The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-27 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, N0v.26.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
Mr. Philip Miles and several other Members took
the oaths and their seats.

Several Honourable Members presented petitions
against the admissibility of Jews into Parliament.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL presented a petition from
the Archbishops and Bishops of the Roman Catholic
Church of Ireland, praying for the removal of all
civil disabilities affecting Roman Catholics.
PRIVATE BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

Mr. LABOUCIIERE, in rising to move the ap-
pointment of a Select Committee, to consider whether
any and what improvement can be adopted in the
mode of conducting Private Business—to consist of
Mr. Labouchere, Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Strutt, Lord
Granville Somerset, Mr. Francis Baring, Sir William
Heathcote, Mr. flume, Mr. Wilson Patten, Mr.
Wrightson, Sir Robert Ferguson, Mr. William
Miles, Mr. Loch, Sir John Yarde Buller, Sir George
Clerk, and Mr. Ord—said it would be remembered
that the House, in former Parliaments, before it
proceeded to consider the important branch of its duties
comprised in the private business, had always thought
it expedient to appoint a Select Committee to ascer-
tain if improvements could not be introduced into
the machinery by which that private business was
carried on. Now, he thought the circumstance
of the House having met two months before
the usual period, and consequently two months
before the private business could be entered
upon, afforded an excellent opportunity to
consider whether any further improvements could
not be made in the mode of conducting private
business. Of late years that private business had
become, and it was still becoming, of great import-
ance ; and he believed nothing had tended more to
raise the character of the House in the estimation of
the public than the salutary measures which had
been devised to divest the House of all suspicion
in its dealings with private Bills. He would re-
mind the House that two Committees sat last
session, and most important improvements resulted
from their deliberations. One of them was the estab-
lishment of the rule that in future the duty of
ascertaining whether the petitioners for leave to bring
in private Bills had complied with the standing orders
should be vested in salaried officers of the House, and
from that alteration alone in the manner of conducting
private business a saving had been secured to the coun-
try of upwards of 100,0001., and at an expenditure,
too, of only between 1,1001. and 1,2001. He believed
the House and the country were mainly indebted for
these improvements to the Honourable Member for
Montrose, who in the last two sessions of Parliament
devoted the greatest care and attention to this im-
portant subject. He did not think the House would
have any difficulty in agreeing to his motion, nor
did he think it necessary to enumerate the
further improvements that might be made in the
mode of conducting the private business of the House,
but still there was one part of the subject that he
could not pass over without making one or two
remarks upon it. Hitherto, from the ignorance or
inexperience of some of the Select Committees
appointed to sit on opposed private Bills, results had
been arrived at which were afterwards to be
regretted, and it was, therefore, highly desirable that
the House should devise some more efficient means
of preventing these mistakes or irregularities in deal-
ing with private Bills. He thought it well
worthy of consideration whether the important
duty of considering and deciding upon the
merits of opposed Bills might not be performed
by the Chairman of Ways and Means with as
much advantage to the House and the country as
resulted from his labours in disposing of unopposed
Bills. There was another point also which he thought
would be found well worthy of the consideration of
this Committee. He alluded to the amendments
which the Lords sometimes introduced into private
Bills, the duty of considering which had hitherto
devolved upon the Home, but he thought it could
be transferred with advantage to the Chairman
of Ways and Means. It would be readily
seen that, if these improvements were agreed to, the
duties of the Chairman of Ways and Means, which
were already very onerous, would be greatly in-
creased ; and he thought another question this Com-
mittee ought to take into their consideration was,
whether the duties of Chairman of Ways and Means
could not be separated from the duties of attending
to the private business of the House.—(Hear, hear.)
He was not aware that he had any necessity to trou-
ble the House further, and he would con-
lcude with simply moving the appointment of
the Committee of which he had given notice.
He should be anxious to hear the sentiments of the
Members whom he proposed should sit upon the
Committee. He had proposed them from both sides
in order that the sentiments of the whole House on
the subject might be represented. He had selected
them from amongst those who had paid during the
past much attention to' the private business.
Mr. HUME seconded the motion. He said it was
in the power of the House, if it followed up the
recommendations made, to materially reduce the
private business to one quarter of its present amount,
'and if they were to do this he apprehended that the
business would be better transacted than heretofore.
The resolution passed last session reducing the number
of Members on Committees to five, to compel the
attendance of all, and to take away the
power of voting from those who did not attend, had
proved very salutary, and had also redounded to the
credit of the House. They had the means of compel-
ling local boards and others to carry out the im-
proved instructions which had been laid down,
and which, whenever followed, prevented much
unnecessary expense and saved the time of the House.
He wished the Committee would review what had
been dune, and in their recommendations take espe-
cial care that much of the onerous duty which de-
volved upon Hon. Members was removed.
Mr. THORNELY said he had invariably derived
great information from the breviates of Bills, and
considered that without them the House would be
to
be;lorlye iutninformed with respect to the private business
dalarn.
ofG the lion,
KES considered that the recommen-
render the
e
vice of
e Gentleman (Mr. Labouchere) would
;11(Voyrnent of another officer in the ser-
Colonel the
sibthourse necessary.---(" Hear, hear," from
additie
onal
during the
present
depression, when, as a
matter of course, the a
weodutlhdatbaell nthecoesseswareirl ye
limited.
Mr. LABOUCHERbEuseineepsla
merely matters for the considerainofl
the
The great object which they the Committee.
should
the proper conducting of the business of in
viewll
uwseas.
v
and surely if two gentlemen, at the
cost of 1,2001.
a year, were enabled to save 200,000/. a year, they
could not say that the money was wasted.
Colonel IBTIIORP concurred with the Hon.
Member for Dorchester (Mr. Bankes) that so far from.
an increase in the expenditure of the House in respect
to salaries being required, that a diminution in the
salaries of those now paid was absolutely necessary.
During the many years he had sat in the House he
had heard a great deal
aboutfor the
words, economy,Hbut
it it consisted only of words--mere
ctised
principle had never been pra on
ComMmoneyissionhad
ers,
been lavished, cast away
up
for the country he
the good accomplished by which
never could find out. They had little in the Ex-
chequer and he apprehended that they would have
less ; he, therefore, should oppose the motion.
Dr. BOWRING considered that a great deal more
of the time of the House might be saved at a trifling
expenditure.
Mr. HUDSON could not see that there had been
much saving in the cost of transacting private busi-
ness. Every change • added to the expenses. Towns
were put to great exp ense by the commissions sent