The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-05 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

ROUSE OF COMMONS, Wedncs'lay. Feb. 4.

The House met at Twelve o'clock.

Mr. BARRY BALDWIN moved that there be an intruc-
tion to the Committee on the petition of the Irish Great
Western Railway Bill to entertain the petition of the Midland
Great Western Company of Ireland, and James Malley, Da-
niel Desmond, and Jame 3 Malley, James Gaynor and James
Malley, notwithstanding that the same may not have been
presented three clear days before the meeting of such Com-
mittee.

After a slight discussion,
Mr. CHRISTIE moved as an amendment that such peti-
tion should be entertained. provided it should appear that
they were in the possession of the Parliamentary agent, and
would have been presented on the Friday if the House met
on that day.
Sir d. GRAHAM said that he had always understood the
order and practise of the House to be, that if the parties were
ready to present the petition on the day on which the House
adjourned, the adjournment would be considered no obstacle.
Mr. HODGSON said that his Hon. Friend the Member for
Cumberland, was at that time sitting in a Committee on the
Irish Great Western Bill, and it would certainly be strange
to remove the Bill out of his Hon. Friends Committee.
There was no reason to suppose that the Bill would be
opposed, and such a proceeding would certainly be at
variance with the decision already given. He for one should
vote against it.
Mr. FITZSTEPHEN FRENCH said that if an Hon.
Member pledged his word of honour that he had a petition
in his possession on or before the day of adjournment, then
such adjournment would be no obstacle to its presentation to
the Committee to which it might be referred.
Mr. ESCOTT said, that it seemed to be admitted on all
hands that the petition would have been presented if the
House had sat on Friday.—(Cries of "No, no.") At least
it was the first time he had heard that proposition denied ;
and if the petition had really been ready, he saw no obstacle
to its presentation.

Aftir a few words from Mr. E. FULLER,
The House divided, when there appeared :
Fur the amendment
Against it
Majority —33
The original motion was then negatived without a division.
LANCASHIRE AND NORTH YORKSHIRE RAILWAY.

Mr. 0. DUN,jOMBE presented a petition for leave to
bring in the Lancashire and North Yorkshire Railway Bill.
HULL AND SELBY RAILWAY.
lt ..-

" I‘:r. HUDSON presented a petition for leave to bring in
.his Bill.
SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.
A petition was presented by an Hon. Member in favour of
the Bill.

CORNWALL RAILWAY.
A petition was also presented in favour of the Bill for
this line.

SHREWSBURY AND HALIFAX RAILWAY.
A petition in favour of the Bill for this line was presented.
LINCOLN RAILWAY.
A petition in favour of the Bill for this line, from the Cor-
poration of Lin culniiraLaLsa larzusantad.
TE .
Mr. BROTHERTON H
presented a petition from a town in
Middlesex against the enrolment of the militia.

THE CORN-LAWS.
Captain PECHELL presented a petition from the inhabi-
tants of a town, the name of which we could not catch, for
the total and immediate repeal of the corn-laws.
EMPLOYMENT OF THE_IRISH POOR DURING THE

ENSI.TIC SUMMER.
Sir 11. '. BARRON presented a petition praying the
House to devise means for the employment of the poor in
Ireland during the forthcoming summer.
_ TIIE CHILTERN HUNDREDS.

. Mr. BANKS moved for a return of all such Members o
the Government as had applied for and obtained the appoint•
rnent of stewards of the Chiltern Hundreds since the lasi
session, together with the dates of such applications and ap.
pointments.

