The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-25 00:00:00

I MPERIAL PARLIANIENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-YESTERDAY.
UNION RELIEF AID BILL.

On the order of the day for the second reading of this
bill,

Mr. POTTER said he thought the Govornment should
carry out their intention of affording relief to the distressed
operatives in Lancashire other than the bill proposed, see-
ing that no less than 300,000 of the best artizans of the
country, whose conditions it was intended to ameliorate,
were suffering the greatest distress.
Col. N. PATTEN would not oppose the bill, but con-
sidered it was insufficient, and thought there should be a
loan granted to the millowners, to enable them to assist the
unfortunate operatives in Lancashire.
Mr. J. B. SMITH thought that the bill should be read
a second time in order that the different constituencies of
the kingdom might be prepared to consider its provisions
before it went into committee.
Lord STANLEY objected to the principle of the bill.
Alderman SIDNEY would not oppose the second read.
ing of the bill, but considered it could be materially im-
proved in committee.
Mr. HENLEY was of opinion that they ought not to de.
part from the act of Elizabeth, and alter the law merely to
meet what he hoped was a temporary emergency. He
thought the subject of any alteration in the present state of
the Poor Law should be postponed until next session.
Mr. COBDEN said that the observations of the right
hon. gentleman who had Just addressed the house convinced
him that hon. members generally did not understand the
subject of the distress in the cotton districts. The fallacy
was, that it was proposed by certain honouraLle members
to t-x this district to meet the local distress, but it was in
a state of collapse. There must be production before there
could be taxation, and as to the district to which he
referred, unless manufac'ures were carried on, they would
no more be able to pay taxes than Ox.ordshire if it were
struck with sterility. Let Parliament, therefore, give the
people a chance of tiding over the tremendous difficulties
which were before them during the next six or twelve
months, by enabling the beards of guardians to raise
money on the security of the rates, in addition to the plan
of a rate in aid proposed by the bill. The hon. men,ber
also suggested that the guardians might be empowered to
grant small loans to the workpeople and render the admi-
nistration of relief more fac le and unobjectionable to the
poor.

Mr. LYGON censured the Government for having de-
layed the introduction of the bill until so late a period of
the session. Ile doubted if the distress was so severe as
had been represented, and as it had arisen from excep-
tional causes care should be taken that these causes did
not last longer than was absolutely necessary, He trusted,
therefore, that as that was dependent upon the continuance
of the war in America, the Government would not abstain
from intervention for a longer period than was required b 3
international law and international justice.
Mr. E. P. BOUVERI P. deprecated an alarm that was
not justified by the facts of the case, and argued that loans
and public grants were not to be thought of, and that the
only course of proceeding was to legislate in the spirit of
Elizabethan statute.

After some observations from Mr. HIBBERT :and the
Marquis of HARTINGTON,
Mr. BOVILL pointed out several defects in the details
of the bill ; and with regard to the principle of the measure
itself stated that in its present shape it would throw the
charge, not upon the owners of property, but upon the
occupiers, who were least able to bear the burden.
Mr. C. VILLIERS was only anxious to make the bill as
ffective as possible, and with that object in view he was
willing to adopt any practical suggestion for its impr-ve-
ment. He was ready, therefore, to reconsider the sugges-

ti,n to provide, either as an alternativ i or substitute, that
parishes should be allowed to raise money by a mei tgage of
the rates. Upon that subject, however, a great difference
of opinion prevailed even in Lancashire it: elf. The case
was not an ordinary, but an extraordinary case of manufac-
turing distress ; and it would be ridiculous, when the house
was consithring how best to alleviate the suffering, to be
too strict or rigid in tile's views so long as the evil was not
aggravated, He proposed to go into committee on the bill
on Monday next.

Sir H. WILLOUGHBY expressed himself favourable to
raising loans on the security of the rates. It would thus
become the interest of the local authorities to practise eco-
nomy, at the same time that their own good feeling and
knowledge of the wants of the applicants would be a suffi-
cient guarantee that they would administer the fund in a
spirit of humanity.
The bill was then read a second time.
The Bankruptcy Act (1861) Amendment Bill was also
read a second time.

The Militia Pay Bill, the Corrupt Practices Prevention
Act Continua,. ce Bill, ani the Court of Common Pleas
(Officer for Acknowledgment of Deeds) Bill were passed
through committee.

The Gunpowder Act Amendment Bill and the Consoli•
dated Fund (Appropriati, n) Bill were read a second time.
The Poor Removal Bill, and the Mutual Surrender
of Criminals kDenmark) Bill were read a third time and
passed.
The Night Poaching Prevention Bill was again com-
mitted, and its consideration resumed at the first clause,
the verbal amendments to which occupied several hours'
discussion. It was hal•-post one o'clock when, af.er nu-
merous divisions and the adoption of some material altera-
tions, the clause was ordered to stand part of the bill.
Clause 2 was struck out, and the remaining portion of the
bill having been agreed to, the house resumed. During
the last two hours that the bill was under discussion, not a
single member of the Cabinet was present, and the sole oo-
cr.pants of the Treasury bench were Mr. Brand and one or
two Ministerial subordinates.