The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-31 00:00:00

LONDOM .....__ _
NG
I , DECEMBER 31, 1856.

•••••11,0•1=0.•
to 'the scheme not coming back to them, they all knew that
sozn scheme must come back.
Mr. Howe said, if the motion had referred merely to
the specific plan B*, then the objection of Mr. Taylor would
have some force ; but the question was not confined to
any particular plan. Of one thing they were certain that
some main drainage plan must be carried out.
Mr. TURNER said if the object of Major Lyon was to die.
tribute the burden more equally no time ought to be lost,
otherwise the main drainage scheme would be settled by
Parliament next session, and another session world be re-
quired by the board to obtain the powers to determine by
whom, the expense should be borne. •
After a few words from Mr. Deputy Harrison the mo-
tion was agreed to.
The same question as regarded the improvements of the
metropolis was also referred to the committee.
SUBSOIL OP THE NEW STREETS.
Mr. WRIGHT moved that the committee be instructed to
insert a clause in the bill relating to the formation of the
now streets, giving the board power to deal with the sub-
soil of the new streets in the constriction of subways if the
board should deem it advisable, and to retain or dispose of
the property in such subsoil as they might think proper.
Mr. CARPAIAEL seconded the motion.
Mr H. L. TAYLOR thought the board ought to have in-
creased powers. The new street in Southwark was to come
oat opposite Stamford-street. Everybody must have ob-
served that at the corner of that street there were several
houses which were a perfect nuisance to the neighbour.
hood and highly detrimental to the property near them;
besides which they were entirely released from all taxa-
tion, which ought not to be. Yet there was no board
which could deal with such houses unless they were in
what was legally termed a dilapidated state. There were
houses in a similar condition on Snow-hill, all belonging
to the same individual, who was a .very eccentric person.
He bad been told, lodged, that t 1; 614-41 av was (glad, but
that his body was still kept in One of the houses in Stam-
ford-street by his wife, who was equally eccentric or mad.
He was sure the public would consider it a great benefit if
the board had the power to deal with all property thus
circumstanced.
Major LYON said, however desirable it might be to get
power over those houses, he did not think it likely that
Parliament would give it to them. They all knew that
when men were mad or eccentric they used their property
in very strange ways.
Mr. Howe said it was worth a trial, becauSe those
houses were a public nuisance, and the owners of property
in the neighbourhood were greatly injured by them.
Mr. Deputy HARRISON asked whether the object of the
clause was to obtain a temporary or a permanent control
over the surface and subsoil ? He did not see any advan-
tage to the board in obtaining that control. It would be
the means of involving the board in constant controversies
with other parties.

Mr. CARPMAEL did not know any way in which the
board could improve the metropolis in a larger degree than
by having the fullest powers over the subsoil.
Mr. D'IFFANGER thought it would be a great dereliction
of duty on the part of the board if they did not reserve to
themselves this right. By possessing the control of the
subsoil the board might form a tunnel through the streets
for gas-pipes, water-pipes, telegraph wires, and other use-
ful public purposes.
_ _

Mr. WniGHT said, if the motion were agreed to he would
suggest that the board should advertise for the plan of a
model section of the sabsoil of the street. That being
done for tho new slxeet in Southwark, it might be from
time to time applied to the old streets, so that, at the end
of 30 years, there might be subways throughout the whole
of the metropolis.

The motion was then put and agreed tb-,finanimously.
The board, having disposed of the whole* the business
on the agenda paper, adjourned at a quartO,r before five
o'clock.

eisely the came rate as incomes derived from property
which descends from generation to generation. We agree
with you that the evils incident to the tax, as at present
levied, are frequently much aggravated by the arbitrary
and oppressive conduct of persons oonneoted with its as-
sessment and collection."
agree with them word for word, anti I also concur with
them when they go on to give you the strongest possible
advice to take care how you fall into the trap of doing
away with direct to reestablish indirect taxation. (Hear.)
Something has been said of the representatives by whose
votes this t4a was imposed; but look who it was that con-
sented to the tax, and see whether they were not what is
called the "friends of the people," and look at those who
opposed the vote, and you will find that it was the men
who throughout their lives had been bolsterers up of mo-
nopoly. It may be well to call to mind a man who is called
the man of the people, a man whom the people taxed
themselves to reward for the exertions which ho had made
in their favour. 1 refer to Richard Cobden, who, speaking
of the income tax, said :
" Is there anything intrinsically worse in the income
tax than in the taxes on tea and wine ? In what way is it
worse? Does it give rise to greater oppression in its inci-
dence? See how large a portion of the income of a poor
man with a family is spent on the half ounce of tea that
he is under the necessity of purchasing. What is paid for
the duty on that tea? The same duty is paid on his tea
which you can purchase in the bonded, warchouss at lOid.
per lb. as on the finest flavoured Pekoe or gunpowder,
which costs ss. or n's. Can you show anything in the
income tax more unjust in its operatioa: than that? I
might go through the whole list of taxes, and, although
you would not find the same inequalities in all cases, yet
let it he borne in mind that when you'levy a tax on con-
sumable articles of every-day comfort you may be sure the
mass of the people pay a far larger sum . in proportion to
their income than is paid by th rich. I maintain you
may always collect direct taxes cheaper than indirect taxes.
I never heard it said that the income tax interferes with
the progress of industry, or impedes commerce in any way
whatever."

I am sorry to. have detained you so long, but I was desirous
you should set yourselves right with your representatives.
- .

I am as anxious as any one to do away- with this obnoxious
tart-bat before i can consent so to-do I must see my way
clearly that Great Britain shall pay her debts honestly.
I will only refer to one other matter, and that is almost
personal to myself, as one who has the management of
that arm of the service which we all so dearly love—the
navy. We are told to reduce that navy, and, in short,
to put it down altogether. Now, I can assure you, as I
stand before you an honest man, that had the navy been
kept up in that state of efficiency which I believe it ought
to have been, you would not have been charged by at least
one-third the amount which the war expendtiure of the
navy has been. It is unfortunately too true that when
we undertook the war we were not prepared, so far as the
navy is concerned, to carry it out in a way that this great
maritime nation ought to have been. But while I say
this I will not go the length of the late. Commander-in-
Chief of the Baltic fleet, for I believe no doubt can be en-
tertained as to the result of the conflict had the Russian
fleet come out. The Admiral was pleaso:d to say that he
doubted the issue of such a conflict. I say that there was
neither an officer, man, nor boy in his fleet that entertained
any such doubt whatever—(cheers)—and had such a doubt
existed in the mind of any man whose nerves were not
shaken by age I could not have slept in my bed, knowing it
was I who had sent them to sea. I was in correspondence
with most of the offic3rs of that fleet, and they one and all
felt confident in the men they had under them, and assured

me that if the Russians would but give them a chance by
coming out, that those ships which were not sunk would
be led in triumph to a British port. (Cheers.) This much
I think I owe to myself to state, because the gallant ad-
miral has publicly said he felt a doubt as to the issue of the
conflict. (Loud cheers, and a voice—" Why didn't you
go yourself ?")
Other speeches followed, and a petition to Parliament,
embodying the views of the meeting in opposition to the
income tax, was agreed to, and the meeting, which did not
terminate until past 11 o'clock, then broke up.