The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-08 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--(YzsTERDA.y.)

The SPEAKHR took the chair shortly after 12 o'clock.
MILFORD JUNCTION RAILWAY BILL.
The Lords' amendments to this bill were considered
and agreei to.
THE GRANT TO MAYNOOTH.

Mr. SPOONER presented 14 petitions from various
parts of England for the withdrawal of the Maynooth
grant. One of the petitions was from Manchester, and
was signed by 20,000 persons.
SLIGO ELECTION COMMITTEE.

The members of the Sligo Election Committee were
called to be sworn to serve on it, but in consequence of
the absence of Mr. Lascelles, from illness, the proceed-
ing was deferred.
THE TREATY OF PEACE.
_

Mr. E. DENION brought up the report on the
address to the Crown relative to the Treaty of Peace,
which was read and agreed to. It was also agreed that
the address should be presented by the whole house,
when her Majesty's pleasure had been ascertained
thereon.

TITHE COMMUTATION RENT-CHARGE BILL.
On the motion for the second reading of this bill,
Mr. R. PH ILLIMORE called on the house to sup-
port this bill, to remedy an unintentional error
com-
mitted by the Legielature with reference to the assess-
ment of titliee. Toe Tithe Commutation Act had
changed the tithe.; inter an hereditament or rent charge,
and these herechtatnents were subject to a more exces-
sive assessment to the poor rates than any other heredi-
tements, and he called on the house to alter the assess-
rneet, and instead of estimating it en its actual income
to do so on its annual value. By the Tithe Commu-
tatiwi Act the incomes of the clergy had been re-
duced in many instances at least two-thirds from what
they received when paid by tithee. The repeal of the
• cern late had had the effect of further depreciating the
income of the clergy by at least 10 per cent., and on the
whole', their incomes by these changes had been reduced
40 per cent. The poor rates and the new rates in the
rural districts were eating up most of the small livings
• of the country ; and althouge so much was said about
the largo incomes of the livings in England, he assured
the house that they averaged nearly a hundred a-year
more in Scotland than they did in England. The Tithe
Commutation Act had produced in its workings
practical injustice on the ti he owners which had gone
on gradually increasing. He no doubt would he told
that the clergy had the right of appeal against excessive
rating, but that they did not exercise it. That was true,
and the reason they did not appeal was that it was a
legal mockery, the remedy being costly, uncertain, and
odious. If adopted by a clergyman it had the effect of
placing him in hostility with those with whom he ought to
live on friendly terms, and rather than do it, the clergy
as-a body submitted to the injustice. The tithe corn
mutation rent charge had been fixed on the principle of
giving an unimprovable hereditament to the Church, on
the calculation of the rates then in existence ; and as lie
read the law and justice of the ca-e„ that compact had
been practically violated in two ways. First, by im-
posing new taxes on the clergy since the passing of the
Tithe Commutation Act ; and, secondly, by imposing on
nnirnprovable property rates for the purposes of improve-
' mere:, and it was contrary to the whole theory and prie-
ciple of taxation to enforce it. The question was
how this was to Be remedied and two modes
presented themselves—first, a new law to cause an
assessment to be properly made, and the other, the
scheme of the Government, proposed in 1850, but aban-
doned, probably from the G ivernment finding them-
. eelvee unable to carry it, front the feeling of the coun-
• - try being against centrali.ation, and of the parochial
system being disturbed. He could not expect to carry
a trieuure for a new assessment of the country, and the
oily mode he could adopt to remedy the evils complained
• of, by throwing a little c.impensatien into the scale, by
allowing c,etain deducions, not now permitted by the
law, ha', which were admitted in some counties whilst
net in others, and by that means he proposed pract-
celly to adjust the balance. He proposed that the as•
ses4rtient should be on the annual income only, el-
lowing ad iitiOn to the present deductions, the land tax.
curate's stipend where one was kept, and the sum
• a cler„reman paid towards Q•neti Anne's bounty.
- By the third clause he proposed to make an
ateration in the schedule relative te the gross
- • and reteahle value of the rent ch tree, and prevent the
• • evils that nad arisen horn the rateable value of the rent
charge having been reteried fur the gree,s aneeunt. The
- fourth clause provided that the rent charge should not he
.ta):e I wits the payments of rites and taxes impo,,e,l
after the co,a!,:utiiiiou of the tithes, but if ob-
jr.ctiid to by the Government he would not press it, be
• cause he did not consiler it, essential to the bill. The
honeurable and learned g--n- lewan then went throueli
the • other &lade of the bill, remarking that by
one of the claims he proposed to make it.
• c enpulsory on the jesthene before they allowed the
rate, to am rtain that it seas properly made ; and by
another, that all the assessments should be open to
- general inspection.
Lord A. HERVEY seconded the motion.
• ' Mr. 'BOUVERIE admittel the principle of the b'll,
" 'and said there could be no doubt that the working of
'the present system of assessment to the poor rates had
resulted in the injustice and inequalities complained of,
- but ha objected to the remedy proposed by the hon. and
learned member for Tevistock. The Parochial
Assessment Act introduced no new principle. (Hear,
hear.) An attempt was made in the House of Lords
by the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the time of the
passing of that act, to exclude tithes from its operation,
but the house successfully resisted it, and parliament
decided not to make any difference between
rating tithes and rating the land to the poor.
(I:lear, hear.) Then came the Tithe Commutation Act,
under which the present hardships were said
to have arisen, and in considering this question they LsuA
• not be led away by their feelings for the sufferings of the
clergy. The commuted rent charge was 4,050,0001.,
, of which the parochial clergy, to whom the injustice
applied, received 2,410,0001., the remainder, 1,639,000/.,
belonging to clerical and lay in proprietary schools and
colleges. The remedy proposed, by deducting from the
gross amount the land tax, a curate's stipend and Queee
'Anne's bounty was abstractedly admissible, but the
remedy, in his opinion, would not meet the grievance.
- The clergy who suffered most from the injustice com-
plained of would not derive much relief from the deduc-
tion of the land text and as regarded curates' stipends
but few were kept in the rural districts, and the 'relief
, would be but small, and the same applied to the
' relief the deductions of the payments to Queen
Arine's bounty would give the clergy, and besides that
would be au additional injustice to many, a por-
tion of the clergy only having to pay towards
the bounty. The fourth clause, for deducting rates and
taxes imposed after the commutation of the tithes, he
could not approve of, and be denied the proposition
of the hon. and learned gentleman on this point. There
was one point the hon. and learned gentleman
had not mentioned—viz., that the charge for the main-
tenance of the poor throughout the kingdom had been
.reduced 1,500,000/., and to that extent the clergy had
been relieved with which to meet any increase of taxa-
tion that had siece taken place. With regard to the-
present mo.le of appeal ho saw nothing objectionable in
it, or that a clergyman should not avail himself of it as
well as a layman. He (Mr. Bouverie) objected
.to the clause making it compulsory on the justice
to see. the rate was properly made. He should not
oppose the second reading of the bill, but should reserve
•his opposition till the house went into committee on the

