The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-03 00:00:00

' ^^.n if there were some
how far it

just tegd was an exaggerated one) anu
truth in it. the result of the inquiry would snu..

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might be relied on.
After a few words from Mr. CALEB POWELL,
Mr. S. O'BRIEN said that he hoped the Hon. Gentleman
did not mean to say that lie took any unfair advantage
of Mr. Gerard, because if the speech before the House were
incorrect, there would no doubt be a demand for an inquiry,
and therefore by bringing forward this motion he did not
co'adeive that he did any injustice. With respect to the ottt•
rages in Ireland, his statement had been made with no desire
to obtain popularity amongst ruffians and murderers, for on
more than one occasion he had exposed his life in the endea-
vour to suppress such crimess He wished he could impress
on Hon. Members, that it was not by coercive measures that
they would redress the fatal condition of Ireland.
The motion was then withdrawn.
HIGHWAYS IN ENGLAND.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM moved for leave to bring in a
Bill for the purpose of Amending the Aets relating to
the Highways in England. In making this motion
he was perfectly aware of the deficient state of the law upon
that subject. The House was aware that the sum levied for
the maintenance of highways in England is 1,600,0001. per
annum, and many parishes supported their own highways. In
an Act formerly passed power was given to different districts to
unite and divide for the purpose of maintaining their high-
ways. That Act had not been attended with any general
benefit, and the object of his measure tires to render certain
rules and regulations compulsory in certain districts. He
would not long detain the House, while he detailed the me.
chinery by which he intended to work that system. For the
purpose o making the Act perspicuous and particular, he had
brought together all the existing laws with respect to
highways, and had consulted the provisions contained in them
all. He proposed to form a Board of Commissioners, to
whose management all the highways in England should be re-
ferred, and that the present existing trusts, to the number of
15,000, should be formed into districts under the control of the
Commissioners. Ho proposed that one superintending officer
should be appointed in each district, whose salary is to be fixed
by the board, and subject to their dismissal. Each parish or
township is to be represented at the district by haywardens.
These haywardens are to have the regulations of the highways
in each district. This board is to appoint two paid
officers, one a surveyor and the other a superintendent.
These district boards are to meet four times in the year, and they
are to have an annual meeting, to which the accounts are to
be submitted, and estimates for the succeeding year brought
forward and agreed to. He proposed, as already there
were auditors appointed under the Poor-law, that those an.
ditors should audit the accounts of these district boards; and
that the accounts so audited should be forwarded to the En-
closure Commissioners, and reported by them to the Secretary
of State for the Home Department, to be by him laid before
both Houses of Parliament. Powers were also given in the
Bill to change parish rating into union rating, but it must
have the unanimous consent of every one of the hay-wardens.
Otherwise the mode of laying on the rates could net be
altered. The district boards had the power of appoint-
ing sub-commissioners, and to raise rates by an
imposition of 10d. in the pound in each
rate ; but that on no occasion should they have the
power of levying more than three rates in the rate of 2s. 6d.
He proposed that the highway rate should be collected in the
same way as the poor rate. The Commissioners had also the
power of sending down inspectors into the districts where im-
provements were proposed, in order to report on the expedi-
ency of such improvements. These were the leading points of
the ms.,asure which he now wished to introduce, and he would
conclude by stating that the Bill would not include South
Wales in its operation, and hoping that the House would allow
him to introduce it at once.
Mr. V. SMITH did not consider that this measure would
be one of what may be called pecuniary relief to the holders of
' small tenements in the different districts, because, by the pre-

sent Act, they had the power of obtaining that relief themselves.
The object of the Bill seemed to be to make that compulsory
which was now voluntary, and he doubted much whether the
farmers would not complain of the appointment of a paid

surveyor.
Sir J. GRAHAM—It has never been tried yet.

