The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-09 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS-THIS DAY.

The hpeaker took the chair at ten minutes past twerir%
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE IMPROVEMENT
BILL.
On the motion for the second reading of this bill.
Mr. EITSTACE SMITH said he was induced to take the
somewhat exceptional course of objecting to the second
reading of a private bill ; he was induced to do so because
it was an attempt, under the guise of a private bill, to
perpetrate a great public injustice. The bill professed to
be a bill for the improvement of the Town Mocr, a place
which had for a very long time been uzcd as a place of
recreation of the public, the freehold being in the corpora-
tion. The bill professed to give power to set aside a por-
tion of the Town Moor for purposes of a public park, but
it npreared to him to be an attempt to get in the
thin end of the wedge, to curtail the liberties
and privileges of the public. Whenever it was sought to
appropriate the property of the public it was always set
out that the proceedings proposed were for the benefit of
the public of the place in which the property is situated.
The proposition was to the effect that the promoters
of the bill were going to give 35 acres of the Town Moor
for the formation of a public park, but considering the in-
clemency of the weather and the smokiness of the atmo-
sphere there were great doubts whether the object could
be carried out with anything like success. But they had
already a public park of 1,2:30 acres, and therefore they did
not want one of only thirty-five acres. It was said that the
remainder of that moor was to be left to the public ; but
that appeared to be very doubtful, because the bill gave
its promoters the power to make roads and do other
things, which, he presumed, would in the end result in a
great curtailment of the liberties of the public.
The moor was frequented not only by the
people of Gateshead, but by those of North and
South Shields and other places for the purpose of re-
creation, and if, in the end, it was perverted from the
purpose for which it was now used it would be inflicting
a great and irreparable injury upon a very large body of
the population. JD, might be told that the proper
course for him to pursue was not to ob-

ject to the second reading, but to allow
the bill to pass the stage to enable it to go before a com-
mittee, where the objectionable details might be expunged.
But in answer to that he had to say that for the bill to
pass its second reading, would be to affirm its
principle, and in committee he might be told
that as the House had given its assent to the
principle of the bill, all the committee had to do
was to consider the details. He considered the measure
as one whose real object was to extinguish the rights of
the public, and as a native of Newcastle, he might
almost say a resident, he protested against the
House legislating on the subject until the
views of the people of Newcastle were known
with regard to it. (Hear, hear,) There had been but
one meeting with respect to the bill, and at that meeting
it was resolved that the Town Moor should be expunged
from the operation of the bill, and therefore any legisla-
tion in that direction was totally uncalled for He ob-
jected to the bill also on the ground that it gave the cor-
poration the power of spending money in a manner and
upon a proposal that was not within its power to sanction.
They were the custodians of money received as dues, and
for 16 years they had not expended that money in accord-
ance with the trusts under which it was received. He

therefore hoped the House would not sanction the second
reading of the bill
The motion having been seconded, _ _ _

Mr. LIDDELL objected to the amendment, as, if carried,
it would controvert the spirit of legislation which had
already been sanctioned by the House, and also he thought
the hon. gentleman had not shown sufficient grounds to
justify such a proceeding.
Mr. HENDERSON objected to the proposition that the
whole of the coal dues should be spent in the paving and
lighting of the town of Newcastle upon Tyne. He thought
they ought to be placed in the hands of the Tyne Com-
missioners, and that being his opinion be should give
his vote in favour of the proposition of the hon. member
for Tynemouth.
Mr. COWAN said his name was on the back of the bill,
but when he gave his assent to its being placed there ho
thought the measure was one solely for the improvement
of the town of Newcastle-upon-Ty-no. He had no idea
that it gave the power to cut up the Town Moor or of
mortgaging the coal dues.
Mr. STEVENSON supported the proposition for the rejec-
tion of the bill.

Mr. HEADLA3I hoped the house would not throw out
the bill without due consideration. It had been ordered
to stand over until thrse who were interested in the
matter had expressed their opinion, and a meeting had
been held, and it was the opinion of a majority of the
Town Council to go on with the clauses which affected the
Town Moor. The corporation and freemen of Newcastle had
presented a petition in favour of the bill, and therefore he
thought the House ought not to stop the progress of a
measure, which he did not think would curtail, but, on the
contrary, improve the town moor, which would be quite
as open as ever, and no one, he thought, would be preju-
diced. (Hear, hear.) With respect to mortgaging the
dues, he thought the matter had been altogether. misrepre-
sented. It would, in his opinion, be a great injustice to
reject this bill on its second reading.

Mr. LEFEVRE said if the bill only only dealt with the
coal dues, tho Board of Trade had great objections to such
propositions, but there were other considerations connected
with the improvement of the town which had been thought
by the board worthy of consideration.
A division was called on the proposition of the hon.
member for Tynemouth, but it was not persevered with,
quad the bill was read a second time without a division.