The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-24 00:00:00

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a second time :—Broms-
grove and Droitwich water, North Eastern Railway
(Gilling, Helmsley, and Pickering), North Eastern
Railway (Leeds and Wetherby Branch), Hull, Horness,
and North-Eastern Railway. Dublin Ports Acb Antond-
mont, Dublin Ports Dock, Leicester Cattle Market, &e.
The Limerick and Castle Connell Railway, Brean Down
Dock, Cork Harbour, United General Gas Company (Dub-
lin), South Essex Raiway, and Imperial Gas Company Bills
were severally read a third time and passed.
WEST MIDDLESEX WATER BILL.
Lord REDESDALE moved that the house should go
into committee on this bill.

Earl GREY thought that some explanation should be
given by the Government as to what were their intentions
as to taking some defined course in reference to private
bills of this description, so as to introduce seme system of
municipal reform. Ho thought the Government were
neglecting their duty in not paying more attention to bills
like the present. '
Earl GRANVILLE said that the subject of this bill did
not in his opinion raise any question of municipal re-
form. No doubt it was desirable that their should be more
united action in respect in dealing with this subject, but
at the same time it was a question that was attended.
with groat difficulty. He reminded the noble earl (Grey)
that there was no authority given in the bill to empower
the company to divert or abstract a quantity of water from
the Thames so as to affect injuriously the supply of the
river water to the metropolis.
The Earl of DERBY was understood to object to the
principle of the bill.
Lord TAUNTON considered that this bill tended to the
obtaining of better terms from the corporation of the City
of London. He thought also that justice would not be
done in regard to their subjects unless the public forced
them on the attention of Parliament. He contended that
it was a disgrace to the country the manner in whcih
municipal matters were 6oraetimes managed, by which an
unnecessary expenditure was incurred, and the interests
of the public were grossly neglected.
The bill then passed through committee.
QUALIFICATION FOR OFFICES ABOLITION
BILL.

Lord HOUGHTON, in moving the second reading of
this bill, said that the subject had been frequently before
their lordships. The object of the bill was to relieve a
very large number of persons from making declara-
tions on their acceptance of office, which were
unnecessary, and in some cases offensive to the feelings of
a large portion of the community. There was no doubt that
the bill was affected by the measure which came up from
the other house, and which was read a second time yes-
terday by their lordships, with a view to relieve members
of Parliament from the imposition of certain oaths on taking
their seats. He did not see why the same relief should not
be extended to the class to which the present bill referred.
There was nothing in the bill to alarm their lordships,
and he believed that the principle of the bill had the ap-
proval of the majority of the reasoning and respectable
portion of the people of the country. From returns to
Parliament it appeared that in Manchester alone, and else-
where, there were some thousands of persons who did not
subscribe to the declaration, and the consequence was that
the Indemnity Act had to be passed. He considered, however,
that a general form of declaration should be roquired on
the part of mayors and other officials, pledging their
loyalty to the Crown.
The Earl of DERBY offered no opposition to the bill,
more particularly after the bill relative to Parliamentary
oaths