The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-15 00:00:00

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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT•

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 14.
Their Lordships assembled at Five o'clock.
THE HOLIDAYS.

In answer to Lord STANLEY,
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that he should
en Friday move the adjournment of the House to Mon-
shy se'rmight.
PAROCHIAL ASSESSMENTS.

Lord POSTMAN meted for the appointment of a
Committee to consider the law relating to parochial
assessments. This Committee was necessary to
assist their Lordships in coming to a decision
on the subject-matter of certain Bills which
might come up to them from the other House
of Parliament. It was manifest that if a deteriora-
tion of rateable property took place there must be some
alteration in the assessment of those rates—(Hear,
hear)—and therefore it was necessary that they should
go carefully into those matters. The heaviest burdens
upon land arose out of the law of settlement, and it was
impossible to legislate upon the subject without coining
to some understanding upon the subject of rating.
It was desirable that rating should take place equitably
upon all species of property, and that there should be
one uniform system of rating. At present, while some
parishes paid 23 per cent. on their rental to the poor-
rates, others only paid 2 per cent. These circurn-
stancPs, he thought, justified him in calling their
attention to the subject of parochial assess-
ment. Among other subjects which would come
under the consideration of the Committee would be the
raring of railways and the rating of stock in trade.
Than they should endeavour to devise some method of
altering the present system of constant cbango of the
basis on which the rate is made; he thought no change
should be made without cause shown for such change
before some tribunal. He also thought they should
consider how best they could get rid of mere forms
by which rates were quashed on legal technicalities.
Then there were the questions of the rating of small
tenements, and of who was to make, to collect, or to
alter the rate. 'He thought all the property of the
country should contribute its fair proportion towards
the maintenance of the poverty of the country. With
regard to the county rate, that was in peint of feet
a part of the poorfrate. The Noble Lord concluded by
moving for a select Committee.
The Bishop of LONDON supported the motion.
The Ytarquis of LANSDOWNE was understood to
say that he had no objecvion to the motion.
Earl FIT ZWILLIAXL hoped the investigations before
the Committee would not be conducted in such a manner
as• to lead either to union or national rating.—(Hear,
hear.) He wished to lead their Lordships to con-
sider whether it was desirable that there should be a
poor rate at all, or a highway rate, or any separate
rate, and whether it would not be better to re-organize
the whole system of rating for local purposes. Be be-
lieved it would be better to have one parochial rate
only, out of which certain sums should be awarded for the
maintenance of the poor, of the highways, and of the
Church. He thought it would be better to do away
with all special rates, and to have one local treasury to
defray all these charges.
The Earl of MALMESBURY did not agree with the
Nobly Lord as to the necessity of a Committee. They •
were all too well informed on the subject to need an
investigation. and he thought the Government should
have brought in some measure on their own
responsibility to relieve those who suffered
from the present system of rating, which
pressed most hardly upon certain interests. He
thought the poor-rate should be levied by a poundage
upon every description of property and income. He
would recommend the Noble Lord, when he acted as
chairman of this Committee, to avoid mixing up the
question of poor-rate with that of any other rate.
Lord HATIIERTON thought it sconld be desirable
to institute this inquiry, in order to enable the House
properly to deal with any rate Bill that might come be-
fore it. There could be no doubt but that any parish
whielti.by mismanagement, had increased the'amount of
its rates, would be exceedingly glad, by means of a national
or general rate, to throw the burden on the shoulders
of its neighbours. Let them look at Ireland; if they
had not localised the rate then they would by this time
have had a fearful battle between the property and the
population of the country. He hoped his Noble Friend
• would endeavour to increase the description of property
at present liable to rating.
The motion was then agreed to.
PETITIONS.
The Earl of M‘kLMESBURY presented a petition from
Mr. George Hutchinson, the author of " A Plea for the
Equalisation of the Poor-rates," praying the House to
investigate the merits of his proposition.
The Earl of WARWICK and BROOKE presented a
petition from the agriculturists of Warwickshire, com-
plaining of distress, and praying for a re-enactment of
protective duties on the importation of corn and other
articles of agricultural produce.
PARISH CONSTABLES BILL.

On the motion of the Earl of ROMNEY, this Bill
passed through Committee. Several verbal amendments
were introduced into the Bill.
SUNDAY TRADING BILL.

