The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-10 00:00:00

TICKET-OF-LEAVE SYSTEM.

Lord DUNGANNON, in rising to bring forward his
motion condemnatory of the ticket-of-leave system, of
which he bad given notice, complained that, though the
Lord President had intimated before the last recess his
intention to move for the appointment of a committee to
consider the subject, he had not yet named the commit-
tee, nor fixed any day for the nomination. The ticket-
of-leave system was a serious and crying evil, which was
daily increasing, and the effects of which were felt both
in populous places and in the agricultural districts. In-
stead of a ticket-of-leave conferring a benefit on a man it
did exactly theireverse, for it led persons to lookupon him
with suspicion. If the Government were determined to
release these people after a short period of imprisonment,
it would be better to make them free men altogether,
but still to keep them under the vigilance of the police,
so that when they re-entered society it might be thought
that the remainder of their sentence had been remitted
in consequence of their good conduet ; whereas now
the ticket-of-leave was looked upon simply as a condi-
tional guarantee, leaving them liable at any time to be
required to undergo the full period of their sentence. He
should not press his motion if he received any intimation
from the Government that there was some probability of
a committee being speedily formed to consider this im-
portant question.
Lord BERNERS having had considerable werience
is this matter, could state that the ticket-of-leave sys-
tem had failed in accomplishing the object for which it
had been established. He quoted from statistics of
crime in the county of Leicester, to show that a consi-
derable per-centage of the ticket-of-leave men in the
county had been reoonvicted.
The Duke of ARGYLL said there was no disposition
on the part of the Government to throw any difficulty in
the way of the proposed inquiry. The question was now
left in the hands of a noble baron who had just left the
house (Lord Stanley of Alderley), and he had deferred
proposing the committee, because an inquiry of the same
nature was going on in the other House of Parliament,
but he believed it was his intention to have it nominated
soon after Whitsuntide. He (the Dukeif Argyll) did
not believe the system had been a failure. The report
to which he bad alluded on a former evening, relative to
this subject, was not yet ready to be laid on their lord-
ships' table ; but he had no doubt that when they came
to read that report they would find that the proportion
of men who, after being liberated on tickets of leave had
been again convicted was greatly exaggerated.
The subject then dropped.
Their lordships then adjourned until Monday, the 19th
instant.

HO USE OF COMM ONS.-4YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at the usual hour.
NEW MEMBER.
Captain Berkeley took the oaths and his seat for Chel
tenham.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords' amendments to the Heywood Gas and the
Doddington Rectory Division Bills were agreed to.
The Scotch Drainage Improvement Company Bill was
read a third time and passed.
The Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge Road, and
the Knaresborough and Hammerton Road Bills, were
considered, and order©d to be read a third time.
Mr. H. BERKELEY presented petitions in favour of
vote by ballot.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented petitions against the
Settled Estates Bill, by which Hampstead-heath was
sought to be enclosed.
A number of petitions against the Scotch and Irish
Poor Removal Bill, the Abolition of Church Rates, and
the Vaccination Bill, were presented.