The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-25 00:00:00

EQUALISATION OF POOR RATES.

A public meeting of the ratepayers and inhabi-
tants of Hammersmith, convened by the church-
wardens, in pursuance of a requisition, was held at
the National School-room, near the parish church,
on Friday evening, for the purpose of considering
the advisability of petitioning the Legislature in
favour of an equalisation of the poor rates through-
out the metropolitan districts, and to adopt such
measures as might be deemed expedient for the pur-
pose of effecting the object proposed—the Rev. E.
E. Boyle, the vicar, in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said he bad been anxious for
some time past that the inhabitants of Hammer-
smith should join in the movement for an equalisa-
tion of poor rates throughout the metropolis. The
only objection he had heard urged against such a
course worth notice was that if you begin in the
metropolitan districts you are sure to advance to a
national rate at last, but if it should terminate in
that, which he by no means believed, he did not see
why it should prevent an equalisationin the metro-
polis, in some parts of which the present mode of
assessment was so injuriously felt.
Mr. AINSWORTH moved the first resolution :
" That the present law, by which each parish or
smaller district is charged with the relief and main-
tenance of the poor residing within its limits, ope-
rates injuriously and unfairly by throwing an un-
due proportion of the burden on the poorerparishes,
who are the least able to bear it, and almost ex-
empting those who have it in their power to con-
tribute towards the support of the metropolitan
poor." The question was a very simple one. The
laws as they now stood were unfavourable both to
the poor and the ratepayer—to the poor by driving
them from the richer parishes to the poorer ones,
and to the ratepayers from the consequent increase
of rates. That was especially the case with regard
to that parish, the rates of which had been for some
time past rapidly increasing. The rateable value of
property assessed to the poor-rate in the metropo-
lis was 10,000,000/.—the expenditure for the poor
600,000/. ' • so that if the poor-rates were equally
assessed there would be an uniform rate of
ls. 20. in the pound. But the present rate
of assessment was most inequitable, inasmuch
as no two parishes would be found assessed
in the same proportion. The total amount
expended in relieving the poor in the parish of St.
George, Hanover-square, in the year 1847, was
21,363/. ; and in the year .1856 it was something
less than that. Whereas, in the Fulham Union,
to which the parish of ammersmith belonged,
since 1852 the amount of relief to the poor had in-
creased upwards of 4,0001. per annum. Now, he
thought that was sufficient to show the injustice of
the present system, and the necessity for some
better system being organised. Nothing could be
more unjust than driving the poor from the neigh-
bourhoods in which they were employed, with spe-
cial advantage to those neighbourhood, to others
where they become a burthen in the event of want
of employment, sickness, or old age. In 1856, the
rate in the parish of St. George, Hanover-square
was 74d. in the pound, whilst that of the Fulham
Union was 2s. 101 d. He contended that the pre-
sent high rate of assessment in some of the parishes
prevented the carrying out many good works much
required, such as baths and wash-houses, model
lodging-houses, dispensaries, and the like ; and the
poor in those parishes were deprived of those ad
vantages which, if the tax were more equitably
levied, they would have conferred upon them.
Mr. FITCHEW seconded the resolution, and re-
ferred to the enormous expenses connected with
the present law of settlement of the poor.
Mr. W. GILBERT, chaorrnan of the Association
for Procuring an Equalisation of the Poor-rates,
also supported the resolution. He had ascertained
from personal inquiries that the more the poor
were congregated together the greater was the state
of their demoralisation, and the accounts he had
received from the various London hospitals on the
subject were perfectly horrifying, and surpas-ed
anything that could be related iu reference to the
sufferings in the Crimea, or the horrors of slavery.
The resolution having been further spoken to by
Mr. WARRIOR, was carried 'nem, con.
Mr. CHESTER, a solicitor, moved the second re-
solution. The proposition which he should lay
before the meeting was self-evident. The state of
the poor socially, as between man and man, was
bad, but as between man and God it was worse.
(Bear, hear.) The conduct adopted by our wealthy
men was repul4ive to human nature, for while they
enrich themselves by the labour of the poor, they
drive them from them in order that they may not
contribute to their support when they are no longer
capable of rendering, or when their service is no
longer required. Such a course of conduct was
manifestly opposed to the first principles of Chris-
tianity,
and he felt sure that the result of the pre-
sent agitation would be that the Legislature would
take the matter up, and adopt such a measure as
that proposed. Re moved " That this law, besides
being unjust to the ratepayers, is injurious to the
poor, forcing them to reside at a distance from their
employment, as particularly instanced in the case
of Hammersmith, or compelling them to herd to-
gether in other districts in a manner alike destruc-
tive of health and morality, and in both cases
placing them in a position where they cannot ob-
tain adequate relief."
Mr. BURGE seconded the motion. As the medical
officer of the district he bore testimony to the des
titution existiog in that parish, the rates of which
were totally inadequate to the proper support of
the poor residing in it. In that parish at the present
time they were entirely unable to improve the con-
dition of their poor by means of sanitary institu-
tions, to say nothing of providing for their mental
improvement, in consequence of the heavy rates.
Mr. BLATCHFORD supported the resolution, which
was alsb carried.

