The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-06 00:00:00

PRICE 7D.

next revision of the Burgess Roll ; and that after the pass-
ing of the Act no Person shall be elected, admitted,:or enrolled
a Citizen, Freeman, Liveryman or Burgess, or by any name,
a Member of any Body Corporate, in respect of any right
or title other than that of being a settled rate-payer within
such Borough, according to the meaning and provisions of the
Bill.
5. That Burgesses shall not have individual benefit from
Common Lands and Public Stock, &c., who were not entitled
thereunto before the passing of the Act.
6. That all exclusive rights of trading shall be abolished.
7. That Overseers make out Alphabetical Lists of Persons
entitled to vote by certain forms ; that persons omitted in the
Lists may give notice of Claim, and Lists of Claimants and
Persons objected to, to be published ; power to the Mayor
to revise the Lists, and, upon due proof, to insert and ex-
punge Names, with certain powers to rectify mistakes in the
Lists ; publication of the Lists provided for as in the Reform
Bill, and all expenses of Registration and Lists to be defrayed
out of the Borough Fund.
8. That a MAYOR and TOWN COUNCIL be chosen in
every Borough ; the Mayor to be elected by the Council ; the
Councillors to be chosen by the Burgesses on the Twenty-fifth
day of October next; One-third of the Council to go out of
office annually; any ex-Councillor to be capable ofre-election.
9. The larger class of Towns (those with a Population of
25,000), to be divided into Wards; the mode of voting to be
by ticket or voting paper, containing the Christian Names and
Surnames of the Persons for whom each Burgess votes, with
their respective places of abode and description, signed by
the Burgess; all Elections to be concluded in one day, and
Polling Booths in the discretion of the Mayor; no inquiry of
the Voter, except as to his identity, and whether he has voted
before at the same election ; the Register to be final.
10. All existinPlayors and Aldermen, and Councils, to go
out of Office, on election of New Councils under the Act.
IL Mayor to be annually elected by the Council.
12. No Qualification for Mayor, Council, or other Muni-
cipal Officers, other than that of Burgess; Fines for refusal
of Office ; any public Officer becoming Bankrupt, or declared
Insolvent, to vacate office.
13. The Mayor to be a Justice of the Peace for the Bo-
rough and for the County, and to act as a Returning Officer
at Elections of Members to serve in Parliament during the
term of his said Mayoralty.
14. Power to the Town Council to appoint Town Clerk,
Treasurer and other Officers; to take security for due dis-
charge of their official duties, and to determine Salaries.
15. Treasurers to pay no Money but by order in writing of a
quorum of the Town Council, countersigned by Town Clerk,
with summary powers against Officers for not accounting.
16. Town Councils o Cities and Towns which are Coun-
ties to name a Sheriff ; and in certain Boroughs to appoint a
Coroner.
17. Town Clerks and Officers removed under the provisions
of the Act, to receive Compensation, if they can agree the
same with the Town Councils ; in case of non-agreement, the
Lords of the Treasury to determine Amount.
18. Town Councils to nominate Sub-Committees.
19. All Licenses of Publicans and Victuallers to be granted
by Town Councils.
20. Town Councils to appoint Charitable Trustees to ad-
minister all Charity Funds vested in Municipal Corporations ;
such Trustees to appoint a Secretary and Treasurer.
21. Town Councils to be Trustees of all acts of which Cor-
porators are ex officio Trustees.
22. A Police Committee to consist of Mayor and Council-
men; such Committee to appoint Constables for the Borough;
Constables to be for the County as well as Borough ; powers
of Constables defined.
23. Borough Magistrates to appoint annually a certain
number of Persons to act as Special Constables in case of
need, to be called out on Warrant of Magistrates when they
shall deem ordinary Police insufficient.
24. Limited powers of Rate for Municipal purposes ; all
Corporate Property and all Fines to be received on account of
Borough Fund.
25. Power of Bye Laws vested in the Town Council.
26. Burgesses annually to choose Two Auditors (not to be
Members of Council, nor to be Town Clerk, Treasurer, or
Charitable Trustee), and Mayor to choose a third ; the Three,
half-yearly, to examine and audit Borough Accounts ; all
Accounts to be annually published.
27. Town Council of certain Boroughs to nominate Per-
sons for a Commission of Justices of the Peace, such Com-
mission to be confirmed by the Crown ; and any Town Coun-
cils petitioning for stipendiary Magistrates, the Crown to ap-
point such.
28. Recorders (Barristers-at-Law of five years standing) to
be appointed by the Crown in certain Boroughs, if Town
Councils petition for Quarter Sessions ; with powers to such
Recorders to act for more than one Borough. Recorder
not to be Councillor or Police Magistrate ; Recorder to be
sole Judge ; in his absence, the Mayor, &c.
