The Sun.
London, England, 1836-05-18 00:00:00

A

of the Exchequer, when
Ge
tiernari,
the
chancellor
he intended to bring forward the repeal of the stamp duties
upon Newspapers, as he (Sir C. K.) had a motion to
make in the way of an amendment to repeal the duty upon
soap instead of the duty upon Newspapers.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER pro-
posed before the holidays to commit the Bill pro jimna,
say on Friday next ; but he would fix the discussion
to come on between the Honourable Baronet
and himself for the first Friday after the holidays. On that
clay he would move that the House do resolve itself into a
Committee upon the Excise Acts, as well as the Stamp
Acts, in order to give the Hon. Baronet an opportunity
of moving his proposition as a substantive one, and also to
give him the most favourable opportunity of taking the opi-
nion of the House upon it.
IRISH CORPORATION BILL.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL presented a petition
from Dudley in favour of the Irish Municipal Corporation
Bill.

DUTY ON NEWSPAPERS.

Mr. HAWES presented a petition for the total repeal
of the duty on Newspapers ; also, a petition from the
Churchwardens of Lambeth against the Turnpike Trust
Consolidation Bill.
JEWISH DISABILITIES. . _

The HoN. MEMBER then presented a petition from an
individual, praying that no Bill with reference to the remo-
val of Jewish Disabilitie, might pass into a law. The
Hon. Member stated he could not concur in the prayer of
the petition.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Sir,
I rise to give notice that, on the Tuesday after the Holi-
days, I shall move for leave to bring in a Bill to remove
the civil disabilities affecting his Majesty's Jewish subjects.
—(Hear, hear, hear.)
Mr. WILBRAHAM presented a petition from a pa-
rish, the name of which we did not hear, complaining of
injury to their right of franchise, in consequence of the
conduct of the Revising Barristers under the Registry Bill.
He hoped the Attorney-General would take means to reme-
dy the evil in the new Act.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—If the Honourable
Gentleman will introduce a clause, declaring that the Bar-
risters shall do no wrong, and if he will undertake to
make it effectual, he will most decidedly have my sup-
port. But if he only declares by it that the Barristers
will not act in a particular way, and yet leave them to the
exercise of their own judgment, I fear his object cannot be
attained.

NEWCASTLE AND NORTH SHIELDS RAIL-

WAY.

On the motion of an HoN. MEMBER the further conside-
ration of the report of this Bill was proceeded with.
Mr. YOUNG felt it his duty to move that the further
progress of the Bill should be deferred till this day six
months.

Mr. BELL having had the conducting of the Bill, felt
bound to state that this was a mere speculation—
the report from the Committee showed an expected
profit of 33,0001. per annum.—(Hear, hear, hear.)
The public would not suffer in the least from the tax on
the carriage on coals, as it was a mere question between the
shareholder and the landowner. The coals would be
carried cheaper on this Railroad than on any other in
Northumberland. He hoped the House would now agree
to consider of the Report.
Colonel SIBTIIORP opposed the Bill.
Mr. CHAPMAN also opposed the Bill.
Mr. INGHAM supported the Bill.
Sir M. W. RIDLE Y could fully explain the regulations
of this Railroad. It bad been an invariable custom
from time immemorial in Northumberland, Durham, and
the great coal districts, that the coal owners were
obliged to•come to some agreement with the landlords,
to enable them to make railways for carrying coals over
the land of the different individuals to the place of ship-
ment. They were obliged to make separate and distinct
arrangements with every landlord. This railway would
interfere with these agreements, which had been made for
centuries, and the landowners, whose property was thus
destroyed, felt that the proprietors of this railway were
called upon in justice to make some compeniation
for carrying the coals on the public railway, and compelling
the landowners to give up the advantages which they de-
rived from the private railways. This was the whole mys-
tery of the opposition to this railway. The chief object of
the Bill was to enable the coal-owners to convey
their coal with greater facility than they had hitherto
been able to do.—(Hear, hear.) He only wished that
the House should be disabused on the subject before it
came to a decision.

