The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-29 00:00:00

THIRD READINGS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Droitwich Roads, Hinckley and Melbourne Roads, Charles-
town Railway and Harbour (Amendment), Ringwood,
Christchurch, and Bournemouth Railway, and Wansbeck
Railway.
REVISION OF THE LITURGY.

Lord EBURY presented a petition from certain clergy
of the Established Church, praying the house to
address the Queen for a Royal Commission to revise the
liturgy. The noble lord said it was not his intention to
bring the subject under the consideration of their lord-
ships this session.
The: Bishop of LONDON said the object of the peti-
tioners was to shorten the services of the Church, but he was
afraid the alteration which was proposed would involve
questions of doctrine, and would give rise to dissensions
which would be most prejudicial to the interests of the
Church,

[LEFT SITTING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(THis DAT.)
The SPEA.KEx took the chair at 12 o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed
Bray Commons, and Ipswich (Borough) Fishery.
Tho Lucettis Estate Bill was read a second time.

ELECTION PETITIONS.

The members nominated to serve on the Cheltenham
and Limerick election committees were sworn.

INCOME TAX, &c., BILL.
On the motion for going into committee,
Mr. PIGOTT, who had a motion on the paper to the
effect that the proposed assessment on trades and profes-
sions should be reduced from 4d. to 2d. in the pound, said
he would not press his amendment at present, considering
the late period of the session, but he hoped the Govern-
ment would consider the subject next session, with a view
to placing it on a more satisfactory footing. He hoped the
Chancellor of the Exchequer would not look to this tax as
a permanent source of revenue, and that he retained the
opinion he expressed in 1853, that that impost was diffi-
cult to be collected, inquisitorial, and therefore unpopular,
consequently that it should not be retained as a permanent
source of income.

Sir H. WILLOUGHBY considered that after the house
had agreed to the resolutions on the tax he thought it
would be most inexpedient to raise a question like the pre-
sent. The only amendment he would suggest was that in
those cases where the income amounted only to one-half
or three-fourths of the financial year that parties should
not be taxed for the whole year. He mentioned two cases
of hardship that had arisen in the collection of this tax, the
first being when the income liable to taxation was made
up partly of an annuity solely the property of the wife, and
the next when firemen employed on railways received an
amount that brought them within the operation of the
tax, while they had to expend a large sum on the clothes
they required for their employment.
Mr. BENTINCK expressed some surprise that the right
hon. gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, should
advocate the increase of this tax, having been a member of
a Government that endeavoured to carry on the war in the
Crimea on a peace establishment, which resulted in great
disaster. He thought if the country were called on to pay
a war tax in time of peace, that they should be satisfied
that the national defences were maintained in efficiency.
Col. SYKES proposed that in cases of income derived
from professions, the parties should be taxed at half their
incomes.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
he agreed with the last remark of the hon. member (Mr.
Bentinck), but he denied that he was a:member of a Gover-
ment that carried on war on a peace establishment, the in-
come-tax having been doubled at the breaking out of the
Crimean war. With reference to the first case alluded to by
the hon. member for North Warwickshire, he could only
say that there were inequalities in this tax which
appeared inseparable from it; but cases like the one in
question did not warrant any alteration in the law. With
respect to the other case, there was a special clause in the
act which provided a remedy for the hardships complained
of, which could be brought under the notice of the inland
revenue. He adhered to the opinions he formerly expressed
with reference to this tax.
The house then went into committee.
Clause 1 was agreed to.

On clause 2,
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY moved an addition to the
clause, that annuities expiring in October and January
should, in the former, be charged only for the half year,
and in the latter only three-fourths of the year.
After some discussion, the house divided.
For the amendment 37
Against 72 •
Majority —3s
The amendment was accordingly lost, and the original
clause was agreed to.
Clauses 3,4, and 5, were also agreed to.

