The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-22 00:00:00

THE POST-OFFICE EMPLOYES.

Sir G. BOWYER asked the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer when the report of the committee on the Post-office
would be laid on the table ?
The c
BANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
had stated last
session, in reply to the hon. baronet, the
subject was
under the consideration of the Government.
The report refereed to the claims made by some portion of
the metrotoutar,
vev:fficers employed in the Post-office, and
these claims
examined by the Treasury and the heads
of the Ito were
the subject, end
under
was some difference of opinion on
thought it right to mid% the circumstances Government
Me atake the responsibility of dealing
with the subject.
thoughttable,
the report in question ought
tot to be laid on the
the discipline of the public's: it would be unfavourable to
DISTRESS irvNicia,;-„,
On the motion for going ie`to IRELAND.
Mr. MAGUIRE called he Committee of Supply,
to the serious distress Which tention of the house
Ireland. He trusted that he
had
existed in
that the statements which he had mad :3/ able to prove
of that distress, and the information on as to the extent
wh
executive acted was unfounded in fact. neicdh the Irish
to say anything unfavourable of the amiable nobleman
not
wish
the Viceroy of Ireland, but he contended that
the was
too prone to view the state of Ireland through
Claude Loraine medium, and to be too much inclined to
a
ignore the real condition of Ireland. The hon. inember
then entered into different statistics to show that for
some time past there had been a decrease in the live
stock and cereal production in Ireland. He quoted a'so the
report of Messrs. Sturge for the same purpose. He denied
in tote that the number of poor is the workhouses in Ire-
land was a test of the condition of the people in
that country, though it might perhaps be a delicate baro-
meter on the subject. The fact was that th=Te was the
greatest repugnance to accepting parish relief, which in
some cases extended even to death from starvation
as a preferable alternative. He thought it reflected very
little credit on the sagacity of Sir Robert Peel that he
re lied on the information on which he founded his opinion
as
to the state of Ireland andlen
rid.
his assuming a know-
ledge of the condition 'f the led
the fact that he
travelled 300; miles' through
people from
(Hear, hear, from hialrlough the country in three days.
the subject of the members.) lie next reverted to
disinclination of the Iriohpuor to receive j

parochial relief, and read ektkota from different
parties in support of his statement. One Of these rilel
said that there had been Bor 10 deattt in ) which came
under his own knelt-MO, and some of the letters stated
that the greatest distress prevailed in Sligo.
Sir R. PEEL said he believed the house Was alVvayts
ready to listen to statements which magas• d its sympathy,
but the alarm Suggested did net some iron the landed pro-
prietors of Ireland) as in 1846, 1847, and 1848, nor from
the tenant•fartners, nor from the Parliamentary represen-
tatives of popular constituencies, nor from the people them-
selves, nor from persons who had an opportunity of know-
ing the condition of Ireland; but it came from a few per-
sons in Ireland who had their representative in Mr.
Maguire, whose knowledge of Ireland was of the most
limited and subordinate character. The season in Ireland,
ho admitted, had been most unfortunate; the quantity of
rain had been unusually large, and there was a scarcity of
fuel ; but from the earliest period, apprehending that there
might be a considerable amount of distress, everything had
been done by the Irish Government to meet any unusual
pressure, so that the accusations against them were most
unfounded. The cry raised and the representations made
of great distress in Ireland he asserted to be not true ; on
the contrary, the state of that country was sound and satis-
factory, as evinced by the diminished amount of crime,
agrarian outrages, and evictions. He had had assurances
from lieutenants of counties, ho said, entirely corroborating
the statements he had made, and he indignantly denounced
the attempt to conjure up imaginary grievances in Ireland,
which was now happily changel, and where the pledges of
prosperity were becoming daily more apparent.
Mr. WHALLEY made some strong remarks upon the
conduct of the Roman Catholic priests in Ireland.

Mr. MAGUIRE withdrew his motion.
THE REPORT OF THE IRON PLATE COM-
MIT rEE—THE PIER. AT HOLYHEAD.

Sir F. SMITH asked the Secretary to the Admiralty
when he expected to receive the report of the Iron Plate
Committee, and whether he intended to lay it upon the table
of the house. They were now building ships of war, iron-
cased to a great extent, and the time had arrived when the
house ought to know whether they were being constructed
upon a true principle or not. The committee was appointed
early in the last session, and worked conjointly under the
War-office and the Admiralty. The subject was one of
vast importance, and therefore he would say, why had not
the house the report laid on the table ?

Col. DUNNE said, before the noble lord answered that
question, he wished to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty
whether the Government intended to complete the pier at
Holyhead, which had been so long promised, and when It
was three years since the question was first mooted, and up
to this moment there was not a semblance of any com-
mencement of the works for the pier.

