The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-02 00:00:00

next Thursday, so much misapprephension seemed to
exist on the subject in consequence of what the right hon.
gentlemen stated last night.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
statement he had made last night was quite consistent with
that he had previously made on the first occasion, and he
said he hoped to be able to introduce the bill on!Thursday
week, but he carefully guarded himself against saying
positively that it would be on that day.
Mr. GLADSTONE said great anxiety existed on tho
matter, and, therefore, he hoped the right hon. gentleman
would state the exact day he proposed to introduce the
bill as early as possible.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said on
Monday next he would name the day ho would introduce
the bill.

ARRESTING A REPORTER.

In reply to Mr. O'BEIICNE,

Lord NAGS said that on the 20th of Feb., a message
was sent to the telegragh office at Killarney, which, with
one exception, viz., the cutting of a telegraph wire was
entirely untrue. Inquiry was made, and ultimately
the person who wished it transmitted was taken into
custody. The name of the person was Tracy, and ho was
a reporter attached to the Cork, Hervid. Ho was told he had
been guilty of a very serious offence against the law, and
after an examination he was committed for trial. Bail,
however, had boon taken for his appearance at the sessions.
As notice of action had been served on the magistrates for
false imprisonment, and Mr. Tracy had yet to undergo
his trial, the house would excuse him saying anything
further on the matter.

SUGAR DUTIES.
In reply to Mr. GLADSTONE,
Mr. lIUNT said, provided all matters were
settled with the Dutch Government, the reduced
duties would como into effect on the Ist of April, but if
matters were not arranged by that time then it would be
the Ist of May.
On the motion for going into committee of supply, nume-
rous and varied subjects were brought under the notice of
the house, though only a very few possessed any features
calculated to excite the pubic interest.

Mr. B. COCHRANE descanted at some length upon the
alleged iniquities attendant on the Coolie emigration from
the East Indies, and urged that the system ought not to
receive further extension, but should be conducted under
more efficient checks and restraints.

In opposition to this view of the hon. member Mr.
ADDERLEY, as Under Secretary for the Colonies, con-
tended that the emigration of Coolies was most useful alike
to the Coolies themselves, to the negroes in the West
Indies, and the planters. No cultivation required such
steady and continuous labour as that of sugar, and in the
West ladies and the Mauritius the negroes could not be
relied upon for this. If the advice of Mr. Cochrane were
followed, the result would simply be to put an extinguisher
upon tho whole system.
In the same view Mr. CARD WELL treated the subject.
So far as the Coolies were concerned they were able to
obtain in the West India islands an amount of wages that

they could not get in their own country, whilst their im-
portation was beneficial to those countries and the negroes
themselves. From its very inception to its close the sys-
tem of Coolie emigration was surrounded with every pos-
sible guard: the immigrants at the expiration of their con-
tracts were free to return to their own country, and they

frequently did so with considerable savings. Abuses might
occur, it was true, but what system was entirely free from
abuse? That, however, was no reason why a system should
be put an end to that had been productive of so much
benefit. _ _

Sir W. S. MAXWELL, in asking the Chancellor of the
Exchequer whether, in his proposed scheme of Parliamen-
tary Reform, he contemplated giving any additional repre-
sentation to Scotland, observed, that having assisted to
take the question of Reform out of the hands of the late
Government, hon. niembers on the Ministerial side of the
house were bound to seo that the interests of the country
were as carefully weighed by their leader and his Cabinet
as they would have been by their predecessors in office.
Ile pressed upon his right hon. friend's consideration,
therefore, whether it would be fair, handsome, or wise,
that an opinion should grow up in Scotland that it was not
treated on that side of the house as it would have been by
the ether; and that, in fact, it was to bo deprived of its
fair share of representation because the timepiece which
regulated the opinions of the Treasury bench went a little
slower than that which regulated the opinions of the Oppo-
sition.

The mooting of this question was the" signal for one
Scotch member after another rising and pressing the claim
of their country to increased representation on the -ground
of property, wealth, and intelligence.
In reply, the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said that Ministers had not yet arrived at a conclusion that
there was too much rep:•esontative power in England, al-
though they thought it might be more efficiently distri-
buted. lie could not admit, therefore, that in attempting
to improve the representation of the peopleof England and
Wales, the Government were bound at the same time to
consider the claims of any other part of the United King-
dom. Scotch members were under a great error if they
supposed that Ministers were insensible to their claims or
unwilling to consider them ; but they could not undertake
to do so on the condition that the im.proved representation
of Scotland was to be accomplished by the sacrifice of the
interests of England.
The house then went into committee of supply, and a
vote of £56,000 was taken for excess of civil service esti-
mates on the year ending March 31, 1866.
The Trades Unions Bill was read a third time and

passed
Mr. Secretary WALPOLE moved for leave to bring in
two bills for the extension of the Factory Acts, and for
regulating the hours of labour for children, young persons,
and women employed in workshops. The first of these
bills, ho explained, would apply to six different heads of
trades, and include all establishments in which one hun-
dred persons or upwards were employed ; whilst the second
related to establishments of lesser magnitude. In the
former instance all the provisions of the Factory Acts
would come into operation, with regard to ventilation and
cleanliness, security of life and health, hours of employ-
ment of children and young persons, and compulsory at-
tendance at school for the purposes of education. No
children or women would be permitted to be employed at
night work except in particular trades, and then only
subject to the provision that they should not be
employed either during the preceding or succeeding day,
or more than a certain number of nights in a fortnight.
The second bill, be believed, would do more for the
benefit of those who could not protect themselves
than any other measure that could be devised, for it
would protect upwards of 11,000 of that Class. Its main
object was to secure that no children under eight years of
age should bo employed ; to regulate the employment of
children between eight and thirteen years of age ; and, as
regarded all young persons and women, to regulate their
working hours, not absolutely, but very nearly according
to thepriuciples of the Factory Acts. The trades affected
, would be the lace manufacture, hosiery, and some others.
Inspectors would be appointed to supervise them in diffe-
rent parts of the kingdom, and the local authorities would
have power to enforce under penalties, whether on parents
or employers, compliance with the provisions of the act.
Mr. IL BRUCE was of opinion that the bill would strike
it fatal blow at some very serious evils, and that the right
hon. gentleman had only to extend his legislation to the
case of children employed in agriculture to complete the
good work.
Mr. E. POTTER was grateful to the Home Secretary
for his proposed measure, but hoped that before it reached
its next stage the right hon gentleman would see his way
clear to providing for the compulsory education of the
children and young persons to whom the bill applied.
Mr. WALPOLE admitted that the absence of any pro-
vision for compulsory education was a defect ; but he was
not without hopes of being able to introduce clauses for
satisfactorily dealing with that difficult subject. His own
Ada was that before a child was allowed to bo employed a

certificate should be required that ho possessed a certain
amount of education ; and that until a certain age he
should not be employed more than sir hours a day. The
question, however, should receive consideration.
Leave was then given to bring in the bill.
Leave was also given to Mr. HADFIELD to introduce a
bill for facilitating the acquisition and enjoyment of sites
for buildings for religious, educational, literary, scien-
tific, and other charitable purposes; and to Mr. CAVE a
bill :imeuding the act of last session for the protection of
oyster and mussel fisheries.
The house rose at 25 minutes to 10 o'clock. •