The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-02 00:00:00

WAGES OF LABOURERS IN SLIGO.

Mr. W. S. O'BRIEN wished to know whether the
Government had made any inquiries into the truth of
the statement which had been published in some of the
newspapers, as to the labourers in Sligo receiving only
eightpence per day wages from the Board of Works ?
Mr. LABOUCHERE said that he had communicated
with the Board of Works, and be had received infor-
mation that the wages of the labourers in the part re-
ferred to by the Hon. Member was only at the rate of
Bd. per day. The reasons which had induced the Board
of Works to adopt this course,arose from its being thought
desirable to encourage a system of task work. The sys-
tem of task work was open to any labourer who wished
to adopt it, and it was only when task work was
not performed that the wages of eightpence per
day were given to the labourers.—(Hear, hear.)
Now, it must be remembered that the average daily
wages in the county of Sligo was only 6d. a day. It
was deemed important not to divert more than was ab-
solutely necessary of the labour required for the culti-
vation of the soil, and for agricultural purposes. Under
those circumstances the officers of the Board of Works
had thought it better to employ only one man out of
every family, instead of raising the prices of agricultural
labour to more than Bd. a day; and although at the present
price of provisions it was difficult to support a family,
yet, in order to extend the relief as much as possible, it
was deemed advisable to adopt the rule of employing
only one male from each family. With regard to
another point, namely, the proportion that the expenses
of the staff bore to the total expenditure, he was happy to
say that the anticipations of the Hon. Member were
altogether unfounded. He found that the number of
labourers employed was from 19,000 to 20,000, that
there was one overseer for every forty labourers, and a
check clerk for every 280. He found, also, that the
total expenditure for a month was 27,8771., and that
from this amount a sum of 2,110/. for day clerks, check
clerks, &c., was to be deducted.
Mr. %V. S. O'BRIEN wished to know if the Right
[lon. Gentleman the Secretary for Irelaud thought that
Bd. a day would support a family?
Mr. P. SCROPE wished to know what provision bad
been made for infirm paupers who were not able to b.
employed upan the roads? The only measure that was
destined for their relief was one which would not come
into operation before the next autumn. He had a
letter in his hand from a gentleman in Carlow,
in which it was stated that this class had been reins( d
admission into the workhouse, and the guardians refused
to relieve them till they had built temporary sheds for
their accommodation. The other mcde to which he
referred was by relief committees, and they were
interdicted from giving relief by the limited
means at their command, the Government only,
supplying assistance in proportion to voluntary sub-
scription.—(Cries of " Order, order.") The question he
wished to ask was, what certainty of relief the Hon.
Gentleman could hold out, under those circumstances,
to the old, the infirm' women, and children?
Mr. LABOUCHERE, in reply to the Hon. Gentle-
man, did not believe that the class referred to were
likely to suffer from starvation. The present system
of public works would be continued until the
plan proposed to be substituted came into operation,
and ho did not apprehend that the inconvenience re-
ferred to by the lion. Gentleman would ever arise.
Mr. HUME wished to know if the Government had
fixed a day when the present expenditure on the public
works would cease?
Mr. LABOUCHERE replied that it bad not; but the
system intended to be substituted would come into
operation with as little delay as possible.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIEF BILL.

Sir ROBER r H. INGLIS wished to know whether
a motion for the Committee on the Roman Catholic
Relief Bill would be proposed before Easter ?
Mr. ESCOTT said that it would be proposed imme-
diately after Easter.

THE MEASURES FOR IRELAND.
Sir J. D. NORREYS said that, before passing the
measures for the relief of the suffering Irish, he thought
it would be better to appeal to the Irish landlords. Mea-
sures might be adopted to promote tillage.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that he was not at all satis-
fied that there was any prospect of the Hon. Gentleman's
views being carried out at present with respect to tillage.
CUSTOMS DUTIES BILL.
In answer to a question from Lord G. BENTINCK,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
anticipated he should be able to bring on the Customs'
Duties Bill on Friday.
GRANT FOR EDUCATION.