On clause 6,
Mr. BEALE suggested that the malt tax should be col-
lected like any other tax, namely, when it accrued, but that
the maltster should be allowed two years to pay the
£2,500,000 now, or about being due.
Tho CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
could not make any alteration in the schedule this session.
The clause was then agreed to, as well as clause 7.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved
an additional clause to the bill providing that persons pur-
chasing annuities from insurance companies should be
allowed the dame deduction with regard to the income, tax
that was granted to those who had purchased Government
annuities.
The clause was added and the house resumed.
SUPPLY.

The house then went into committee of supply, and
several minor votes were agreed to.
On the vote of £29,193, the regium donum to noncon-
forming clergy in Ireland,
Mr. BAXTER protested against two or three dissenting
sects being selected for this grant, and objected to such
grants altogether as having been given for political pur-
poses. The operation of the grant was most injurious to
the nonconforming clergy in Ireland, who were worse' off
than other clergymen, and he contrasted their condition
with that of the nonconforming Free Presbyterian Church
in Scotland, towards which no less than £4,500,000 had
been subscribed since the period of the disruption. He
concluded by stating that he would bring the whole ques-
tion before the house next session, and in order to enter his
protest against the grant he would move that it should be
reduced by £69 4s. Bd. the proposed increase on the vote.
Mr. LABOUCHERE trusted that the house would not
do away with this tax lightly, and adverted to the services
which the sects in question had rendered to the cause of
peace and good order in Ireland.
Mr. DAWSON sketched the history of the Irish regium
donum, which, ho said, was a contraot entered into by our
ancestors 100 years ago, and could not justly be abolished.
Be,siges this was a grant to which he believed no party in
Ireland objected, and the nonconformists in that country
were placed in a position different to that of their co-
religionists and other sects elsewhere. If this question
were brought forward on a future occasion he would en-
deavour to show that not only should this grant be con-
tinued, but that it should be increased and placed perma-
rten4y off} thp consolidated fund, thereby relieving it from
these periodical attacks.
Mr. CATI.DIVET4 said that, as the whole question
would be before the house next year, he would not enter
into the discussion at present.
Mr. SPOONgliil44 rtc,PbjePtiol:l to the present grant,
which stood on different grounds to that of Maynooth, to

which he should always be opposed. The hon. member
availed himself of the opportunity tourge some of his usual
objections against the latter grant.
Mr. BLACK considered that the basis of this question
should be widened, and a motion introduced for the pur-
pose of abolishing gradually all these grants.
Lord NAAS concurred with the last speaker.
After some discussion the house divided, and the numbers
were—

For the vote 126
Against ••• 000
Majority —B6
The vote was then agreed to.
On the vote of £5,965 for salaries of officers of the Board
of Health under the Local Government Act,
Mr. WILLIAMS denounced the class of votes to which
this item belonged, as being most reckless and extrava-
gant.
Some discussion ensued, and it was ultimately arranged
that the vote should be postponed until the evening sitting.
On the vote of £3,583 for defraying the salaries of a
number of the officers of the ecclesiastical commisson of
England and Wales,
Mr. WILLIAMS contended that this vote was most un-
just towards Roman Catholics and Dissenters, who were
called on to pay for services which were of value only to the
Church of England.
. . .

Mr. D. SE '-'MOUR said that, as a Protestant, he was
opposed to this vote.
After some remarks by Mr. Walpole, Mr. A. Smith, Mr.
Deedes, and Sir J. Shelley,
Mr. E. JAMES said it appeared that the coil-
missioners had a surplus of £57,000 in hand, and
contended that it was most unfair to call on Dissenters to
pay salaries to clerks and others for administering the affairs
of the Church.
After a few words from Mr. WILLIAMS the house divi-
ded, and the numbers were—
For the vote
Against .. .. 72
Majority
The vote was accordingly agreed to.
A vote of £16,695 for the Charity Commission was
agreed to.
On the vote of £26,278 for sundry temporary commis-
sions, some discussion ensued.
Mr. LAING said with regard to the Decimal Coinage
Committee it was about to terminate.
It being ten minutes to four o'clock, the house resumed.