The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-27 00:00:00

POOR-LAWS.

On the motion that the House resolve itself into a
C, ratnittee of St pply,
Mr. ROEBUCK said that he had given notice of
his intention to ask a question of the Right Ho-
nourable Baronet the Secretary of State relative
to the present poor laws in this country. There were
few in that House who had sot seen the columns of the
Times, where an extraordinary opinion had been given
by a Learned Friend of his with respect to the poor-
laws. Questions had been put to Mr. Matthew Hill,
whether certain proceedings of the Poor-law Com-
missioners had Lem legal, and if proceedings could
be taken against them by indictment or other-
wise, to which Mr. Hill answered that the first
act of the statutes was legal, but that the
conduct of the Poor-law Commissioners was illegal,
if the facts were as described in the question; and,
thirdly, that they could be proceeded against by indict-
ment, by information, or by action. Among other regu-
lations in this Act, these Commissioners were to act as a
board, and not in their individual capacity as Commis-
sioners, and their proceedings were to be subject to the
supervision of the Secretary of State. And now it ap-
peared, from the result of this Andover inquiry, that
ever since their constitution, the Act of Parliament had
been violated, and the question he had to ask was, what was
now to be done? Ile was quite sure that no man who had
taken part in the discussions when this law was passed
would be inedned to throw out the slightest im-
putation against the Poor-law Commissioners ; but
it was very evident that the law had broken
down under them. But they were about to recon-
struct this law and there was on the table of the House
a measure for establistung an amended poor-law fur
Ireland, and there was a vague notion that this law was
to be assimilated to that for England, and he would ask
them, were they to proceed without any further infor
mation than they already possessed? This was, he be-
lieved, the last session of the present Parliament, and it
was therefore evidently necessary to take some mea-
sures for improving the law, and if it was to be re-
constructed without throwing any imputation on
the present Commissioners, for he only knew
those gentlemen through the ordinary courtesies of life,
he must say that they were not the persons to carry it
out. They would have indictments and actions brought
aal
Les: idnt th
ejtheNt parts
without information rd s of the country, and they would
k
oble
B
lead a life for which he certainly did not envy
, Russell)
them. This was the last session, and he would
ayg aitnh
_t
e,
cheerua whethere thheey
supposed
eosetdo
Hear, hear," from
the answer he would
At the present
moment get would be, that they were nut.
three or four gentlemen, who
had been entrusted with the carrying out of thisilaw, had
taken on themselves to violate an Act ofPar-
liament. Under these
to know, if it weeetreutmhstances, hey would wish
intention of her
Majesty's Government to extend the
Ire-
land, whether it would be equitable to poor-law to
do se without a
knowledge of all the circumstances connected
working in England ? Ile, as the aou with its
aware, was not one of those who wished
part tomudste defend
be
Irish landlords, but they were athat
community community whom they were bound to protect. Therefore!
h.- thought it weuld not be right to put them under this
law without a knowledge of its working from the Com-
missioners. He would ask the Noble Lord if he had re-
ceived any suggestions from the Poor-law Commisioners,
for it was their duty to have made those suggestions.
He was obliged to confess that the poor-law administra-
tion in this country had been a lamentable failure. He
believed that this was not the fault of the law, but of the
pqrties who were employed to carry it out, who were not
in the dark at present,
efficient. They were going on
and he thought it the duty of the Government to tell the
House what- they were about to propose, not only with
respect to the poor-law England, but also in It?land.
The law was based on many difficult points connected
both with that lloase and with the tranquillity or Ire-
land, and he thought that the best means at the present
moment would be to institute a thorough inquiry into

the system.
Sir G. GREY said, that with reference to the first
part of the observations addressed to the House by the
lion, and Learned Member, he thought it would be
but right to state to the House the course to be adopted
by the Government. On receiving the report of the
Committee of Inquiry into the circumstances connected
with the administration of the poor-law, he (Sir George
Grey) had addressed to the Poor-law Commissioners a
letter, calling
upon them to state what might hare been