The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-05 00:00:00

THE SAVINGS BANK BILL.

This bill passed through committee pro forma, the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER intimating that his ob-
ject was merely to insert amendments, and that the bill
would remain in the hands of members a week or ten days
before it was brought forward for discussion.
STAMP DITTIES BILL.

On the order of the day for the committal of this bill
being read,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
felt some difficulty in respect to the course of proceeding in
this measure. In the present position of public business it
might be some time before it would be in the power of the
Government to enter upon the discussion of any of those
controverted matters involved in this bill, such as that
they were discussing on Friday last, or that which had
been brought forward by his noble friend the member for
Middlesex in reference to attorneys' certificates. He pro.
posed, under these circumstances, to put the bill in com-
mittee now, and drop from it all those matters that were
of a character to excite dicerence of opinion : he meant
the matters relating to the newspaper stamp duty and the
attorneys' certificates. It was desirable that they should
get forward as rapidly as possible with the other parts of
the bill, in order to facilitate the introduction of the penny-
(receipt) stamp duty, as they could not take any proceed-
ings towards preparing the dies and for the prevention of
forgery until they could carry the bill into law. He pro-
posed, therefore, to proceed merely with the uncontested
parts of the measure, reserving the votes as to those mat-
ters which were in controversy for future discussion.
Lord R. GROSVENOR hoped that notice would be
given of the day when the attorneys' certificate duty was h
be brought on.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER argr,entea.
Mr. BOUVERIE suggested that it would be temmiv
to move an instruction to divide the bill into two tseparate
measures.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER intimated
that he would move a resolution to that effect.

Mr. GROGAN .asked whether the practical effect of
omitting the attorneys' certificates from this bill would not
be that they would have this year to pay the present
amount.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—What he
had intended to say was that he would make an arrange-
ment for the purpose of obtaining the decision of the house
upon that and the newspaper question, whether they
would adopt the proposal of the government or any other.
Tho house wentques into committee pro forma.
In answer to a
The CHANCELLORon of the EXCHEQUER said the
duty on supplements, as proposed by the government ori-
ginally, was included in the bill as it stood ; but that was
one of the matters he intended to reserve for future dis-
cussion.
Mr. T. M. GIBSON—The right hon. gentleman gave
notice of a resolution as to the size of the newspapers. He
did not know whether that was in this bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Yes.
Mr. T. M. GIBSON—But the house had passed no reso,
lution as to that point.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—It was
not necessary.

The conversation then dropped ; and the clauses (omit-
ing the contested ones) were gone through pro forma.
NEWSPAPER STAMP DUTIES BILL.
Second reading postponed till Thursday.

ASSISTANT JUDGE (MIDDLESEX SESSIONS)
BILL.