29. All Capital Jurisdiction abolished, and Criminal Juris-
diction limited to that of Quarter Sessions.
30. County Justices of the Peace to have jurisdiction in all
Boroughs which have not a separate Court of Sessions of the
Peace under the Act, with provisions as to County Rates, and
apportionment of the expenses of prosecutions at the Assizes
and County Quarter Sessions.
31. Civil Jurisdiction extended in some Boroughs, and ge-
nerally regulated.
32. Burgesses to be Jurors.
33. Fees regulated, and Tables to be published.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS.
Lord JOHN RU S SELL—I have now, Sir, to perform a
very important duty, in asking leave of the House to bring
forward a Bill, on the part of his Majesty's Government, to
provide for the regulation of Municipal Corporations in 'Eng-
land arid Wales. Sir, it was not, till very lately, that I ex-
pected such a task would have fallen to my lot. In the course
of last session, it was my intention that the consideration of
this important question should have been in the hands of a
person who will be admitted, on all sides of the House,
to have been eminently qualified for that purpose, and
who, in bringing the question before the House, would
have brought that amount of talent and experience, and
that intimate acquaintance with the constitution of the
country, which would have recommended the measure that
he would have proposed, and would have enforced the ar-
guments which he would have urged. Sir, I would say
more, were it not that I am now alluding to yourself, and
that I think it would not be proper to dwell longer
on the subject. But as by the circumstances that have since
occurred, it belongs properly to the station which I sow hold
in the House to bring forward this measure, I can only beg
that this House will give me that indulgence of which I stand
so greatly in need ; and that they will make allowances for
my deficiencies and my inadequate knowledge of the circum-
stances connected with this question. Sir, I ask for that in-
dulgence, because this subject is one of the very highest
importance—one of considerable intricacy—one which relates
to ancient practices and privileges, and one which by its
proper exposition and arrangement will have a considerable
effect upon the future business of this House. The persons
whe are under the Government of Municipal Corporations
in this country, and who are, taken in round numbers, resident
in the boroughs which I propose to bring under the provisions
of the Bill which I am about to ask leave of the House to in-
troduce, are not less than two millions.—( Hear, hear, hear.)
It cannot be said that this question has been undertaken without
ample and adequate investigation. It might have been allow-
able upon the first meeting of a Reformed Parliament to
have taken a theoretical view of this subject, and to
have laid down certain rules and regulations which
in the opinion of Parliament were necessary for the
government of Municipal Corporations, and to make
these resolutions the foundation of any future measure.
But, Sir, by the advice of the Committee of which you were
the Chairman, another course was taken—a Commission was
appointed by the Crown to inquire into these Corporations ;
and after much careful, and laborious, and minute investiga-
tion, they presented a Report to his Majesty, in which they
stated they had inquired into more than 200 Corporations ;
and, after stating the general nature of these Corporations, they
had declared that a thorough Reform must be effected, before
they could become what the Commissioners submitted they
ought to be, useful and efficient instruments of local govern-
ment. Sir, this Report was agreed to by far the greater
number of the Commissioners appointed ; and I may say, Sir,
that this is the conclusion of a body of men eminently qua-
lified for the task they had undertaken, and who, since
their appointment, have bestowed the utmost pains, and
diligence on this inquiry. Sir, I might have taken upon
myself the task of proving the abuses which they declare to
exist ; but they can be easily made out and ascertained by the
reports contained in the various volumes which they have
presented to his Majesty, and which have been laid before
this House. But, Sir, as it is my purpose to propose
a practical measure, and a practical measure of the very high-
est importance, and as going into the separate details of all
these various heads might occupy a much longer period than I
believe the House would be willing to accord to me on this
subject, I think it would be better that I should touch upon
two or three of those heads, which show that the
present Bodies are unfit for the purposes for which
they were appropriated, and that they are not good depositaries
of local government. I believe the rest of the state-
ments of these Commissioners can be discussed on future
occasions in the different stages of the Bill.—(Hear, hear.)
Yet, Sir, there are two or three points which seem to me to
be so strong, that I cannot altogether refrain from bringing
them before the House. It appears to me, that of those Cor-
porations there is a vast—a great number which govern im:
portant towns, and there are others which govern very small
boroughs, which ought not to have any Corporation at all. I
will speak, in the first place, of those boroughs which
are considerable towns, where there are municipal coun-
cils required, but where those municipal councils do
not properly represent the property, intelligence, and popu-
lation of the town. One instance mentioned in the Report,
which is not, I believe, yet before the House, is that of Bed-
ford (we understood). There it is stated that the Corporate
body was only one-seventeenth of the population of the town,
and one-fourth of the property of the place. In the town
of Oxford there are 1,400 electors, a great many of whom
I, are not rated inhabitants of the town, and generally there
was so much treating and such corrupt practices prevail-