Mr. HINDLEY asked the Noble Lord at the head of
the Government if be was prepared to state the amount
he intended to propose for the educational grant in the
miscellaneous estimates, and whether he intended to bring
specially before the notice of the House the Minutes of
the Council of Education, laid on the table the sth day of
February, or leave them to be incidentally discussed on
the vote for education being proposed in the Committee
of Supply.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL replied that the vote would
be the same as that taken last year, but with regard to
the application of the sum he could only say that they
did not intend to propose any new resolution upon the
subject.
In reply to a question from Mr. SHAW,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said he intended to appoint
the Committee of the Poor Relief (Ireland) Bill imme-
diately after the Committee of Ways and Means.
THE DISTRESS IN TIIE WEST OF SCOTLAND.

Mr. BAILEY hoped he would have the indulgence of 1
the House for a few moments to some statements which
had been made in that House in consequence of a question ;
put by the Honourable Member for ife, relating to the
distress on the west coast of Scotland. On
that occasion reference had been made to a
report by the Sheriff-Substitute of Fort `Villain,
into which certain charges had been introduced against
proprietors in that district, that they had been neglect-
ing their tenants. Among the others was one against
Mr. McDonald, of Glengarrie, where it was stated that
that proprietor had 150 bolls of meal for the relief of the
poor, but the store-house had been locked up since
Christmas, and not a pound could be got oat for love or
money. He had received a letter lately from Mr. M'Do-
mild, in which he stated, in November last,ihe had sent
from his private resources 20/. in money, 100 bolls of
meal, and 100 bolls of Indian corn, besides rice and
biscuits. That was sent for the purpose of being dis-
pensed; his factor had instructions to that effect, and a
letter from that factor last week stated that he had
complied, and he was desired to continue to do so.
Mr. McDonald:was a man of the highest honour, and he
(Mr. Bailey) stated this upon his credit. Ile regretted
to state that the Blue Book which had been published
contained charges, and had been published previous to
tin* being given for answers from the proprietors. It
had been reported concerning Mrs. Stewart M'Kenzie
by Sir E. Coffin, not only that she had neglected her
tenants generally, but that two persons had died of
starvation
estates.that twoNow,per s
osnhsehhaadddied madeof
and t
e on
result her
was, th
natural
causes, the one being an old woman between eighty and
ninety years of age, and her daughter, who died of con-
sumption, being, while they lived, within two or three
miles of a meal store, opened by Mrs. McKenzie, and out
of which she had ordered that relief should be given to
the destitute. He had taken the opportunity of doing
what he believed to be but justice to these proprietors.
Mr. E. ELLICE gave the fullest credit to the Go-
verntnent for the course they had adopted, and he
should not be doing justice to the Government if he
did not take the earlest opportunity of saying that the
Government had done all that was in the power of any
Government to do to ward off the effects of
this terrible calamity.--(Hear, hear). He thought
that, however laudable the intentions of the
Government were, the merit of rendering these intentions
perfectly effective was mainly due to those gallant
officers who had the charge of carrying out the measures
of the Government.
Sir GEORGE GREY did not think that the charge
made by the lion. Member was quite borne out by the
facts as stated in the blue books.
Mr. COLLETT was unwilling to take up the time
of the House, but he thought it his duty to mention cer-
tain facts which had come to his own knowledge respect-
ing the employment of the poor
in Ireland. He thought
it fair to state, that since the debate on the B.
of the
Noble Lord the Member for Lynn, he (Mr. Collett) had
inquiries, made i • and he could state, that in the island
of Anglesea, where the potato crop bad failed
to as great an extent as in Ireland, the formation of a
railway had induced a state of prosperity unexampled
in that island. The Holyhead Railway Company had
employed from 3,400 to 4,000 labourers, out of which
number 2,500 were Welshmen, 700 Irishmen,
and about 300 Englishmen. They had only ex-
pended about 100,0001. The same fact was
seen in some of the Irish railways. If they looked
at the railway from Mary borough through Thurles to
Mallow, they would find that a state of prosperity
resulted from the expeuditure of cipit4l by that