Mr. VALENTINE STEVENS then moved " That the
poor of each parish of the metropolis are the poor
of the whole metropolitan communi,y, and ought
not, therefore, to be a charge upon the particular
parish in which they reside, but should be relieved
and maintained by an equal rat asiessed upon an
uniform basis throughout the whole of the metro-
polis, and that petitions to that effect be presented
to both houses of Parliament."

The resolution was seconded by Mr. BERNARD,
and having been spoken to by several other gentle-
men, was also carried.
Petitions to Parliament were then adopted em-
bodying the foregoing resolutions ; and a vote of
thanks to the rev. chairman brought the proceed-
ings to a close.

THE ATLANTIC SUBMARINE CABLE.

-

We learn that Mr. W. Brown, M.P., chairman
of the Atlantic Telegraph Company, Mr. Brett and
Mr. Pickering, directors, accompanied by Captain
Kells, have been on board the noble ship Niagara,
Captain Hudson, at Gravesend, to confer and ar-
range with him about laying that portion of the
submarine cable which is to go to the westward,
to connect and bind the Old and the New World,
permanently, we trust, in harmony and peace.
Nothing could exceed the gentlemanly and cour-
teous feeling with which they were received by
Capt. Hudson and his officers. After going through
the ship it was fraud, to their extreme regret, that
without ruining her, by cutting away stanchions,
there was not space to make sufficiently large cir-
cular coils of the cable to secure its safe delivery
into the ocean, which in such an enterprise is the
first point to be attended to. Indeed this is not
surprising, for although Sir Baldwin Walker was
most anxious that the British Government should
furnish suitable vessels to do their part of the enter-
prise, Capt. Kells was three months looking over
the dockyards to find ne that would do. Tne
Agamemnon was at last fixed on, but she required
considerable alterations. If time admitted there
can be no doubt that among the United, States navy
would be found a suitable vessel, and that the Go-
vernment would Fend her here to aid in this great
international undertaking. Capt. Hudson stated
that his orders from the Secretary of the Navy
were to do everything in his power to forward the
enterprise, and that he, his officers, and crew felt
a deep interest in it, and were ready to do anything
that would contribute to its triumphant success.
It was felt by all par ties that these two great nations
must be united in carrying out this important work,
and probably the best thing that could now be done
was for the Niagara to bake on board the shore end
of the cable, and lead the van of that part of the
squadron going to the Western World, and be
ready to give every necessary assistance. In this
suggestion Capt. Hudson most cheerfully acquiesced,
saying he was ready to do anything the deputa-
tion wished to aid and assist the undertaking.
The United States, desirous of conferring all the
honour possible upon this country, sent one of
their noblest ships, and, to a person who knows
what a vessel should be, an inspection of the
Niagara would be worth a voyagß across the
Atlantic. Everything was in tht. most perfect and
beautiful order. She is constructed for sailing and
for purposes of war, and not for carrying such a
length of cable as is necessay to annihilate time
and space between the twokindred nations. None
but practical engineers who have been in the habit
of laying
down submarine cable could foresee what
construction of vessel would best answer the pur-
pose, and leave least risk in payinc, out the cable ;
c, •
a bight
or a " kink" might c'
be fatal to the
whole operation, This
no thing must be left to chance. After sa t bolder
the
e ns
qt eur
apdr
ri so en,
uas started we shall look forward with much in-
m Newfoundland, informing
terest to a mtssago fro
us that all is right.-Liverpoo/ 4/bion.