The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-16 00:00:00

CORPORATION REFORM.

A court was held yesterday, in which the old subject
of Corporation Reform, by the Corporation itself, was
the great point of discussion, and expression was given
upon the occasion to a great variety of opinions.
Mr. Deputy PEWTRESS brought up a report of the
Reform Committee. It contained sundry propositions
for the consideration of the court, of the essential
parts of which propositions the following is a condensed
statement :

" That every male of, full age, and not subject to legal
incapacity, on engaging fora year and a day a house,
warehouse, counting-house, office, chambers for business,
or shop, and rated to the police-rate to the amount of not
less than 101., be entitled toivote•for the election of alder-
men, common councilmen, and ward officers ; that a fur-
ther qualification be required for common councilmen, that
each be possessed of 2,0001., and for aldermen, each be pos-
sessed of 10,000/. ; that there be one day for nomination
and one day for election of all by the constituency, in the
common hall ; that the lord mayor be chosen from the
aldermen who have served the office of sheriff; that the
election of lord mayor by the constituency be absolute ;
that the constituency for all Common Hall elections include
those proposed by the bill to vote at wardmote elections, as
well as liverymen ; that the election of aldermen by wards
be without any veto ; that the aldermen be elected septen-
nially ; that if any common councilman or alderman become
bankrupt or insolvont, or compromise with his creditors, or
absent himself from duty for more than six months conse-
cutively, except in consequence of illness or other reason-
able cause, or be convicted of fraud or other crime, he shall
become disqualified, but that in case of debt the objection
be removed by the payment in part of the demand upon
him ; that the election of common councilmen be annual ;
that the number of the common councilmen be reduced to
150, six to each of the 25 wards ; that the Court of Lord
Mayor and Aldermen be continued as a separate court,
and although for the future the whole of the city cash be
under the control of, and expended by, the authority of
the lord mayor, aldermen, and common council, in Common
Council assembled, the Court of Lord Mayor and Alder-
men have the control for all purposes connected with the
administration of justice, the police, the gaols, and the
usual expenses of the conservancy of the river Thames.
That the plan of the city be divided into 25 parts as nearly
equal as may be. That all present members of the corpo-
ration should go out of office on a certain day after the
passing of the proposed bill. That the former acts as to
non-freemen be repealed, and that the street tolls be
abolished."

Mr. Deputy PEWTRESS, in moving that the report be
printed and copies be distributed amongst the members
of the court, said that every one of the propositions had
been discussed in committee, in which he admitted there
existed great differences of opinion upon the most essen-
tial points. Indeed, he might say that there was not
one member of the committee who approved of the
whole plan, a fact which was by no means extraordinary
when the extent of the changes was taken into conside-
ration. He wished also to refer the report to the Con-
solidated Committee, with instructions to make what
use of it they might consider expedient with regard to
communication with the commissioners.
Alderman WIRE seconded the motion. The propo-
sition had been, as every one knew, frequently dis-
cussed in the court. He supposed the only objection
which could be made to the report was, that it came too
late ; but all the important propositions had been made
before ; and if they had been embodied in a bill long
ago, as the advocates of reform had desired, there would
be now no occasion for the interference of a Govern-
ment commission. (Hear, hear.) It had been said
that the court would never reform itself, and there was
a spirit abroad in opposition to municipal institutions,
and in favour of centralisation. Now, since he had
been a member of the corporation, many great reforms
had taken place ; and it might not be forgotten that
last year a bill had been sent into Parliament calculated
to accomplish the great object of essential improvement,
and rejected, in consequence of an opposition founded
upon no tenable grounds. (Hear.)
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said, the propositions involved
many points to which he felt the most intense re-
pugnance. The Court of Aldermen was scarcely touched
by any of the recommendations, and he could not think,
for a moment, of allowing that court to exercise any
control over the funds of the corporation. (Hear, hear.)
The difference of opinion which prevailed in the com-
mittee was a most extraordinary fact, which the chair-
man himself was obliged to acknowledge, and, under all
the circumstances, he felt convinced that it was his duty
to move, as an amendment, "That the report do lie
upon the table, and that the following motion, of which
he had given notice, be substituted for the proposition
of Mr. Pewtress :—That a Royal Commission having
been issued to inquire into the state of the corporation,
it be an instruction to the Reform Committee, appointed
on the 22d day of March last, to take no further pro-
ceedings in the matter referred to it."
Mr. Cox sillonded the amendment.