Mr. R. LO WE (in the absence of Mr. Fitzroy) stated the
object of this bill, which was introduced by the Government.
Having reeited the history of the corn c affected, and having
shown the great increase of business at the Middlesex Ses-
sions as compared with the Central Criminal Court, which
had been relieved of business, he proceeded to submit a
calculation to show that a " case" cost less to conduct (11.
Bs. to 4/. 9s. 10d.) at the Middlesex Sessions than at the
Central Criminal Court—the judge at the former transact-
ing in fact one-tenth of the whole criminal business of the
country. The proposal was, that in consideration of these
circumstances the salary of the assistant-judge should be
raised from 1,200/. to 1,5001. per annum.
Lord D. STUART said that this was a proposal which
out of doors excited a good deal of surprise. The
judge in question was one whose name was frequently be-
fore the public, and unusually under the censure of the
press. He exhibited, it was known, great vacillation in
the discharge of his duties—changing light to severe sen-
tences, and severe to light sentences ; as, on a recent occa-
sion, in regard to the woman who called the accusing po-
liceman " a pig." Was this a judge to have his salary in-
creased? (Hear, hear.) The private character of this
learned person was distinguished by this peculiarity—that
he managed to succeed in what he had a fancy to. A
Judge had recently said of him, I hope he won't fancy
my place, for if he did he would get it." (Cheers.) Ap-
parently he wanted an increase of salary, and he was
getting it from the House of Commons. But 1,2001. was
ample.
Mr. BOWYER objected to the proposition contained in
the bill, and urged that the test of the number of indict-
ments, as applied to the duties of the assistant-judge, was
fallacious, as the trial of many of them only occupied a
few minutes ; and he believed the judge in question did
not take much trouble with them, but they wore tried in a
very off-hand way. He thought the salary of the county
court judges was a fair test by which to try that of the
assistant-judge. Every ono knew that there were greater
difficulties in deciding civil as compared with criminal cases,
in the former points of law often arose, while in the latter
only questions of fact were to be tried. The county court
judges had 1,200/. a year, and they sat nearly every day ;
they were obliged to sit every month in each place in their
districts, they had no allowance for travelling expenses, and
perform very onerous duties besides their ordinary duties,
such as acting as masters in chancery, &c. He thought
that comparing their position with his, to increase the
salary of the assistant-judge to 1,5601. a year, was a mon-
strous waste of public money. He moved that the bill be
read a second time that day six months.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought the house would
agree with him in one point, and that was that they ought
to discuss this question with reference to its general prin-
ciple—(hear, hear)—and not with reference to a particular
person—(hear, hear)—his noble friend (Lord D. Stuart)—
had entered into the question of the personal peculiarities
of the assistant-judge, and had endeavoured to amuse, or,
he should rather say, to detain the house—(hear, hear, and
cheers)—with some idle gossip about the personal pecu-
liarities of Mr. Serjeant Adams. It was rather hard on
an absent man that his noble friend should repeat over
and over again his old grievance about the "policeman and
the pig." (Laughter.) If he had any charge to make
against the learned judge, he ought to bring it specifically
before the house. The question now was, whether as now
additional duties had been cast on the assistant judge since
he agreed to accept his office at its present salary it
ought not to be increased. (Hear, hear.) There had
been a great accession to his duties no less than
829 indictments had been recently transferred from
the Central Criminal Court to the Middlesex Ses-
sions, on public grounds and at a great saving of public
money; and that court had sat 184 days as compared with
81 days sittings of the Central Criminal Court. The
learned judge had accepted his office at a certain salary,
since which there had been a great increase of his duties,
and on that ground it was that his salary was to be raised.
Lord D. STUART, in explanation, said his learned
friend hail charged him with repeating idle gossip about
the assistant judge ; but the reason why he had re-stated
the story about the pig—(laughter)—was, because after the
case had been stated in that house an explanation had been
given by a Minister of the Crown, which gave no denial to
the case about the pig. (Laughter.)
Sir J. DUCKWORTH—A new question had been raised
when an increase of salary was asked for the judge,
not only on account of the additional duty cast upon him,
but on account of the. saving to the country by the trans-
fer of cases from the Central Criminal Court to the Mid-
dlesex Sessions. If there was such a difference between
the expense of a trial in these two courts, one being 41.
19s. 6d., and the other 1/. Bs., he thought there ought to
be some satisfactory explanation of the cause of such a
difference.

Mr. ALCOCK complained of such a salary being paid
to the assistant judge of Middlesex, as well as the pro-
posed increase to it, when in the neighbouring county of
Surrey the same duties were gratuitously performed by
the Chairman of Quarter Sessions.
Mr. WILSON said the Treasury were influenced in this
proposition by the fact that a learned gentleman was taken
from his profession to fill this office, to which he devoted
his whole time, and he was made a judge, and one of that
quality that he could transport; people for fourteen years.
(Laughter.) Last year the salary of county court judges
was fixed at 1,201. a-year, with a power to the Treasury
to raise them to 1,5031. • and they had applications for that
increase, on grounds Which they could not resist, such as
the increase of business, and the same reason influenced
them in raising the salary is the present case.
After a few words from Mr. MuaßouGH and Mr. BUT-
LER, the house divided, when there appeared—
For the second reading
Against it 47-14
The bill was accordingly read a second time and ordered
to be committed.