The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-06 00:00:00

POST-OFFICE.

Mr. HAWES wished to know from the Right Hon.
Gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it
was his intention to renew the Committee on the subject
of 'the Post-office; also whether a paragraph which
he had seen in the papers, and which stated that the
whole of the revenue derived from the Post-Office was
to be applied to carry out certain improvements in that
department, was correct?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
he did not see any necessity for moving
for a renewal of the Post-Office Committee.
With respect to the returns alluded to, he had no ob-
jection to lay them, as far as it was possible, upon
the table of the House, But there were several letters
from the late Chancelor of the Exchequer, many of
which were in the form of private communications,
and it would therefore be exceedingly difficult to
make such a general return as that sought
by the Honourable Gentleman. With respect
to the Post-office returns there would be no difficulty.
With respect to the question relative to a certain para-
graph which appeared in the newspapers,- he would say
that there was not the slightest authority for supposing
that it emanated from either him or the Government.

Mr. WALLACE wished to ask the Right Hon. Ba-
ronet, the First Lord of the Treasury, whether the fi-
nancial and commercial statement would be brought for-
ward at an early period of the session, or whether it
would be postponed.
Sir R. PEEL said the estimates should be brought
forward as soon as the returns were completed for the
April quarter.
THE QUEEN'S ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS.
Lord JERMYN (as Treasurer of the Household) ap-
peared at the.bar in the Windsor uniform, and bearing- a
white wand. The messenger in attendance announced
"Her Majesty's answer to the address." His Lordship
said—l am commanded by her Majesty to inform the
House,that on Saturdaylast she received the address ofyour
Hon. House, which her Majesty was graciously pleased
to receive, and: to give the following answer
thank you for your loyal and dutiful address ; your de-
claration that you are anxious to co-operate with me
in my earnest endeavour to promote the welfare of my
people is most satisfactory. You may be assured that it
will be the invariable object and constant care of my life
to promote the happiness and preserve the confide
DEFICIENCY OF THE CIVIL LIST."
of
LinzEpGe
Eo ppl e
D"
A
Mr. BLEWITT said that a report was prevalent that
a considerable deficiency of the civil list had occurred,
which would require an application
to Parliament
ight Hon.for
the grant of a loam He wished to ask the Right
Baronet whether there was any foundation for that
rumour ?
Sir R. PEEL was sorry that_ any one could be so
credulous as to believe any such rumour.—(Hear, hear.)
He was surprised that any Member of the House could
give a moment's credence to it.—(Cheers.) He thought
that the habits and personal character of her Majesty
twoetrheintkoothwaet anllkynown to render it possible for any one
deficiency in the Civil List could have
occurred.---(Cheers.)
REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.
Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD rose, and,
as we un-
derstood, addressed a question to the Speaker on the
subject of the motion of which he had given-notice, viz.,
the redress of grievances.
The SPEAKER said that he had understood the
lion. Member to ask when he could bring forward the
motion of which he had given notice, on the stubhaject f
tthe
the redress of grievances. He apprehended
proper time for the Hon. Member to bring the subject
Order
of the Day would be read before the House would be to-morrow, when the
for the House resolving itself
into a Coinmittee of the whole House, for the purpose of
granting a supply to her Majesty.

Mr. S. CRAW FORD- gave notice that he should to-
morrow make ihe motion on the subject of the redress
of grievances, of which he had previously given notice.

THE CENSUS.
Capt. PECHELL wished to know from the Right
Hon. Baronet, the Secretary fur the Home Department,
when it might be expected that the Report of the Census
Commissibners would be laid upon the table 7
Sir JAMES GRAHAM was most anxious that the
Report -should be laid before the House •as soon as
possible, and it would be his duty, as soon as that should
be done, to see that the Report be teferred to a Select
Committee. At the same time he was afraid that. the Re
port could not be laid upon the table before the recess.
METROPOLIS IMPROVEMENT BILL.
_ _

