The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-20 00:00:00

SECOND READING.

The Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction
Railway (power to sell or lease to the London and North
Western, the Chester and Holyhead, or the Shrewsbury
and Chester Railway Companies, or to amalgate there-
with) Bill, was read a second time and ordered to be
committed.
BIRMINGHAM BOROUGH BILL.

On the motion for the second reading of this Bill, the
object of which is to exempt Birmingham from the pay-
ment of county rates.
Lord BROOKE moved as an amendment that it be read
a second time this day six months, as Birmingham had
no right to the exemption it claimed, while the Bill itself
proposed to alter the criminal law of the land, which
ought not to be allowed. It was a private Bill, and yet it
contained provisions fur altering the Municipal Corpo-
ration Act.—(Hear.)
Mr. SC HOLEFIELD said Birmingham was no expense
whatever to the country,and as it maintained its own gaols
and lunatic asylums it ought not to: be called upon
to contribute to the erection of county buildings of that
description, for which it had no use.—(Hear.) But the
Noble Lord had taken a technical objection to the Bill.
—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord said the Bill pro-
posed to alter the criminal law of the land, which
could not be done by a private Bill, while, if
there was any such alteration required, it ought
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Sir GEORGE GREY doubted whether Birmingham
could be legally called upon to contribute to the county
rate so long as it maintained its own gaols and asylums;
but, be that as it might, he was bound to admit that
Birmingham had a claim to the exemption which this
Bill proposed to establish.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
He would suggest, however, that the proper course
would be to get the legal question decided before they
legislated upon the subject, and if the decision was
against Birmingham, the exemption would become a
matter for a general and not a private Bill.—(Hear.)
Mr. SPOONER could see no necessity for putting Bir-
mingham to the trouble and expense of deciding the point
which the Right Hon. Baronet had raised. It was clear
that, as a matter of justice, Birmingham ought not to be
called upon to contribute to the county rate, and he,
therefore, lived the House would read the Bill a second
time.—(Hear, hear.) He would vote for the second
reading.
Mr. MUNTZ said the county magistrates admitted
that the Bill was a fair one; but they opposed it because
they considered it should be a general measure, on the
principlo of a man pleading the statute of limitations to his
creditor. The people of Birmingham had at present ample
gaol and lunatic accommodation; and it would be, there-. 1

fore, manifestly unjust to saddle them with an additional
impost for a purpose they did not stand in need of.
In conclusion, he had to say that at Birmingham the
people were in a very bad and unprosperous state,
that the rents were very heavy and in some cases un-
bearable ; and he would tell the Right Hon. Gentleman
that if the burdens of the town were unnecessarily in-
creased, the magistrates of Birmingham would not be
responsible for the peace of the town. He would cor-
dially support the second reading of the Bill, and he
hoped it would pass the House.
Sir G. GREY thought it would be desirable if the
House could come to some agreement by which the levy-
ing of rates in the town of Birmingham might be sus-
pended until the fate of the Bill before the House was
decided.—(Hear, hear.)

The gallery was then cleared for a division, when
there appeared—
For the second reading ... 70
Against it ... ... 62
Majority ... —8
UNIVERSAL RAILWAY COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE.

The appointment of this Committee was deferred till
to-morrow.

THE PEACE MOVEMENT.

Mr. THORNELY presented a petition from Bilston,
signed by 400 inhabitants, praying for a recourse to
arbitration in the national disputes.
RATING OF RAILWAYS.

Mr. LACY presented a petition from the South-
Western Company, under their corporate seal, praying
for an alteration in the rating of railways.
Sir G. STRICKLAND presented a petition from Pres-
ton, signed by upwards of 8,000 persons, praying that
international disputes might be settled by arbitration.
Mr. GROGAN presented a petition from Dublin,
praying for the abolition of the privilege of Members of
Parliament from arrest.