Mr. V. SMITH—They tried to get vestries, and they re•
fused to section surveys on the score of expense. He (Mr.
V. Smith) had ventured to suggest the very principle which
the Right Hon. Baronet was now adopting in the debate last
year on the motion of the Hon. Member for Sheffield for an
inquiry into the peculiar burdens of the land. There was one
statement made by the Right Hon. Baronet, which he could
not look on with the same friendly eye, he meant the erection
of a number of fresh districts. 9 There were few districts now
in which they would find persons willing to undertake the office
of haywarden.
Sir J. GRAHAM—They meet only four times a near.
Mr. V. SMITH—WeII, the seldomer they met the less
objectionable this clause would be found in the working; but,
at the same time, he (Mr. Smith) would have thought that
the board of guardians, who were in the habit of rating for
the poor, would have beets the parsons to have made the
distribution of the highway rates. He thought one of
the best portions of the Right Hon. Gentleman's measure
the appointment of an auditor, because there were at pre-
sent constant complaints that many of the charges on the
highways ought to have been added to the poor-rates. He
thought that the Right Hon. Baronet ought to direct his at-
tention to the general system of rating in England. This
Bill would be attended with another considerable advantage,
because it would do away with the necessity for temporary
amendments. He trusted, as ha had already stated, that the Right
Hon. Baronet would turn his attention to the system of rating in
general, because it was at present so very defective, and because
no improvement would be undertaken under it. The rating
of such tenements was particularly obnoxious. He trusted the
Right Hon. Baronet would introduce further measures of this
kind, and, despite the very exciting topics which were at pre-
sent before the House, that he would carry them through in the
course of the session.
Mr. H ANDLEY had heard something respecting an addi-
tion to the usual rate of 2s. 6d. in the pound, that went to the
effect of enabling the overseers to borrow money. To this he
had some objection. But there was another alteration which
had been proposed, and that was to assimilate the highway-rate
to the poor-rate. This was such an alteration as would mate-
rially interfere with the general administration of the local
finances, and, therefore, he conceived that it would require
more deliberation than the Right Hon. Baronet was inclined
to give to it.
Sir J. GRAHAM conceived that the position of the Hon.
Member for Oxford was quite untenable, for, instead of its
being a loss, he expected to make a large pecuniary saving—in
truth, of no less a sum than 1,600,0001. He had had consider-
able experience in the working of this principle, and in his
own county had been fortunate enough to induce the parties in
authority to act upon the principles which he was
now propounding. The consequence was, in the course
of the ensuing seven years there would be a saving
of 9i per cent. in the year. According to the account of
the Hon. Member for Oxford, the present rate imposed for
highways was half-a-crown in the pound; but instead of there
being an addition on that rate, there would be a relief for it.
On these accounts he trusted the House would consent to allow
him to bring in a Bill ; and as the quarter sessions would have
the power to regulate any informality or irregularity, to rectify
abuses, that no objection would be offered to the introduction
of the measure he had proposed, especially when it was recol-
lected that the highway rate would be considerably reduced.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
IRISH ELECTIONS.
Mr. MACARTHY alluded to certain returns which
had been presented to the House of the number of individuals
thut had voted in the Irish elections. In the election for
Dublin, the number polled was stated' to be 6,213, of whom
702 came under the letter N, and the whole number of electors
that had polled in that election in Ireland was 17,410. He him-
self could bear testimony, that all that had polled in the late
election for Cork was 348, although the number of the popula-
tion was far different. His object, then, was so to alter the
law for taking the votes, as to enable every individual
to express his opinion. Under the present system,
so little was there a probability of fair play
that most of those who came under the letter N refused to
register at all. Under these circumstances he hoped the
House would give him leave to bring in a Bill to remedy these
defects.

Leave was given to bring in the Bill.
PLYMOUTH GREAT WESTERN DOCKS BILL.
This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be corn
mitted.

RAILWAY DEPOSIT BILL.
This Bill went through Committee.—Report to-day.
HIGHWAYS BILL.
This Bill was brought in, read a first time, and ordered to be
printed.

POLLING (IRELAND) BILL.
This Bill was brought in, read a first time, and ordered to
be printed.
The remaining orders of the day were then disposed of, and
the House adjourned at a Quarter to One o'clock.