BONE-CRUSHING.
Captain PECHELL said it was now very nearly eight
years ago since he brought forward the case of a labouring
man in the Eastbourne Union, in Sussex, who had been
brought to death's door by the system of labour to which
the peepers in that workhouse were subjected. On that oc-
easion he was met with very unjust and very severe obser-
talons on the part of those who chose to defend the system
of crushing bones in union workhouses. Every year since
ae had brought the subject under the notice of Government,
and he was very happy to say that the Right Hon. Baronet,
the Secretary for the Home Department, at once en-
tered into his feelings on the subject, and the House
was well aware that during the two last sessions of
Parliament the Right Honourable Baronet stated in his
place, that he highly disapproved of the practice of employ-
ing paupers in crushing bones, either as a punishment, eras
a means of employment, and he understood that an order
was issued from the Home-office, forbidding the practice.
The Poor-law Commissioners however, seemed to thwart the
intentions of the Right Hon. Baronet, and notwithstanding
the great pains that wen, taken to promulgate the opinion
of the Right Hon. Baronet, still, every means were taken in
the different unions to continue the practice. He (Captain
Pechell) moved for a return last session of the number of
the unions in which this abominable system was carried on,
with the names of their chairman and vice-chairman. By
that return, it appeared, that this in'olerable nuisance and
cruelty was carried on in nearly 2CO of the unions in this
country. These unions set the Secretary of State at defi-
ance, and the Poor-law Commissioners encouraged them.
But, at last, came the monstrous case of the Andover Union,
'with respect towhich the Right Hon. Baronet expressed him-
self in the most proper and feeling manner, and sent down an
Assistant Poor-law Commissioner to investigate the charges
made against the authorities of that workhouse, and the
result of whose labours, ho hoped, would be laid
before the House. At the present time they
were given to understand, through the public
means of information that an order was at last issued to put
an end to the pounding and grinding of bones. It had been
stated that the several boards of guardians who had shown
themselves most anxious to continua 'the system, had made
representations to the Poor-law Commissioners which had
caused a suspension of the rule and regulation
that had been issued, on the ground, he had
been told, that they had a stock of bones
on hand, and. wished to continue the system on the
sane principle on which they were to have a gradual dimi-
ksation of the sliding-scale. He hoped, however, that the
night Hon. Baronet would follow up his noble exertions,
and expose those who had disobeyed the order and conti-
imed the practice. Those in favour of it stated that it in-
flicted no injury un the pauper, and they brought lawyers
and doctors forward to urge that this was so—
that the bones were ground in a different room
to that in which the paupers performed the labour,
and, in fact, that they could not tell whether they
were grinding bones or corn—free-trade corn, he hoped ; but
those who had visited these mills whilst in operation stated
that it was necessary that some of the paupers should be em-
ployed immediately in connexion with the machine, so
that they were still, and, in short, were all liable to the
misery and stench arising from the bones. Evidence was
given before the Cmmittee on the'Gilbert Unions, by per-
sons who had visited those places during the hours of work,
who stated, that the' effluvia could not be otherwise than
injurious to the health of those employed in the labour, and
that when any of the guardians visited the mills it caused
them the greatest pain. The Right Hen. Baronet had ex-
pressed his desire to have the system discontinued, but, then,
be was not quite certain:whether the Poor-law Commissioners
bad not the power to employ the poor as they thought fit, but
if they had the power, that House could at once abolish it.
It was maintained that the practice of crushing bones for the
purpose of manure was necessary in order that parties might
fie enabled to compete with the guano trade, and that nothing
could be done. He trusted if the Poor-law Commissioners
bad the power to continue the system, that the Right Hon.
Baronet (Sir J. Graham) would legislate ou the subject, in
order that the power of abolishing or continuing the practice
might not be in the hands of those Commissioners.
There are numbers of persons now employed in chop-
ping and scraping these bones; that number should
be immediately reduced, and the whole practice dis-
continued, and he did hope that some steps would be
taken immediately to put an end to this filthy employ-
ment. The Gallant Member concluded by moving for copies
of letters and general rules issued by the Poor Law Commis-
sioners relative to the employment of paupers in pounding,
grinding, and otherwise breaking bones,!and preparing bone-
dust. Also for copies of the remonstrances made to the Poor-
law Commissioners on the subject.
Sir J. GRAHAM said he should not offer any opposition
to the motion of the Gallant Member. From the earliest
period in which this subject came under his consideration,
et was his opinion that the emplyment was highly objection-
able, that it was degrading to the character of the paupers,
and was more of a penal than a becoming occupation for a
workhouse. He did consider that, as the law stands, the
Poor-law Commissioners had not the power to alter the
case. He therefore made it his duty to ascertain their
' legal power as to any regulations they might make,
and the result was, that he now considered the Poor-law I
Commissioners had, by a general order, the power of inter-
ference. Taking these things into consideration, he had
pressed upon the Poor law Commissioners the necessity of
issuing a general order forbidding this practice, and that
Gallant
order is now upon the table of the House. The
Gallant Member was correct in stating that the practice had
of late become very general in workhouses in England. From
the returns made to this House, it appeared that this
practice was adopted in no less than 150 or 200 different
parishes. In consequence of this general order, grlig eat de-
rangement had been made in themode of employing the
paupers. In some of these workhouses where) this prac-
tice had prevailed it was necessary that time should be
given to enable the guardians to prepare other employment
for the paupers, and to put the machinery to
tiTm e oter
purpose. In these cases, the power of suspenenee e order of
the Poor-law Commissioners rested with the'Secretary of
State. And ho (Sir J. Graham) had, in consequence of spe-
cial representations, agreed to suspend those orders in ul '
cases only out of the whole number mentioned in the retueu
until the first day of April. He was perfectly willing to urns
con-
sent to the production of the documents moved for by the
Gallant Member, and hoped that the House would consider
that, with reference' to those nine cases in which he had sus-
pended these orders, it war desirable so to do. After the Ist
of April that occupation would cease to be
Mr. ETWALL asked if the Andover Union was one of
those with regard to which the orders had been ,upended ?
Sir J. GRAHAM thought that it was not; he could not
answer positively.
Mr. ETWALL said that the inquiry instituted
at Andover was not considered by the inhabitan
ts
of that town to be of a satisfactory natunrt
There was no bone mill there, and the
bones wee.
.
consequently obliged to be pounded. The stench arising from that occupation he considered far more intolerable for
the paupers to bear than where they were ground in a mill.
He would say no more upon that subject at present, as it was
his intention to bring forward a distinct motion upon the
subject.
The motion was then agreed to.
Mr. C
EIRISTIE rose and said, that remonstrance had been
made against the practice of grinding bones at the union
workhouses.
Captain PECHELL said that he believed there were dif-
ferences of opinion at Somerset House on the question
'whether they had the power to interfere. The Right
Hon. Baronet having acquiesced to the motion gave
him very great satisfaction, and he hoped the Government
would extend the order to the quantity of bones now on
hand, and when they were purchased.—(A laugh.) He
believed there were only nine unions who had other reasons,
besides the stock of bones on hand, for wishing to avoid
giving these returns.
The motion was then agreed to.
Captain PECHELL then rose to move for a copy of any
communications respecting the right of searching fishing-
bnosat.s on_ the French coast, received by the Board of Trade.
had observed in foreign newspapers that it was stated
the Government of thiscountry
had yielded the right of
search. The
fithirteenth article of the Convention
states that
their licenses, ndnulr' when required, shall show
the Board of Treacle had when
anxious to know whether
terpretation of the i any instructions as to the in-
'laved that boosfishingßte the Convention. He be-
there was some strong --se e,1,1, to be examined, except
peered to him the Gay- r-ci°ll 44. theto • and it
ap-
CC ad; 9Ccitaien. )le merit sireft glYin wa
el! cp4. of grrulZ