On the Order of the Day being read for the second
reading of the Metropolis Improvement Bill,
Mr. HUME desired to know what was the principle
of the Bill. It was unusual to move the second reading
of a Bill without the House having been informed of its
principle. He had certainly seen the Bill in the ante-
room, but he had had no opportunity of making himself
acquainted with its provisions. This might be a Bill
for authorising the expenditure of money, and he wished
to be informed of the principle of the Bill.
Lord LINCOLN said that an Act had been passed
some time since 'for improving the metropolis. Some
doubts had arisen as to the construction of the Act, and
the present Bill was intended merely to remove those
doubts, and to carry out the
,provisions of the former
measure.
Mr. HUME would not oppose the second reading of
the Bill if the intention of it was merely to carry out
the provisions of the former Act.
The Bill was then read a second time.
TRAFALGAR-SQUARE.
Captain BERNAL begged to ask the Noble Lord, the
Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests, whether the
statue of Nelson, in Trafalgar-square, was erected under
the sanction of the Woods and Forests?
The Earl of LINCOLN said that that part of the
improvements was made by a committee, by means of
subscriptions. The works which are now going on in
Trafalgar-square, are under the direction of the office of
Woods and Forests.
STANDING ORDERS ON RAILWAYS.

Mr. W. GLADSTONE rose to move :—...That a .
Select Committee be appointed, to consider the
Standing Orders relating to Railways, and whether
any and what changes ought to be made
in those Standing Orders ; and likewise to con-
sider whether any and what new provisions ought to be
introduced into such Railway Bills as may come before
the House during the present or future sessions, for the
advantage of the public and the improvement of the rail-
way
system, and to report their opinion thereon to the
House." The Right Hon. Gentleman said as this important
question was one which had on several occasions been the
subject of inquiry, and as the several Select Committees
which had sat to investigate it, had left their
examinations incomplete, he should be very brief
with the statement which he • had now to make
to the House. He would, however, very briefly inti-
mate to the House what were the immediate occasions
out of which the proposal which he had now to' make
had grown. In the first place it appeared to the Go- .
vernment that the time had come when it might be ad'
rantageously considered whether, after the operation and
the experience of severalyears, some modification mightliet
properly be introduced into the Standing Orders,relating
to railways. There was one of those Standing Orders,
for example which required of all parties seeking t°'
obtain a Bill from the House of Commons, that they
should have 10 per cent. of their whole capital de-
posited before they could succeed in their object. An
opinion had been extensively entertained that there
would be no disadvantage in reducing the proportion
of capital so required' as a deposit ; but there was
no necessity for locking up at so early a period, and for
such a length of time, so considerable a portion of •the
capital of the company. There was already a Standing
Order in the House of Lords limiting the amount to
5 per cent. There was another Standing Order re-
lating to level-crossings, in which it was els°
proposed to make some alteration. He would
not detain the House, by dwelling ' further uPesii •
the Standing Orders; but, over and above' the pre-
sent question, the House would no doubt be aware that
the present was a great era in railways. Great sr:
culations had taken place with respect to them, IT
those speculations seemed to have been done away with.
During the last two or three years the specula-
tions in railways had considerably diminished ; but
in the present session he understood that no less thana
,sixty-six Bills were to be applied for, including upwaru"
of 900 miles, while the present extent of railways- 07‘"
ceeded 2,000 miles.—(Hear, hear.) It had, therefore,
appeared to the Government that this was the fitting
opportunity to investigate the subject. The propo-
sal .he had to make, comprised those compute.:
coming before Parliament of their own accord. He
divided them into two classes, those Companies coining
before the House for new powers, and new Companie!
altogether, who were anxious to create new line'
joining to the old. He proposed to take this matter • •
into consideration at the earliest oOrtunity, not in any.
unfriendly feeling towards those bodies, but still
_in that
spirit which would be compatible with the interests of
the public. There were many of those companies who•
sought from the House new powers, and in return for •
those he thought some equivalent should be rendered to-
the public. Hon. Gentlemen would recollect;that all private
commercial Bills,
excepting Railway Bills, were
subject to the jurisdiction of the • Board
of - Trade, •
and he thought it would be advisable that some similar
jurisdiction should be allowed, which would giTe the
same right of supervision to theßoard of Trade. He wished
that this matter should be brought under the consideration .
of a Committee of the House, and his proposal would
refer not only to new companies, which might come he-
fore fore the House, but also that existing companies might
be subjected to such arrangements' as tha:ComMi. tee
ffi ult
might suggest. It was true that it might 'be difficult
