The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-08 00:00:00

THIRD READINGS.

The Turnpike Roads (Ireland) Bill, the Canada Go-
vernment Bill, and the Militia Ballots Suspension Bill
were severally read a third time and passed.
CHURCHES BILL.

The report upon this Bill was brought up and agreed
to, and th• Bill ordered to be read a third time to-
morrow.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS BILL.
The report upon the Proclamations on Fines Court of
Common Pleas Bill was brought up and agreed to,
and ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.

POOR-LAW UNION CHARGES (No. 2) BILL.
On the report upon this Bill being brought up,
Mr. C. BULLER moved the insertion of the following
clause :—" And be it further enacted, that if any person
hereinbefore made chargeable upon the common fund of
the union shall be convicted before any justice of any
offence committed in any workhouse while maintained
therein, or of deserting or running away from
any workhouse, and carrying away clothes or
other property therefrom, and be liable to be com-
mitted to any gaol or house of correction, the
justice before whom such person shall be convicted, may
commit such person to the gaol or house of correction of
the county or place containing the parish in which such
person, if chargeable to the common fund by reason of
being exempt from removal under the statute herein-
before mentioned, shall have been residing, when ad-
mitted into the workhouse, or to that of the county or
place comprising the major part of such union, in the
case of any other person herein rendered chargeable on
the said common fund, notwithstanding such workhouse
may not be situated in such county or place, or that such
justice may not be a justice of such county or place, and
the charges of the conveyance of such person to such
gaol or house of correction, and all other charges con-
sequent upon such committal, shall be borne by such
county or place in like manner as the charges of per-
sons committed in the ordinary mode to the gaol thereof,
shall be borne.

After a few words from Captain PECHELL, the
olause was agreed to and ordered to stand part of the
Bill.

Colonel THOMPSON moved the insertion of the fol-
lowing clause, after clause 3:—" And be it further
enacted that the guardians of any, union or parish may,
with the order of the said Commissioners, and in con-
formity with such regulations as they shall direct, pro-
cure, or assist in procuring the emigration of any poor
person chargeable, or who would, if relieved, be charge.
able upon the common fund of such union, or in the case
of any parish not comprised in, a union, who may, though
not settled therein, be exempt, from liability to removal
therefrom; and such guardians shall in the case of a
union, charge the costs and expenses incurred in such
emigration upon the common fund; and in the case of a
parish not in a union, upon the moneys in their hands
for the relief of the poor.
Mr. HENLEY trusted that the Hon. Member who
had introduced the Bill would n9t support the amend-
ment. •

The clause, after a short discussion, was agreed to,
and also ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Other amendments were agreed to, and the Bill was
ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.
Mr. Alderman SIDNEY called the attention of the
Hon. Gentleman to the vast increase of vagrancy. In
Leeds, the cost of relieving , the wandering poor had
been doubled during the last three years, as compared with
'35, '36, and '37. In Manchester, they had been trebled ;
in Norwich, almost doubled, whilst in the city of Lon-
don, it had increased to an enormous extent ; for in-
stance, 356 only were relieved by the city of London
Union in 1639, but 41,743 were relieved in 1847. The
gaols were filled with vagrant poor, from 6,000 to 7,000
of whom passed through the city annually, and noetli-
cient provision was made for their lodgment in any of the
workhouses, except in the city of London Union and the
the West London Union.
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before the House had been adopted after the fullest con-
sideration of the whole matter. But if any Hon. Gen-
tleman would propose any measure that would better
promote the great object which he had in view, he
should feel happy to give it the utmost encouragement.
Mr. HENLEY regretted the absence of the Right
Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home
Department, as the question was one which came more
properly under his cognizance, being a criminal matter,
than that of the Poor-law Commissioners. He hoped
the Government would introduce a Bill to deal with those
who committed acts of vagrancy.—(Hear.)
Mr. C. LEWIS said the vagrant laws were sufficiently
stringent, and that it would be difficult for the House
to make them more so. It was extremely difficult to
prove an act of vagrancy, and there was great disincli-
nation on the part of metropolitan and provincial magis-
trates to send destitute persons proved soliciting alms to
prison, because the cost of their maintenance would be
greater in the prison than in the workhouse.
POOR-LAW UNION DISTRICTS SCHOOL BILL.
On the motion for going into Committee on this Bill,
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY said that he had hoped some
explanation would have been given of the Bill. It was
proposed to provide for the compulsory education of
the children of the indigent poor of the country in a
manner most objectionable. He particularly objected to
the mode in which the expense was to be paid—namely,
out of the poor-rate. The objections urged against the
Bill were so freely stated in a petition from Ashton, that
he felt he could not do better than enumerate them.