The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-10 00:00:00

HARWICH ELECTION.

The followii7gifenab;re, appointed to determine the
validity of the return for the borough of Harwich, at-
tended at the table, and were sworn:—Mr. Fergus, Mr.
Kenhaw, Mr. Arkwright, Mr. Deedes, and Sir H. Wil-
loughby.
MERCHANT SEAMEN'S FUND BILL.

Mr. WILCOX presented a petition from the trustees
or the Merchsnt Stamen's Society at Southampton,
praying that the Merchant Seamen's Fund Bill bepost-
poned until next session.
The House then went into Committcle on the Bill,
Mr. Bernal in the chair.

Clauses from 1 to 14 inclusive were agreed to.
On clause 15 a short discussion arose as to the mcde
of windirg up these funds.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said it was very painful for him
to state that the Mtrchatit S,amen's Funds in almost
all the ports in the kingdom were in a state
nearly bordering on insolvency. This was to be attri-
buted not so much to gross mismanagement as to the
vicious and incorrect system on which they were founded,
it being clear to any intelligent actuary that it was a
false, and not a self-supporting system, and must one day
inevitably blow up. But the final blow given to these
societies was a provision introduced into a former Bill
by Mr. Pease, no doubt with the best and most liberal
intention, and inadvertently assente,d to by the House,
enabling the widows and orphans'' of sailors to have
claims on the funds to an almost unlimited extent. The
cons( quenco would be that in a very few years
either the rate of pensions to which sailors were
entitled would be reduced to such a degree as to be
scarcely worth receiving, or that the trustees would be
compelled to sell out a portion of their reserve tunds.
He proposed by the present Bill to sweep away the
system altogether at the smallest possible expense to the
public, reserving at the same time all the rights which
the persons having claims upon the funds now pos-
sessed.

After a short conversation the clause was agreed to.
The remaining clauses of the Bill were then agreed
,o without discussion.

Mr. HARDCASTLE moved the following clause:—
" Provided always, and it is hereby declared, notwith-
standing anything herein contained to the contrary, that
all moneys now invested or standing in the name or
names of a trustee or trustees for any outport, pur-
suant to and under the provisions of the Act 4 and
5 William IV., c. 52, shall from and after the
passing of this Act be laid out or disposed of
in such Kay and manner for the benefit of the
masters and seamen of and belonging to the port, for
and in respect of which the fund and moneys were col-
lected or contributed, as the trustees masters, and sea-
men of such outport shall, at a meeting to be called by
a notice in writing under the hands of the treasurer of
the fund, or the receiver for the port, direct, such notice
to be affixed on the outer door of the Custom House of
such port for at least ten days prior to the ho►ding of the
said meeting, and such meeting to be held within three
months from the passing of this Act."
After a few words from Mr. J. CLAY in support of
the clause,
Mr. LABOUCHERE said the proposal of the Hon.
Member was certainly plain and simple, but was quite
as monstrous as plain. It was neither more nor less
than to devote the whole of the assets in any particular
port to the benefit of the sailors of that port, and leave
the fund to be wound up by the public Exchequer. The
assets amounted to no less than 180,0001., and this sum
it was proposed to take without any of the liabilities ex-
isting with it. He hoped that the representatives of the
ports in that House, and the sailors themselves, would
see the injustice of such a proposal.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought
that under the circumstances, the Bill proposed by the
Board of Trade was the best that could possibly be
adopted. He had agreed to charge the public with
520.0001., in order to have the fund wound up, and
more ho was sure could not be expected from the Go-
vernment. He must, therefore, object to this clause,
which would have the effect of throwing an additional
burden of 180,0001. on the national Exchequer.
(LEFT SITTING.)