The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-28 00:00:00

INSOLTENT MEMBERS BILL.

Mr. GREEN, on the motion being put for the Com-
mittee on this Bill, said that he felt it involved so many
nice points of law that he could not be satisfied without
its being referred to a Select Committee up stairs.
Sir G. GREY said that, having understood that there
was some understanding had been arrived at respecting
the Bill, he had not brought down the amendments
which be intended to submit, and he had therefore no
hesitation in moving that it now be referred to a Select
Committee.
Mr. MOFFATT said that, seeing the feeling which
prevailed in the House respecting the measure, and con-
ceiving also that the investigation of a Committee would
be likely to render the law more permanent and sound,
he should have no objection to such a course.
Mr. GOULBURN said that, having much more fully
considered the enactments of the Bill since its second
reading, he telt assured that it could not be properly
passed without the examination of a Select Committee.
After brief remarks to the same effect trom Mr. Mac-
EINNON, Mr. HENLEY, and several other Members, the
Bill was referred to a Select Committee.
PUBLIC ROADS.

On the motion being made for the second reading of
this Bill,
Mr. NEWDEG ATE presented petitions from diffe-
rent places in Warwickshire in favour of the Bill.
Mr. CORNEWALL LEWIS then said, that as this
Bill was one which was purely one of general utility and
bad no political character whatever, he hoped that
Ihe should have the support of Honourable
Members on both sides of the House.—(Hear, hear.)
Be proposed in the first place, to meet the debt on the
highways by a county rate; but he was aware that it
would to many seem to be very objectionable, especially
at the present moment, when agriculture was labouring
under peculiar difficulty.—(Hear, hear.) But that diffi-
culty, to a certain degree, vanished when it was recol-
lected that the advances from the county rate was al-
ready more than a million and a half. The whole or
the debts owing by the several trusts was 6,609,000/.
To meet that he proposed that certain Commissions
should be appointed to act under the authority of the
Secretary of state, into whose hands the money derived
from the county rate should be paid, and they should
have the power to deal with the different bondholders. He
proposed that there should be a rate levied which would
be sufficient to meet a rate of interest of 6 per cent. The
commissioners were;then to allow the bondholders interest
after the rate of 4 per cent., and that a sinking fund
should be formed of the rest, which should be applicable
to the discharge of such debts as should be requested to
be discharged. These he did nut expect would be many.
The aiouey then required for the interest would be
396,540/.•' for repairs, 673,000/.; and he bad allowed
57,0001. for improvements. This made a total of
1,126,5401., and as he would have an income of
1,297,000/., besides 31,0001. which would be derived
from another source, they would be able to discharge
the whole of the obligations of the highway trusts in
twenty. eight years. The present cost of salaries, and
which he had at present left out of view, was 165,000 L,
which, with law charges, amounting to 14,0001., made a
charge of 179,000/. that formed a continually in-
creasing weight, if any interest was to be paid at
all. There was, besides the continually recurring
expenses ; he was sorry to say, also, a large
arrear of unpaid interest. This he proposed
to meet by an equitable adjustment, which the Commis-
sioners would be empowered to make, and he had an
example for a precedent to rely upon, there having been
a similar arrear in 31 of the trusts of the six counties of
South Wales, where a composition had been accepted of
somewhat less than 27 per cent. All the interest, which
was more than ten years old, he proposed should be
altogether sunk and abolished.—(Hear, hear.) Why,
was nut that but just to both stdes?—(Hear, hear.)
They would not think of asking for interest that was
sixty years old.—(Hear. hear.) Some limit must be put,
arid he thought ten years a very lair period. All the
highways as well as the turnpike-reads be proposed to
place, so far as their government was concerned, under
the direction of the county magistrates. There being a
separate highway board for each particular union, and a
cek.tral board fur the whole county. It was true that they
could not always control these local boards, and prevent
them at every time from travelling out of their proper
duties, but the tendency of legislation of late had been
to diminish this evil, and he hoped that on the whole
they would not be productive of any very great mischief.
The Hon. Gentleman then gave the instance of Stoke
Church, a purely agricultural parish, to show bow his
system would work. He then concluded by moving
the second reading of the Bill, assuring the House that
there was no disposition on the part of the Government
to press the matter on with any haste.
Mr. W. MILES said he had come down with the
express purpose of opposing the Bill, because he thought
it was intended to impose au imposition on the county
rate, but the objectionable parts of th'e measure having
been removed, what he would ask was that the second
reading of the Bill should be postponed, in order that
the Bill, as altered, might be reprinted, to enable Members
to judge of its provisions and their efficacy.
Mr. RICE said the Bill should be read a second time
in order that it might be reprinted. He believed that the
Bill could not be reprinted before first going into Com-
mittee upon it. He trusted, therefore, the Hon. Mem-
ber for Somerset would not persevere in postponing the
second reading of the Bill.
Mr. WILSON PATTEN had come down for the
purpose of opposing the second reading of the Bill, but,
in consequence of the course that had been adopted
by the Government with respect to it, he
should give no opposition whatever to the
second reading of the measure, in order that it might be
brought before the House, and printed in the amended
shape. He thanked the Hon. Member for the pains he
had taken on this subject, and the extent to which he
had removed his previous objections to this measure,
which had been very strong indeed.
Mr. BRIGHT supported the second reading of the
Bill on the understanding that it WAS only to go into
Committee pro forma, and that a distant day, say three
weeks or a month, should be fixed for its consideration
in Committee.

Mr. CHRISTOPHER supported the second reading
of the Bill, in order that it might be printed, and
pointed out several cases in which in its present shape
it might give rise to great hardships in particular
localities.

Sir G. STRICKLAND thought it would be better
to try to improve the existing institutions of the country
than is ()Teri *Mr Rnd ;1411 forward °Ono 173