The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-20 00:00:00

RATE IN'AID BILL.

The House thou went into Committee upon this Bill;
Mr. BEnNAL'in the chair.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER pro-
ceeded to make a statement to the House, to shoie the
necessity of money being advanced for the relief of dis-
tress in the western part of Ireland; and having enume-
rated and named the several unions in which great dis
tress is prevailing, and the difficulty, if not almost im-
possibility, of collecting rates to alleviate it, concluded
by moving a resolution, to the effect, " That the House
do authorise the Commissioners of her ➢Majesty's Trea•-

sury to advance a sum of money not exceeding 100,000,
for the relief of the distressed unions in Ireland."

Mr. HUME admitted the prevalence of great distress
in Ireland, and the necessity of granting relief in alle-
viation of it;
.but ho should most decidedly object to the
advance of the money until the Rate in Aid Bill should
be first passed—and from an impression that many Mem-
bers of that House connected with Ireland would, if the
money were first advanced, do all in their power to de-
feat the passing of the Rate in Aid Bill. lie should be
glad to learn from the Nob!e Lord at the head of the
Government what course the Government intended to
pursue in relation to the proposed advance of 100.0001
There:was still sufficient money to go on fur a week or
two of the 50,0001. grant, and as two weeks would be
sufficient to pas the Bill, ho should move that no part
of the. money be advanced until after the passing of the
Rate in Aid Bill.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL would state fairly what his
views were with respect to the proposed advance of
100,0001. His intention was, that the 100,000 E should
be advanced in reference to the rate in aid, and should
the resolution be affirmed, that they should be repaid
out of that rate; but when the Hon. Gentleman asked
the House not to grant any portion of the money until
the Rate in Aid Bill should first pass, he could not gi‘e
his assent to ,that proposition. There were 6,0001. still
in hand to be advanced of the recent grant, and should

those 6,0001. be expended before the Bill be passed, then
it was his intention to come down to the House, and ask
for an advance of five or six thousand pounds, and in
taking that course, if either this House or the other
House should refuse to pass the Bill now under consido
ration, then it was his intention to again come down
to the House, and ask it to convert the five or six
thousand pounds into an absolute grunt, and in relation
to any further relief, he should not, he felt, be justified
in calling on the House to advance any more, and upon
those who might refuse this rate in aid, be the responsi-
bility and the consequences.—(Hear, hear.)

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in
answer to a question from Mr. Vernon Smith, stated,
that with respect to his asking the precise sum of
100,0001. to meet the distress, his impression was that
the advance would be sufficient until the harvest be
gathered in.
Mr. HENRY HERBERT maintained that no sustain-
able argument had been advanced in support of the ne-
cessity of the measure now before the House.—(Hear,
hear.) The Noble L',rd had stated to that House, that
it was not his intention to ask Parliament to give its
sanction to any more grants, should Ireland not consent
to be taxed as now proposed. lie (Mr. Herbert) had Lc)
hesitation in saying, that the county with which he was
connected, and in which his entire interest was contained,
was already taxed beyond its power of bearing.—(Hear,
hear.) It had been decided by the House that some in-
crease of taxation should bo borne by Ireland, and it be-
came a question, by whom was it to be borne? It had been
laid down by a high authority, that taxation should be
borne by those who were best able to bear it. Now, when
he came to examine that, he found that in the case of
Ireland no one condition of it could at present be ful-
filled. The Hon. Gentleman then referred to the allusions
of the Right Hon. Baronet the MembQr for Tamworth,
to the precedents which he said had prevailed in this
country of levying a rate in aid on one or more unions,
for the relief of others in a zwtoatethoef
Rdiigshtrteusso;n. anßdatponroe-t
pro-
ceeded to say that he could s
that what he said on that occasion was not entirely
borne out. He would read to the House a return moved
for by his Hon. Friend the Member for the University
of Dublin (Mr. Hamilton) on this subject, in re
tion to England and Wales. By that return, which
ho now held in his hand, and which was entitled—
" A return of the Names of any Unions or Parishes
in England and Wales, in aid of which any rate or
assessment for the relief of the poor has been made
upon any county, hundred, union, or parish, during
each of the ten years preceding Lady-day, 1848,
so." He found that there was no similarity
existing between the following eight parishes in Wor-
cesier—Whistones, St. Nicholas, Sr. Clement, St. John
Bedwardine, St. Swithin, St. Martin, St. Helen, St.
Peter, and St. Michael Bedwardine, and the electoral
divisions in Ireland. respecting the rate in aid. He con-
sidered it most unjust and unprecedented that her Ma-
jesty's Government should press this measure, particu-
larly when many who had been trapped by the Noble
Lord (Lord John Russell) to support the measure in
Committee had afterwards, having detected the design,
openly eamsocci sl46x cletmaineti inottiity tc) such a