to make any rule which might be generally applicancl7
to such different circumstances; but he had no doubt
the right to interfere in the matter. But there wes.
an unusual disposition to restrain the exercise 0'
that right within . the limits of moderation:
The exercise of that right, however, at the
present moment, on the ground of any general waiver'
sation, or general exaction, by railway companit
would. not, in his opinion, be justified. He excluded such
considerations from the notice of motion. At the,sanse
time it included the consideration of such arrangenient
.
with regard to railroads, as Parliament would recoramen
The time was now come when capital abounded to,lll.
unprecedented degree, and parties were seeking v„
some mode of investing it. Under theSe circumstance;
it was natural to expect that it would take a directio
towards the extension of railways. It was naturalre
expect under those circumstances, that ti!' 5
would be a disposition to make proposition
ID-
to Parliament for the establishment of e?,,Tia
peting lines.—(Hear, hear.) This suggested
_grOu'his
for serious and delicate consideration. Ittlb they
experience'of railway systems informed him that
were
must not rely too much on the statements which ing
put forward. The- consequence of allowing compete -
lines would be in many instances an increase o
action ; it would be a mere multiplication of moor,.
for such were the facilities of combination that here-
which that
competition only would be a course very far fro lore-
which wisdom would dictate. Parliament need,
fore, well consider what course they_ "
co
adopt with regard to lines recommended a% ja-
peting lines. Those observations were 11° re-
tended to apply to local lines which wer.ootrift
commended by the national construction of the co
and- the local traffic they were likely to have'ia the
while Parliament had many strong grounds to ae iiway
practice of unlimited competing lines, existing Zoos
companies had-,many motives to look tnefple,
to the disposition on the part of the r-
interes
t
and it was far better for their own to the
to make terms with Parliament satisfactory
hcoaselves
general feeling of the public, than to expose one
to the opposition of competing lines. There. was sorae
subject upon which it was desirable that t the
°arrangement should be made: He alluded
an to en-
neglect of third class carriages ;he did not me of ac-
force upon railway companies such • an increase
woad
commodation in the third class of carriages as
which they
break down the general arrangement for
adopted—those who were wi
• - to pay
to n" .-rs
first and second-rate carriages ought 000-
additional comfort, but he thought it matte_r
ev,.,„o_
portant concern, whether those who had not th
of paying for the higher class carriages ougn...,' (110 r
be covered from the inclemency of the weather.
of fete
and cheers.) There was a great deal na o'6
ing on the subject out of doors, an a
feeling was one which was likely to increase.
exceedingly desirous that no inconvenience s°o t°
occasioned by the proceeding now recominlo irorse
parties engaged in promoting Bills. He should fatercei
the nomination of this Committee, with, 11,110 the as short as possible ; he would then procee",:f the 6°,.;
and lay before the Committee, on the part -..enared
vernment, such propositions as they were
01)01 evidence
make. After the examination of those W ;you'd at
it was desirable to obtain, theYcommitteeeints
port , the general conclusions of the on g fore
a period as early as possible, in order td to Bills e
m which steps were taken with regar
uld arise, Bch
the House, no inconvenience or delay s..° titular w
her Par lace t't
was not aware that there was any ooh , now p
he need state to the House, and woula
the
motion in the hands of the Speaker. rise for
„,.0
Mr. LABOUCHERE said he did
notos. n
hear
purpose of objecting to the props_ltiad t°ea
Right Honourable Gentleman. He 1,v,_221ra, because
that It T"‘" • 11$""a*
that the Government had brought their ~r-from.
from. Tlono-
great good would be likely to resultthe Eght rain°
done so ; but if he' understood w exa, the
able Gentleman, the Committee as
ition (-)i der-
'poi
un
the whole subject of the presents ; ha
said
t_
Legislature with regard to railoay hoe-
stood the Right Hon. Gentleman,
before the the
whenever railway companies came. f powers
what
or extensions 0
asking for privileges
House had a right to impose
proper
to ins,l,,,sh"tly
conditions they thought
Gentleman fail 'Ol
railw
If he understood the Right Hon.
uestion
was his intention to refer the who e q
Right 110°' sure
tee The Rig
legislation to this Commit •
.„ h he was . ht
in IN me • s ung
man had expressed a hope,
restion
alooy
every one would join, that these
different r the
all be amicably settled • with the
pair of to
companies, and that he did not descommendations of
Committee being enabled to make rei
d would eclus
which all the railway companies of En
ahnowever, that t
hs
be willing to agree. He was afraid
Committee ',lid
terms of the motion would preclude the
which
considering the case of any railway company
Bill; and He of
not come before the House for a new
the propriety
so
gested to the Right Hon. Gentleman
rehensicel to
making the. terms of his motion more comp
taking
_:1,111,,
as not to preclude the 'Committee fromilway
their consideration the subject of ra the.
He agreed
tion generally.--(Hear, hear.)„ gout ,
greater part of what bad fallen &wit .P the 1g4""7.

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