works Committee, stated
that, having carefully considered the bill for abo-
lishing turnpike tolls in the vicinity of the metro-
polis, they recommended that the vestry of St. Pan-
cras should invite the parishes of Marylebone, Pad-
dington, and Islington to unite with them in calling
upon the borough and county members to secure the
introduction of a clause in such bill, compelling the
Metropolis Roads Commissioners to put all the roads
under their charge in a thorough state of repair,and
leave them so at the time of delivering them over to
the respective parishes. Mr. Lawford moved the
adoption of the report, which having been seconded,
Mr. Ross expressed his surprise at the exceedingly
mild way in which the committee proposed to deal
with a matter of so much importance to the
crease their general taxation. parishioners, seeing how enrouHsley itthowooguhltd
tihne-
lemen took a
similar view of the questions
the Chairman rEatrvmerasn-
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do t
Mb by nStockton,means
waenndr f
oatrh
oe
when
olagueegnnht.
on,
said the resolution of the committee had been sug-
gested by the parish solicitor, who thought it better
that they should endeavour to save the first year's
outlay, which would entail on that parish an expen-
diture of £9,000, than set up a useless opposition to
a measure brought in by the Governmen t. Mr. R.
Bishop denounced the coolness with which the com-
mittee proposed to agree to a bill which would be a
perpetual extra tax of £9,000 per year upon that
parish alone. There never was a more fitting subject
for Popular agitation. At such a time the Govern-
ment could not stand the defection of even 10 mem-
bers of Parliament, and now was the time to insist
that they should not be permitted to apply local
taxation to imperial purposes, but that those who
ground up these roads should be made 100 pay those
who kept them in repair. The General Omnibus
Company would put £12,000 a year into their
pockets if this bill passed, and the general public
would be taxed for their benefit. Instead of adopt-
ing this report he moved as an amendment that a
special committee be appointed to communicate %, ith
other parishes, and to insist upon some equivalent
from the Government for this extra taxation to be
thrown upon the parishes. Several members rose
to' second the amendment, and it was staled that
St. Pancras would have 71 miles of metropolis roads
e a?,ur e , but
tt note
c fora call
theth
e
thrown upon it. Lieut.-Col. Wilkinson agreed with
the appointment ofa
to
special committee,measure,
purpose of opposition
attention of the legislature to the unequal mode in
which imperial taxation fastened upon local re-
ceipts. After some further discussion the amend-
ment was put and carried, and a special committee
appointed.

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RUSSIAN REFORM.—The Emperor of Russi
has recently issued a ukase, to the effect that
all public functionaries, no matter how high, shall hence-
forth be liable, like other persons, to arrest and, imprison-
ment, if they do not pay their debts.