The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-26 00:00:00

be felt it imperative to reply, he trusted they would
allow him their attention for the few moments be would
trespass upon their indulgence. He alluded to what
was very improperly called the Labour-rate Act. He
thought that a great majority of Noble Lords had prce
nouncd the strongest sentence of condemnation on the
Act, and certainly, by the last of these Noble Lords
the impression might have been conveyed of a Irate
censure on her Majesty's Government for want ofeota-
mon foresight and providence in this matter. Now ho
could not help thinking that if they looked to the
period when this Act was passed, they
would
come to the conclusion that the implied censure
on her Majestys Government was undeserved. The
, Noble and Learned Lord said that this Act was passed
in a great hurry after the 15th August, and he concluded
that the advanced period of the session was proof suffi-
cient that the measure had been ill-digested. That
measure was a measure authorising presentment Of
public works precisely of the same nature as the pre-
vious Act. Half the money was to be advanced from
local sources, and half from the British Treasury. This
was brought in last January, and large use was made of
these presentments for public works, and upwards of
1,300,000/.was given for these works. So great were these
works felt to be of advantage, that great complaints
were made from districts where those works were not
begun. But this was a misapplication of the fund, for
the money was granted for the relief of distress, and for
relief of distress alone, and not for public
works at all ; and great abuses were com-
mitted in the employment of persons who ought
never to have been put upon these works at all
Yet notwithstanding these abuses the object was fully
attained, and the people were so relieved that they were
better off in the summer of last year. There was the
testimony of the Catholic clergy that such was the cases
and there was more money paid into the savings' banks
than for years betore. He wus credibly informed, that
up to the middle of August the prospects of the potato
crop were of the brightest character, but all at once the
blight seemed to come over the whole of the crop. Was
it, then, unreasonable that her Majesty's Government
should pass a measure to meet the evil? They did so.
They renewed the measure of the previous year, but
they obviated the evil which had formerly bees
endured. It was found that the abuse of the
presentments for public works had been oeea-
sioned by the desire to obtain roads where they were
wanted. The delay in the consideration of the rues-
sures for Ireland, by the protracted debates on the com- •
merehil policy of the country, threw these measures
late, but they were passed, and those abuses were ob-
viated. It should be recollected, that the great object
of this Bill was not the formation of public works, but '
the relief of distress. This was an important conside-
ration, and ought to kept carefully in view. Let it be
recollected how relief was obtained for distress in Eng-
land when it occurred in any of our great town&
Why, when anything of this kind occurred in Norwich,
Nottingham, Sheffield, or Manchester, subscriptions
were raised, and the amount collected was distributed
through the agency of a committee ; and, doubt-
less, in some instances, unworthy objects obtained
the relief. Just something of this kind had occurred
in the Bill of last year. Abuses had unquestionably bean
committed, but he contended that the abuse was not to
be ascribed to the Bill, but to the way in which it bad
been carried out. It would, however, be a painful thing to
go into these details, and happily it was not necessary
But if any one were to be charged with the evils that
had occurred, undoubtedly the Noble Lord the Secre-
tary for Ireland was responsible for the mischief. Still,
however, he must again insist to their Lordships that
the object of that Bill was not the construe'
tion of public works, but the relief of the general distress.
It was true that the Bill bad failed, but whose fault W 53
it? Whose business was it to see that none others but
those who were destitute were employed on these works?
Why, it was the duty of those who had the managemen4
and resided in the districts where the works were going
on. When similar works were being carried on in N.°"'
tingham and other large towns, no men were
employed on them who could find employnieea
elsewhere. But what had been the case in Ireland'
Why, men who were engaged in improving tb:
land gave up that employment, and were allowed to g,,r
and work on public works, increasing the amount °e
distress, and diminishing the supply of food for 'P.,
people. It was necessary that the House and the countr2t '
should know the truth upon these matters. In Mg's. A
and September last there was an universal cry and Presti
, sure upon the Government to commence works. e,ty,
particular case from West Corinne, there came a dert'sor
tion to the Government, who declared that the necessitytni
undertaking work in that county was urgent and eon,
not possibly be postponed, and yet, by the following Prot
there came accounts from that district saying that t. o, •
were growing in that neighbourhood, an unusually ;la
crop of corn, which was suffering from the waedifo.
bands to cut it.—(Hear, hear.) He admitted the whey
culties the Irish gentry had had to contend with• ill
had not the advantage of the middle class of this cell
to tell who were the really destitute, but still, it lig
measure failed through deficient machinery for earloos-
it out, it was not fair to lay:all the blame at this was
of the Government.—(Hear, bear, and cheers.) ,
his firm conviction that had the Government reeervi;
proper co-operation of those whose duty it vrsa °Jail if
the measure would have succeeded, more 891:sed n°llB
works had not been unnecessarily presentetear, bear.)
but really destitute had been employed.--(
Drietors of
It had succeeded in Scotland, where the Pre.. similar
land had borrowed large sums of money under, nftheir
powers,which they had applied to the improvemen. - _Bed
estates, and the result was, the population of the distres
districts had been well supplied with food and eroploy.rneu4
It e thought that when the House was in possession v
the papers intended to be laid upon the table of their
Lordships' House, they would be of opinion that th°
Government had done all that could possibly be V!: "
petted of them to do under the circumstances in wl3ll
they were placed. It was the duty of the. Governor.