After a observations from Mr. Bell and Mr. G. F.
Young in explanation, strangers were ordered to withdraw.
The Gallery was then cleared for a division, when there
appeared—
For the original motion
. For the Amendment
Majority 72
YORK AND NORTH MIDLAND RAILWAY.
On the further consideration of this Bill being moved,
Mr. POTTER proposed a clause of which he had given
notice, to the effect, that no railway shall be made across
any street or highway, or public bridle-way, or footpath on
the level without the consent :n writing of some two justices
of the peace for the county, acting for the division within
which the street, &c., so to be crossed :shall be situate.
After a few words from Mr. PARKER and Sir J. BECKETT,
Mr. BAINES said the objectithis felt•hy the people of
Leeds to the Bill, had been removed in a great measure,
and they had that day confirmid their favourable opinion
of it by sending s petition, signed by 10,000 persons
in favour of it, although the petition had been only
three days exposed for signature, although Leeds Would be
subjected to all the inconveniences df which the people of
Sheffield had complained. He was glad to hear from his
Hon. and Learned Friend that an arrangement satisfactory
to all parties was in progress, that it would give to Sheffield
the advantages which were sought for, and by which the
traffic would not be diverted from the usual line. On the
whole, he believed that no railway could be better con-
stricted for the public good, and he was sure that none
had ever received a more patient investigation.
The clause was then agreed to.
RAILROADS.
Mr. MORRISON, in rising to submit the motion re-
specting Railways with which he meant to conclude,
said he wished that some Honourable Gentleman more
able to do justice to the subject had introduced it. He
always felt the greatest reluctance in bringing himself to the
notice of the House, and in claiming their indulgence on this
occasion, he did so from the importance and magnitude
of the interests which were involved in the subject he
was about to submit to the House.—(Hear.) Honoura-
ble Members might differ from him as to the remedy lie
was about to offer for the evils which he anticipated in the
railroad speculations. He need not dwell upon the vast in-
crease made in the last year in the public conveyances of the
country, and the enormously increased speed, which was of
so much value to trade and commerce. The various joint-
stock companies, in railroads and other speculations for
public expedition, must, in the opinion of every man quali-
fied to judge, ere long render almost useless the turnpike
roads of the country by exceeding them in cheapness, speed,
and consequently, in cost, for time was us valuable as
money. He was too sensible of the great public advantage
likely to be derived from public joint-stock companies to
entertain any wish to discourage them ; quite the reverse.
The Manchester and Liverpool Railroad was a proof that
they were deserving of such encouragement ; but what
he wanted to prevent was any detriment to the public in-
terest, by any undue and uncontrouled encouragement to
private speculation. The railroad now in progress from
London to Liverpool was calculated to cost, when finished,
five millions sterling, and was it fit that such an enormous
profit should exist for ever in the bands of a company as
substantial monopoly without even the controul of Parlia-
ment ? In the competition that existed at one time for the
supply of water to the metropolis the public benefitted but
little ; for, after a short time, the different companies came
to an arrangement among themselves, which deprived the
public of all the advantages of competition. Owing to
this cause it was that the shares in tho New River
Company were now as high as 19,0001. and the
shares in the Loughborough Canal and the Mersey
Canal had risen equally high in proportion to their
amount, and the dividend paid on thou. This showed
clearly that competition was no security against monopoly,
and that some other remedy was necessary. The obvious
and proper remedy must be, that Parliament should have
the right to interfere in the regulation from time to time of
all public companies instituted under its sanction and
authority. The first duty of Parliament was to see that
public capital was not wasted in wild and thoughtless specu-
lation—such, for instance, as establishing a second railroad
on a line where one would be amply sufficient for all pur-
poses. Suppose a railroad had been established in 1770
between London and Manchester, yielding then a moderate
profit, would it not be impossible to say at what amount
tho rate of profit might not have arrived now ? The value
of the trade in cotton goods alone was now, he believed,
35,000,0001. sterling, and since the year 1770 the popu-
lation had more than quadrupled. But great as had been
the increase of the wealth and population of the country
fur the last fifty years, would it not be reasonable to ex-
pect, considering the vast improvements in machinery,
and the operation of steam and other power, that in the
next fifty years the increase would be greater ? Indeed
this was almost certain, considering that agriculture, which
in the last fifty years was in a backward state as to improve-
ment, was now on the march forward, with all the other
great interests of the country. Thus; then, would the pro-
fits of the companies about to be now established arrive at
an enormous height without any adequate advantage to the
public. It was the duty, therefore, of Parliament to pro-
tect the public by the best means they could devise. Ho
did not think that limiting the dividends to any particular