Lord C. PAGET said he could not state at this moment
when the report of the Committee on Iron Plates would be
made, because there were three very great experiments to
come off, and they were so important that the system of
the plating of new iron ships wholly depended upon the
result. He believed the experiments would come off next
week. There were three great authorities who had pro-
posed plans, viz., Mr. W. Fairbairn, Mr. Scott Russell,
and Mr. Samuda. Upon these experiments would depend
their future proceedings in regard to iron-cased ships.
The committee had not been at all dilatory, as surmised
by his gallant friend, considering the vast number of ex-
periments with which they had had to deal. He hoped that
in the course of a very short time the report would be made,
but he could not state when it would be laid on the table
of the house. In answer to other questions, the noble lord
said that he felt nothing could be more unsatisfactory than
the state of the pier at Holyhead—(hear, hear)—that
question had been afloat for a good many years, as his gal-
lant friend had just stated. The Admiralty had had many
plans brought before them. The first would have cost in
construction half a million of money, and in regard to that
the hydrographer had pronounced against it, as the packets
would not be able to come alongside in rough weather.
Another notion was that the present pier, than which
nothing could be more uncomfortable for passengers,should
be made to afford shelter to the packets as they came in, and
that was under consideration. Another plan had been pro-
posed, viz., to construct a pier on the new system, as the
pier at the Isle of Man, and if this plan succeeded, it would
be much less costly than the original plan of Mr. Rennie.
He was in hopes that in a month or so he should be able to
answer the question of his gallant friend in a satisfactory
manner. (Hear, hear.)
THE REVISED CODE.

Lord R. CECIL called the attention of the house td the
case of Derby-road School, Nottingham, to which the pro-
visions of the revised code had been partially applied, not-
withstanding the announcement that those provisions would
be suspended until they had been submitted to the judg-
ment of Parliament. The noble lord said he desired to knew
whether the Government had kept faith with the house and
the managers of the schools, because it was understood that
nothing would be done until Parliament had decided in the
matter. It appeared, however, that in some cases the pro-
mises made by the right hon. gentleman had not been ad-
hered to, as this case was an instance where the managers
of the school had applied for a grant of books and maps, and
had been refused by an answer sent is a printed form,
which showed it was the one always returned ; it simply
informed the applicants that the committee of the Privy
Council had ceased to make grants of books and maps. He
(Lord it. Cecil) thought this was a direct breach of faith—
(hear)—with the house. The alarm throughout the country
was that the supply of money would be suddenly cut off;
now it appeared that that was so by the mere fiat of the
right hon. gentleman (Mr. Lowe) issued in the recess, in the
absence of Parliament, and before Parliament could be asked
to express an opinion upon the subject. Without books and
maps it would be quite impossible that a school could go on.
It was the same as if the grant of £250,000 for pupil
teachers had been cut off. It would seem that many pen-
sions had been refused already.
Mr. LOWE said that with regard to the matter of pen-
sions the noble lord was mistaken, and if he bad given
notice of the question he would have brought the papers
and entered into all the details. Pensions were not given
but in exceptional circumstances, and the time for allotting
them would not come until after the period for the revised
code to come into operation. There had, therefore, been no
postponement of any claim, and indeed he had entertained
many applications during the present year. As to the book
grants, they were useful in the beginning of the educational
system, but they had become burthensome and employed a
great many clerks, and as the royal commission had re-
ported against them, the committee had, on their responsi-
bility, refaced to grant them. In fact, however, they em-
ploy ed agents—the Messrs. Longman—in this matter, and
the arrangement with them was that they should have a
long notice. That notice had been given, and part of the
minute had done away with a part of the grant. It had
been found impossible to pursue a different course in conse-
quenceboolsinotthoetihrehr
anpersons ihnis tmhaettterardheadhuavoitnhgingsotmoedoofwtihthe
the revised code, and it was not an annual grant. If the
house should decide that the grant Should bo continued,
these managers of the Nottingham school would be entitled
to the books. The Committee of the Privy Council had
decided this point upon their own responsibility, but as to
breaking faith with the house, or with any managers, it
never was intended or done. The right hon. gentleman
said, in answer to a question put by Mr. Lygon, that notice
was given to Messrs. Longman in the spring of last year,
he believed in the month of May.
Mr. DISRAELI said the question was whether one
minute or another was in force. The right hon. gentleman
admitted that under the existing system this application for
books would have been complied with, and then he de-

fended himself by stating that some unsatisfactory arrange-
ment existed with the publishers. But the notice to the pub-

lishers ought not to have anticipated that the revised code
would be adopted by the house. The question might not be
one of very great importance—not so great as many which
were included in the revised code. But what was more re-
markable was the want of tact and the want of conciliation
on the part of the right hon. gentleman in bringing these
amendments before the public notice. As the right hon.
gentleman was prepared to make considerable demands
upon the forbearance of the public, it was desirable that the
new orders of the council should be made clear to their un-
derstandings. So far as the law was concerned, the right
hon. gentleman had not a leg to stand on. He had given no
answer to the complaint of the noble lord, nor had he proved
that there had not been a total want of discretion. The
Privy Council was in a position in which the utmost discre-
tion was necessary, and they had shown a total want of it,
as well as of conciliation. It was wrong that the public feel-
ing should be offended, and in offending it, the right hon.
gentleman had shown a great want of administrative discre-
tion.