not to have opened the depots until the latest poss
period—a considerable time was to elapse
next harvest could be got in. The amount of
~,gl.llll3.;eir
all kinds, entered for home consumption in l'ue„e'ents
1040, exueveed 4,00U,000 quarters. There were -"yea
for the British merchants in every market, buying ejf
quarter of wheat they could lay their bands uPen„,,*kot,
the Government, then, had entered into the at'''sece,
the most disastrous results would have followed a Putuent
so perfectly suicidal, and therefore the. Goveern,.,oses
before Do f
could only obtain a limited supply, which was, 01„e"tbere
obliged to be most parsimoniously preserved. d, iC
was one thing more essential to the benefit of fro' d if,
was the establishment of a class of retail traders, I°l,o -
when that class was just springing up, the Goverrost
had entered into the market and cut up the bud es WO
opening, it would have been a most injurious ani."o be'
line of policy. With reference to emigration, ki,,,htsf
lieved the Government would only have clone nlib,4oo
had they attempted to provide the means of ernigloe
upon an extensive scale and failed in the attemPt' was
number of emigrants during the last ten years need
687,000, and during the last year the number alit°ll;;;,es
to 110,000; the greater majority of these were 1:00
and had the Government sent out a still larger numbe,,,r
might be doubtful whether, upon their landing, the Inn;
means of subsistence could have been obtained for tnbvio
Those who went to Canada in this way, after a
~j,s
remitted money home in order to bring out their toil •
lies ; 37,0001. had within a short period been renl„bie •
in this way to Liverpool. But if the plan of the Dit,''otie
Lord opposite was adopted, parties would not endeette
to find their way out at their own expense, no re
ra
de,
lances would take place, and the whole cost would
volve upon the Government. Without any ail, f.,ouold
their Lordships, the tide of emigration tot
continue to increase. He might say bled'
next year the number of emigrants would be don who
He agreed with the Noble Lord (Lord Stanley) a
spoke early in the evening, that the Government COt to
render essential service to emigrants by pointing °lid to
them how to proceed, what districts to select, at nisi
afford them other important information. They sscie-ete
not forsake the system of caution adopted by the oefoy
Lord whilst in office. He should shortly, however, to
papers before their Lordships which would afford-awe
fullest information on the subject. Such were the vi
the
which her Majesty's Government entertained ott
subject.
After a few words from Lord FERRARI),
Lord MONTEAGLE said that he could not ailerf
the debate to close without adverting to some exere6;
sions which had been used by the Secretary of Stal,,,
There had been a remarkable abstinence from vitueer..„"
tion during the whole course of the debate; be et 7/
fessed that the Noble Lord did no more than his dutiad
repelling imputations if any had been cast, but be sbe[to
recollect that, in impugning the Labour--rate Act, 4,
imputation was cast upon her Majesty Governinevo
—(Hear, hear.) The Labour-rate Act vras
of the worst which had ever been put ~„oc
rd
the statute-book. All the abuses which the Noble erso
bad pointed out in the Act might exist, but it said Tat
much the less for the enactment, for he could not Pe''.s-
- any good which had arisen from it—it had L_lt-re
wholly Inoperative for any good purpose. If the Lam.
rate Act, which his Noble Friend so strongly ree°-
mended, was so good, why propose now to set it a-sits
He bad, however, not denied the failure of the Pl-A0
sure, but the came of it was alleged to have
not from the conduct of the people, but
~art
cause of the want of co-operation on the Part
of the Irish landlords. To that he would answer, t-
ire'
there was no place in the British Empire, far less nee
land, where such a measure would be allowed to cite
tinue. The Labour-rate Act had been a most unfortnn
measure, and had failed from its imperfect machine,rsiwds
not from the want of the co-operation of the Irish tai,
owners. The operation of the Act had been a mist ids
ordinate increase in the rate of wages compared lot
what they ordinarily were in the districts where the.oo
was brought into operation. The presentment sesslio
were a most imperfect and injurious mode of sectirusa
improvements. Those sessions were generally 0110- f;
together without any notice, and the bust;ed
was transacted in the presence of exciney
multitudes, who were eager to get the votes of Ine"„1.,
without relation to the possibility of raising the One.
or the mode of its application. Presentments werf',.ite
consequence, made faster than the clerks could '- or
them down. At these sessions they bad the eng'rjess
and the officer of the board of works, who in some plate
sure would be a protection against the indiscrinneow
adoption of the hundreds of presentments that are 11.0
cast before the magistrates. Much misrepresents
re'
had been put before the public with respect to the Pod
ceedinga at presentment sessions, but they who did sl one
notconsidered the many difficulties besetting them. A. ere
sessions, of which he was chairman, thepresentmentsoo-
- numerous that on asking the advice of the o
of the Board of Works, he suggested that they Eardbe
all be sent up to the Board, when a selection trollo be
made, and thus the hands of the magistrates tvottiEord
strengthened ; and yet, notwithstanding this, I,le es •
Moateagle) and other Irish proprietors b,:id u"- the
Board
fur sending up a mass of presentments 110
Board of Works without attempting anything b ,
"1""1 when, ill this case, the course was OdePteti "