The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-17 00:00:00

LIFEBOATS, &c.

The Earl of MALMESBURY called the attention of
Government to the deficiency of lifeboats and other means
of saving life on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland,
and moved fora return of the number of lifeboats and rocket
apparatus now appointed; with the names of the places at
which they exist. The noble lord referred in terms of the
highest eulogium to the services rendered by the National
Association, but he contended that a more extended sys-
tem and under the control of the Government should be
adopted. He adverted in detail to the different
parts of the coasts which were unsupplied with
the means of preserving life in cases of
great disasters at ; sea. He complained that
the Coastguard were not so efficient as they might have
been in rescuing persons in cases of shipwreck or distress.
He cited one case in illustration of this statement.
The Duke of SOMERSET said that the National Life-
boat Institution was one of the noblest in the United
Kingdom, and he thought much injury would be done by
the Government interfering with that institution. He vin-
dicated the conduct of the Coastguard who had been mainly
instrumental during the last two years in saving a large
amount of property and life on the coast. The Board of
Trade did render pecuniary assistance to the National
Lifeboat Institution in certain cases. He adverted to the
course pursued by the Emperor of the French, who refused

to transfer from private control the lifeboats in France to
the French Admiralty. With regard to the rocket apparatus
there were 250 stations on the coast under the control of
the coastguard, which had been of great service.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY deprecated the in-
terference of Government with the National Lifeboat
Association.

The subject then dropped.
THE PUBLIC LOAN ACTS.

Earl POWIS called the attention of the First Lord of
thy Tronoury to the, imptediloomt to • tho iyonoticial working
of the Public Loan Acts, caused by the Treasury minute
of 1859, declining any further reduction of interest below
5 per cent. He did not complain of the action of the Trea-
sury so far as related to loans granted to companies under-
taking works for private profit ; but he must say that he
did think that it was unjust and inexpedient to exact so
high a rate as 5 per cent, for money lent for public purposes,
on the security of poor rates, borough rates, and county
rates. The State ought not to make a profit out of the
assistance which it gave by loan to such undertakings. By
so doing they increased the expense, and therefore dis-
couraged the execution of many public works. There could
be no need for the Government to charge 5 per cent. for
loans on the security of rates, because the security was
perfectly safe, while they themselves obtained the money
at something like 3 per cent.
Earl RUSSELL said that before 1859 the rate of interest
on loans granted by the Public Loan Commissioners varied
with the rate of interest in the market. That practice
was found very inconvenient, and therefore, in 1859, the
Treasury decided that the uniform rate of interest should
be 5 per cent. That was not a very high rate, and he
believed it was far more conducive to the public interest
that there should be a fixed than a fluctuating rate. Ex-
ceptions had, however, been made from time to time in
favour of useful undertakings of a beneficial character, for
which money had been lent at a lower rate than 5 per cent.
Lord OVERS TONE said that if the Government inter-
fered to divert capital to particular classes of undertakings,
they ought not to supply that capital at a lower rate than
that which persons were compelled to pay who borrowed
money in the open market to carry on other useful works.
Looking to the rate of interest which had prevailed for the
last five years, he must say that he was surprised to hear
5 per cent. complained of as an unduly high rate of inte-
rest. The demand for capital to meet the various under-
takings which had been entered into on all sides was very
great at the present time, as was evident from the current
rate of interest, and he thought it would be most unjust if
the Government, by offering money at a very low rate o
interest, were to divert capital into a certain class of under-
takings, and were thus to add to the embarrassments under
which men of business who had to obtain their capital in
the open market were now suffering.
The subject then dropped.
THE CATTLE PLAGUE.
Lord DUNSANY wished to ask her Majesty's Ministers
whether they had received information that any cattle had
been smuggled into Ireland from Scotland, and if so, what
precautions had been taken to prevent it. He also desired
to know if it was true that an Order in Council had lately
been issued permitting the importation of sheep or lamb
skins under certain conditions into Ireland.

Earl GRANVILLE said that 126 sheep had been ille-
gally imported from Scotland into Ireland in the month of
October. The importers were prosecuted and punished,
and he had not heard of any subsequent case in which the
law had been evaded. An Order in Council had been
issued permitting the importation of sheep and lamb skins
on condition that they were packed in a particular way,
and were prepared with lime in such a manner as to pre-
clude all risk of their conveying infection.

The house adjourned at twenty minutes to seven o'clock,

HOUSE OF COMMONS-LAST EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at the usual hour.
NAVY ESTESI.A.TES.

Lord C. PAGET laid on the table the y estimates,
and also the estimates for Greenwich Hospital.
CIVIL SERVICE ESTIMATES.
Mr. CHILDERS laid on the table civil service estimates
connected with the navy.