. • Sir J. PAKINGTON, in addressing the house, asked,
"ANT here is the Chancellor of the Exchequer?" (laughter)
—seeing that he had not been present at any time dui.-
. ing the morning. No doubt the Speaker would answer
,he did not know, but considering the high
.authority the Chancellor of the Exchequer was on this
question he should have been present. He (Sir J. Pak-
ington) was glad to find the Government would not
'oppose the second reading of the bill, and he regretted
that the tone of the honourable member's speech
•Bouverie's) led them to believe that the
'.Government would resist the bill in committee. (The
sight hon. baronet was proceeding to address the house
on the great injustice of the present system, when the
Clia.ncellor of the Exchequer entered the house amidst
much laughter.) He supported the bill, and said that the
house and the country were much indebted to the hon. and
learned member for Tavistock for, attempting to remedy
the evils complained of. The Government was only
asked to do an act of justice to the clergy.
Mr. HENLEY was glad the bill was to be read a
second time, because it was an admission on all hands
that an evil and an inja,tice really existed. The real
'question at issue had nothing to do with the pecuniary
-position of the parties interested, but resolved itself
Into whether an inequality existed or not. He, how- .
ever, was afraid that the present bill would remedy the
admitted grievance that existed.
Sir W. HEATHCOTE also
addressed the house on
the necessity of an alteration in the
present mode of
assessing rent charges.
.The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, after
stating that his absence in the early part of the
day was occasioned by his attendance on one of
`Pie Committees, said that the clerical tithe had a real
and substantial grievance to complain of in the
attrik of his tithe from the simple 'fact of the
asSessor who made the rate in each parish being a
firiner, ;old, consequently, he assessed those of his own
chvoi somewhat below their full value, whilst the areon,,
*ef the rent charge being an ascertained fact, the full
amount was entered on the rate, and the clergyman had
'to pal On the full assessment. Tithes had always been
eoesidered us Drowsy, and not as all income. The right
hon. bar net having stated his oi jections to many of the
Clauses of the bill, and the deductions proposed to be
roads, 'said that he considered the deduction for
the payment towards Queen Anne's bounty was
tenable. The clergyman was only a tenant
for life, and occiipied his house as an official
rt4lence, which was different from that of an ordinary
tenant.fer life, and therefore be thought it a fair ques-
ii.orf tor consideration, whether the clergymen should he
allowed to de.hiet that ami,unt from this assessment.
Mr. GLADSTONE said it was gratifying to him to
'fair!, from the gr«,ral tone of the discussion, that there
Nisei/ desire on the part ofthe house to relieve the clergy
infl the inequality and injustice of which they corn,
plain!lft.- The ndmission ~f the grievance on this occa-
°6'i had been universal, and so emphatic that be thought
It not altogether creditable to the house to allow small
•iiiifficultiee of detail and small differences of opinion
to interfere Letareen it and the proposed cure
-of the wi ,vance. Let them not fold their arms
--aaeieye .tans by not attempt a remedy for a griev-
-47.4ie tht;t was plain, palpable, and even scandalous.
,t itould be better to apply a remedy to which there
Might be some objections (though not of a vital charac-
than to allow the grievance complained of to