The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-28 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, July 27.
SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.
The adjourned debate on the London and South=
Western Railway Company's Acts Amendment (Exten-
sion, Deviation, and New Works) Bill, after a short, die
cussion, was adjourned again until Monday.
CHARITY TRUSTS REGULATION BILL.

The LORD CHANCELLOR in moving the second
reading of this Bill said it was introduced the better to
regulate certain charitable trusts. The Municipal Re-
form Bill took away from the corporations the power of
administering the uses connected with the trusts of many
charities, and it was now necessary to apply to the
Court of Chancery to appoint trustees, which was $0
expensive process. Moreover, those trustees could net
take the legal estate, which was said to be in nubibes.
Many small charities could not afford to come to the
Court of Chancery at all, and they bad no means of
renewing their trustees. It must be evident that there
was a constant necessity for seeing that the funds of
these charities were properly administered. To *fur
the extent of this evil he might state that of charities
under 301. a year, which could not afford to apply to
Chancery, there were 23,746; the total number of
charities in the situation he had described being 28,340. In
1846 the present county courts had been established,
and they had been found to be much more useful than ii
was ever imagined they could be. They were now 60
in number, and from November, 1846, to the same pe-
riod in the following year, they had adjudicated upon
no less than 429,415 suits, and received during the lame
period 600,5591., including 203,3181. for fees. It would,
he believed, be practicable to reduce these fees by one
half, and still leave a revenue sufficient to pay all the
expenses of the establishment. This, he thought, will
a highly satisfactory state of things—(Hear, hear)**
and they need not look further for a jurisdiction to ad-
minister these local charities. He might at once, there'
fore, say that the object of the Bill was that all chari-
ties under 30/. a year, should be subject to the juris-
diction of the judges of the county courts.—(Hear,
hear.) The greater part of the Bill applied to that
purpose; but it had also other objects, one of which was
that by an order of a judge or the Court of Chancery,
the legal estate should be vested in the treasurer of the
county court; and by the same authority the stock of
such charities would also be transferred to the aurae
officer. In ascertaining the value of the charities, so al
to give them the benefit of this measure, the report of
the Charitable Trusts Commissioners would be held to
be conclusive. The Bill provided, among other things.
that persons entrusted with charitable funds should
annually render up a balance-sheet for the inspection
of the proper authorities.—(Hear, hear.) There was
a great deal of property under these trusts which had
been, bequeathed in old times, and a far different
state of society, for purposes to which they would be
wholly inadequate at the present day, and the object of
the Bill was, if possible, to render such property avail-
able for educational purposes. At present the county
courts might report to the Court of Chancery as to the
way in which such trusts might be carried out, but there
were many small towns and villages from which an ap-
peal to the Court of Chancery would completely exhaust
the funds. In such cases he thought they could not do
better than hand the funds over to the county mirth
giving them the same powers as were now enjoyed hf
the Court of Chancery. In cases where doubts might
arise as to the efficiency of the county courts. a refer;
ence might be given to the Educational Committee of
the Privy Council, a tribunal in which the public seemed
to have considerable confidence. After one or two
further observations, the Noble and Learned Lord
moved the second reading of the Bill.
Lord ItEDESDALE approved of the principle and
object of the Bill, but objected to the time at which it
bad been brought forward. He trusted that the Noble
and Learned Lord would not press the Rill further dur-
ing the present session.

The Bishop of LLANDAFF said that the objeet:of the
Bill was one in which the Right itev. Bench took a deep
interest. A Bill which should tend to the application of
the various small trust funds scattered over the country
to educational purposes would receive their most fa-
vourable consideration. There were, however, several
enactments in the present measure to which be could
not pledge either his Right Rev. Brethren or himself.
He concurred in the suggestion of the Noble Baron as
to postponing the Bill until next session.
The Earl of HARROWBY believed that there was
nothing more abused than the various small trust funds
scattered over the country, nor anything more loudly
calling for a 3remedy. It was therefore with reluc-
tance that he stood in the way of legislation on the sub-
ject, but he feared that with a Bill introduced at the
end of July little progress could be made during the
present year.
The LORD CHANCELLOR did not think the see'
sion so far advanced as to preclude the hope that they
might complete a measure respecting which there seemed
to be so general a concurrence among their Lordships•
The fact was that a Bill nearly similar had been intro-
duced last session, so that the public had had ample three
to consider the principle.
The 13111 was then read a second time, end, after a
short discussion, the Committee was fixed for that chi!
week.
Their Lordships adjourned at Half-past Seven o'clock*

HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 27.
LANDLORD AND TENANT (IRELAND) Bias
In answer to a question from an HON. MEMBER,
Lord J. RUSSELL said it was not his intention to
proceed with this Bill in the present session.
Several Members called upon the Noble Lord not to
postpone the measure to another session.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL could not, consistent with
hip
duty, recommend the further proceeding with the Bill in
the absence of the Irish Members, who had been advised
to go immediately to Ireland to do all in their power to
put down the disaffection that prevailed in 112111""8"'