On the motion of the Earl of HARROWBY, the
House resolved itself into Committee on this Bill.
Lord BE ,I,UMONT said that as several alterations had
been introduced into the Bill, as, for instance, a clause
had been introduced, inflicting a penalty of ss. per beard
oa a barber for every beard he might shave on a Sunday,
he thought the Bill ought to be recommitted in a Coin-
enittee of the whole House, so as to give the House an
opportuuitv of deciding whether it would consent to
such a tari.iF of beards.
The sL then reported progress, the House
resumed, and the Bill was ordered to be re-committed
on Thursday.
JUDGMENTS (IRELAND) BILL.
The Marq'tis of LANSDOWNE, in moving the
second reading of thin Bill, stated that its object was to
facilitate the sales of land which were at present going
on in Ireland with so much benefit, by attracting capital
to that country. After referring to the serious evils
which arose out of the existing law of judgments, the
Noble Marquis briefly explained the remedies which
the Bill proposed to apply to those grievances. The
effect of the Bill, he said, would be greatly to increase
the number and value of marketable titles in Ireland,
and, in proportion as the number and value of market-
able titles were increased, in the same proportion would
the proprietors of land in that country be benefited.
AU he asked of their Lordships in now proposing the
second reading of the Bill was that they would merely
express their wish to apply a remedy to a great and
crying evil which at this particular moment hung
heavily upon a class whom it had always been the wish
as well as the policy of their Lordships to conciliate.
The-Earl of GLENGALL remarked, that it was no
recommendation of the Bill in his eyes to be told that it
would facilitate the working of the Encumbered Estates
Act; for he believed that of all the Bills that had ever
disgraced Parliament that was the worst. It was
neither more nor less than an act of confiscation. By
the operation of that measure, estates worth 25 or 30
years' purchase had been sold at from 11 to 14 years'
purchase. He hoped to live to see the day when the
people of Ireland would meet on College-green to wit-
ness the burnin; of the Parliamentary titles by the
hands of the common hangman. The Noble Earl then
euggested several amendments in the Bill before the
House, and laid them on the table with the view of their
being proposed in Committee.
The Bill wet then read a second time; to be committed
on Monday after Whitsun week.
ESTATES LEASING (IRELAND) BILL.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the second
reading a the Estates Leasing (Ireland) Bill, the
object of which, he explained, was to increase the
powers of persons having a limited interest in landed
property to grant leases.
Lord INIONTEAGLE intimated his intention to pro-

pose amendments in Committee.
Lord REDESDA LE objected t 3 certain provisions of
the Bill, which would enable a person, at the last hour
of
his life, to lease out a farm for ninety-nine years,
__therebyt depriving his successor of the benefit of the
evxruepeeeariynLak
twTeontpfTneaortsewfas.srnm,ceiiimsaprr
jo,.vements no term
The
T 1 of GI ENGALL also gave notice of
amendments. Ho
" showy
-nine
tenant who had the residue of a lease to
nine
demiset h a tyters
oaanother, who could obtain a lEase for
n
afew
wordsagai roui
against the landlord.themer
After
'pis of LANS-
DOWNE,
The Bill was read a seconds ADVANCES BlLL.time.
DISTRESSED UNIONS
On the motion for
goinginato Committee on the Dis-
tressed Unions Advances and
(Ireland) Bill, Repayment of Advances
Lord MONTEAGLE expressed his
Bill
r mu-
conviction that
wiswhoeudid b t
witlfnturconsidetahle amendments the
ductive'of evil rather than good. He
I.4tiy wremiutl their Lordships that the great Pae
bulk of
pro-
the debts to which the measure related had not been
eaared by the proprietors of Ireland, but had under
Labour-rate Act been forced on the laud of Ireland blye
the vice•gUardiallS selected by the Liovernmenr.
tration he referred to the cases of Kilrush, and
Listowell, whera the debt bad been greatly increased
under the atlininistration of these officers. Then theleun-
traeti hail beets entered into at rates rising 10, 20, 30,
and sometimes 40 per cent. above the market price.
But on converting a bad into a good security, it was pre-
But
to pay at the rate of a bad.seeurity. The Bill
"l'kave the Treasuty power to apportion the debt among
the unions, baronies, electoral divisions, and townlands
subject to no responsibility or restraint, and it would
require Mr. Babbsae's calculatinc, machine to solve the
complicated questions which might 6 be raised under the
Bill. flow such a Bill should have received the assent
of the representatives of the people he could not under-
stand; and he hoped a clause would be introduced
allowing what might be done by the Treasury under the
BilA to be brought under the review of Parliament here-
after.
After a few word: from the Earls of GLENGALL and

The Marquis of LA.NSDOWNE remarked that it
;was necessary to make a distinction between tho
:ttissrEssed unions and those which were better

41,1,a to discharge their obligations, and no doubt
;rice I be entertained that the discretionary power
,nsted in the Treasury would be exercised with
due regard to the equity of each case. When the Noble
'Lord referred to the manner in which money had been
expended in Ireland under certain Acts of Parliament,
he ()ugly, to have borne in mind the circumstances under
which those Acts were passed. They were intended to
meet a great calamity, and the Noble Lord himself sug-
gested no other mode of coping with that calamity. It
was admitted at the thee that the machinery by which
the Acts of the Legislature were to be put in motion
was clogged by many un4void.thlo difficulties, but, after
Ail! it clq.l not appear that any serious abuses had oc-
curred. If the proprietors and the tsnantryof Ireland_had,
in some been c4llO uppli to contribute to an un.