The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-03 00:00:00

BILL

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the second
reading of this Bill, and briefly explained the objects of
the Bill, which was to improve the administration of
the poor-laws in Ireland.

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH objected to the Bill
as going to effect a total change in the mode of carrying
out the poor-laws. Originally the administration of the
law was in the hands of parties unconnected with the
G vernment, but now it was proposed to place it under
the control of the Executive Government. The result
would be that the machinery for carrying out the law
would vary and change with every new Government that
held office. There was another evil in the practical
working of the poor-law. It was no doubt well that the
board should be made up of men of all parties. But
he had great reason to suspect that it would
be uppermost in the mind of those at that
Board that the Government would listen rather to its
friends than those who happened to oppose it in politics.
He would then oppose this law for carrying the Poor-law
into effect as he had opposed the Poor-law itself.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said the Noble Earl
seemed so far at variance with general opinion, that it
was the general experience of the last five or six years
that the public generally were determined to dismiss all
party feeling and difference on a subject of the nature
of the pcor-laws. As to the other topics mentioned by
the Noble Earl, he thought he was in error.
Lord BROUGHAM thought that the change proposed
was very portentous, inasmuch as it made the poor-law
a Government department. He considered that the Bill
was making the poor-law a Government department.
He did think the administration of the law ought to be
placed in the hands of a high officer with a large salary.
It was not stated whether this Government officer was to
be removable with the Ministry or not. He believed
that it was not so intended ; but if so there would
be a great difficulty occasioned which he could
not see the way to obviate. This was evident
for this department being a portion of the Government,
it was liable to all the attacks on the men of the day,
and such being the case, it was surely plain that a
vast mischief must ensue, for the Government
must of necessity protect its officers, and what-
ever the guardians might have to complain of,
whatever the overseers might have to complain of, and
whatever the poor might have to complain of, no remedy
whatever could be afforded by the men i❑ office.—
(Hear, hear.) Of all things, then, he could not think
that anything could be worse than making this board en
object of attack on the one hand and a matter of defence
on the other.

Earl GREY said it was impossible for any Member of
that or the other House of Parliament to have watched

the discussion which had recently taken ,place upon
the poor-law, without being convinced that the time had

I .
arrived when some change ought to be made in the
conttitution of the board to whom the administration of
the law was entrusted. In the other House of Parlia-
ment, within the last two years, every conceivable point
in connexion with the administration of the law had been
freely discussed, and the Secretary of State for the
Home Department had been forced upon many occasions
to defend and justify the acts of officers with whom he
had little or nothing to do. Did it not strike Noble
Lords, therefore, that it would be introducing a
great improvement into the system, if some of the admi-
nistrators of the poor•law had seats in the other House
of Parliament, in order that they might be prepared, on
their own individual resp6nsibility, to explain or defend
any act connected with the administration of the law
that might be called into question by parties either
within or without the walls of Parliament.

(LEFT VITTING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly before Four
o'clock.

THIRD READINGS.

The following Bills were read a third time and passed :
Ambergate, Nottingham, and Boston and Eastern Junc-
tion Railway (Alteration of Line and Branches to
Nottingham).
Caledonian Railway (Branches to Canonbie, &c.)
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Railway (No. 2).
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Railway, and
Ayrshire and Bridge of Weir Railway (No. 3).
London and South-Western Railway (Andover to the
Bishopstoke and Salisbury Branch, &c.)
Macduff Harbour.

Metropolitan Sewage Manure.
Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford Railway Devia•
tions.
Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford Railway (Eaten.
siun to Taff Vale Railway).
North Staffordshire Railway (Alterations and Branches;
Swansea and Amman Junction Railway.
Waterford and Limerick Railway.