Mr. WILLIAM JONES expressed much surprise at
such an amendment. The court might be assured that
the commissioners would hear of and ask for a document
of so important a nature as that which had been read.
(Hear.) He agreed almost entirely with the proposi-
tions. They contained most excellent matter, and he
trusted that the court would enter as soon as possible
into a discussion on their merits. (Hear.)
Mr. Deputy BOWER said there could be no pretence
for not presenting the report. It was quite evident
that the proposer of the amendment was anxious to
prevent the necessary proceedings of the court, in order
that he might have the opportunity of earwigging the
commissioners, with the view of having it all his own
way. (Laughter, and cries of " Hear, hear.") What-
ever might be the result of the present motion, however,
that very ungracious object would be sure to be de-
feated, as the commissioners were men upon whose im-
partiality and understanding the utmost reliance could
be reposed. (Hear.)
Mr. GILPIN said he was decidedly in favour of the
original motion. There were some things in the pro-
positions which he deprecated, but there were other
things in them which were calculated to open the way
to a complete reform of the corporation. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. GRESHAM regretted that the subject of reform,
which had been strongly agitated in 1833, had been
allowed to sleep from that time to 1853, and that Mi-
nisters were obliged to acknowledge to all who ques-
tioned them upon the subject that no scheme of correc-
tion or improvement had been handed to them by those
who ought to have been most active on the subject.
Mr. DE JERSEY begged to be informed what was to
be done with the report when it was printed, if the court
agreed to so absurd a proposition. Why it was to be
discussed ? for the discussions upon the propositions
which had already been discussed over and over again,
and about which all the members of the committee were
at variance, would be interminable. (Hear, hear.) He
wished the whole business to be decided upon by the
commissioners, to whom the members and officers of the
corporation would, of course, give all the information in
their power.

Mr. Deputy BENNOCH said it was true that the subject
of reform had been discussed every year, but the friends
of reform were continually thwarted in their object by
such opponents as the gentleman who had just sat down
and his friends. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Erziorr said the metropolis was much too exten-
sive and important to allow a sixteenth part of it to re-
gulate and direct its municipal affairs. There were va-
rious enormous inconsistencies which could no longer be
allowed to remain in operation. It was monstrous that
men elected for life should have command of the funds,
and it was at variance with the principles of the consti-
tution that magistrates should be elected septennially.
Mr. DAKIN spoke in favour of the original motion.
Mr. T. H. HALL said there might be some excuse for
printing the report if the opinions of those who formed
the committee happened to be united in recommending
the various propositions ; but it was obvious that they
agreed upon no one material point contained in them.
He hoped the commissioners would never consent to the
proposition that the two courts should continue to be
separate courts. (Hear, hear.) He also objected,
amongst other things, to such a division of the wards as
was recommended, as being calculated to occasion great
confusion as to the ward charities and ward property.
Mr. Deputy LOTT objected to several of the proposi-
tions.

Alderman HUNTER said the original motion was made
at a. very important time, and he could see no excuse for
printing this report.
Mr. NORRIS strongly contended in favour of printing
the report, and ridiculed the idea of keeping such a do-
cument a secret from the commissioners, whose shrewd-
ness would soon detect the object of those who advo-
cated its suppression. (Hear.)
Mr. B. PHILLIPS and Mr. HENRY BLAKE spoke in
favour of printing the report, and Mr. SIMPSON and Mr.
Deputy BEDFORD and others opposed it.
Mr. Deputy PENrraEss said the court would, if they
refused to print the document, place themselves in a
very unfavourable light before the public. He did not
call upon them to agree to it, but to discuss theimpor-
tant matters contained in it. If they withheld the in-
formation contained in it, they might justly be accused
of want of sincerity as to their frequently-expressed wish
for a real and valuable reform. (Hear, hear.)
The Court then divided, after three hours' discussion,
and the question of printing and distributing the report
was negatived by a majority of 13.
Mr. H. L. Taylor's amendment was then carried.

THE SOAP DUTIES.--The Lords Commissioners of her
Majesty's Treasury have directed Mr. Wilson to ac-
quaint the Commissioners of Customs—with reference
to their Lordships' communication directing that no
alteration should be made at present in the Customs'
duties leviable on soap, notwithstanding the resolutions
of the House of Commons of the 3d ult.—that their
Lordships are now pleased to authorise them to levy the
new rates of duties on the article in question, as laid
down by the said resolutions, as soon as they shall re-
ceive this communication (dated the 11th inst.), and
their Lordships are further pleased to authorise them to
admit soap imported from Ireland into England and
Scotland, duty free, from the same period. In pur-
suance of this communication from the Treasury the
Commissioners of Customs have caused their Lordships'
orders to be transmitted to their officers at the several
ports throughout the kingdom for their information and
future government.