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

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF LORDS, May 14.
Their Lordships
TE assembled at Five o'clock.
H HOLIDAYS.
In answer to Lord STANLEY,
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that he should
en Friday move the adjournment of the House to Mons
slay ee'nnight.
PAROCHIAL ASSESSMENTS.
Lord PORTMAN moved for the appointment of a
Committee as consider the law relating to parochial
assessments. This Committee was necessary to
assist their Lordships in coming to a decision
on the subjectsmatter of certain Bills which
might come up to them from the other House
•of Parliament. It was manifest that if a deteriora-
e tion of rateable property took place there must he 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 uperi the subject without corning
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
perishes paid 23 per cent. on their rental to the poor-
rates, others only paid 2 Ter cent. These circurn-
. stances, 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
rating of railways and the rating of stock in trade.
Then they should endeavour to devise some method of
altering the present system of constant change 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. Ho 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 point of fact
a part of the poor-rate. The Noble Lord concluded by
moving for a select Committee-.
The Bishop of LONDON supported the motion.
The Marquis of LANSDOW.NE was understood to
say that he had no objection to the motion.
Earl FITZ WILLIAM 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 vas deferable 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. Ile 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
Noble Lord as to the necessity of a Committee. They
were all too well informed on the eubjeet to need an
investigation, and he thought the Government should
have brought in some measure on their own
eeeponsibility 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 leried by a poundage
upon every description of property and income. He
would recommend the-'" Noble Lord, when he acted as
, ;chittrh?an of this Committee, to avoid mixing up the
.questwn of poor-rate with that of any other rate.
e Lord lIATIIERTON thought it would be desirable
to institute chile inquiry, in order to enable the House
properly tfi dial:with any, rate Bill that might come be-
fore its There could be no doubt but that any parish
wheciai by mismanagement, had increased the amount of
•ite rates, would he 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 ALMESBURY presented a petition from
Mr. George Hutchinson, the author of " A Plea for the
Equalisation of the Poor-rates," praying the House to
investieriate the merits of his proposition.
The E trl 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.
Oa the motion of the Earl of RONINEY, this Bill
passed through Committee. Several verbal amendments
were introduced into the Bill.
SUNDAY TRADING BILL.
On the motion of the Earl of HAIaROWBY, the
House resolved itself into Committee on this Bill.
Lord BE AUMONT said that as several alterations had
been introduced into the Bill, as, for instance, a clause
had bean introduced, inflicting a penalty of ss. per heard
on a barber for every beard he might shave on a Sunday,
he thought the Bill ought to be recommitted in a Com-
mittee of the whole House, so ae to give the House an
opportunity of ereiding whether it would consent to
such a tariff ef beards.
The CHAIRMAN then reported progress, the House
restuned, and the Bill was ordered to be re-committed
on Thursday. ,
JUDGMENTS (IRELAND) BILL.
The Marquis of LANSDOtVNE, in moving the
second reacting of this Bill, stated that its object was to
facilitate the sales of lend which were at present going
on in Relend with so much benefit, by attracting capita
to that country. After referring to the serious evils
which arose out of the existing law of judgments, the
Niable Marquis briefly explained the remedies which
the Bill propessd 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 proprietore of land in that country be benefited.
All ho asked of their Lordship 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 bad 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
ycare' parchese 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 terrain; of the Parliamentary titles by the
hands; of the common hangman. The Noble Earl then
suggested 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 w,15 then read a second time; to be committed
on Monday after Whitsun week.
ESTATES LEASING (IRELAND) BILL.
The Martinis of L A.NSDOWNE moved the second
.
'reading of the Estates Leasing (Ireland) Bill, the
.Object of which, he explained, was to increase the
powers of persons having a limited in'erest in landed
•
property to eraset !esters.
Lerd MONTEAGLE intimated his intention to pro-
pose amendment, in Cernmittee•
Lord REDESDALE objected to certain provisions of
the Bill, which would enable a person, at the last hour
of t:is life, to lease out a farm for ninety-nine years,
thereby depriving his successor of the benefit of the
property. To
promote farm improvements ne term
exeeeding twenty years was necessary.
-The Earl of GLENGALL also gave notice of
aams eridmants- He thought the Bill might be construed
allowing a tenant who had the residue of a lease to
demise that to aneteer, who could obtain a lease fur
ninety-nine years re-ainst the landlord
After a few words train the Marquis' of LANS-
•'DOWNE,
The Bill Was read tti second time
- DISTRESSED IJNIONSAmDe.VANCES BILL.
On the motion for going into Committee on the Die-
tressed Unions Advances and Repayment of Advances
(Ireland) Bill,
Lord MONTEAGLE expresseshieeonviction that
tlhi
without considerable, amendments
~Bjl Bill wouldh be pro-
ductive of evil rather teen good, u
lerly to remind their Lordships that the treat particu-
st bulk of
the debts to which the measure related bad not been in.
cured by the proprietors el Ireland, but had under the
Labour-rate Act been forced on the land of Ireland b
e htte eiCe-g,nardians selected by the Government. In illusy
A -
aneV 4inatiatt he referred to the cases of Bellina, Intlruah, and
tir'S'44'44l- -Ifitdvitell, where the debt had been greatly increased
• , under the administration of these officers. Then the con-
' tracts bad been entered into at rates rising 10, 20, 30,
end sometimes 40 per dent. above the mart was p
ketprircce:
r,-Bat on converting a bad into a good security, i
I ;Ite'
Totterous to pay at the rate of a bad security. The Bill
144464''ave the Treasury power to apportion the debt among
baronies, electoral divisions, and townlandes
• y subject to no responsibility or. restraint,an_od
solve
would
require Mr. Bebbage's calculating. machine t
under the
-.• • e . complicated questions which might be raised.
'Bill. How such a Bill should have received the assent
- bf the representatives of the people he could not under-.
•a— etind; and ho hoped .a clause would be introduced
allowing what might be done by the Treasury under the
Bile to be brought under the review of Parliament hero-
after.
. , After a few words from the Earls of GLENGALL and
Aii.ecreeow,
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE remarked that it
was necessary to make a distinction between the
distressed unions and those which were better
able to discharge their obligations, and no doubt
need be entertained that the discretionary power
'rested in the Treasury would be exercised with
due regard to the equity of each ease. When the Noble
Lard reterred to the manner in which motley had been
expended in Leland under certain Acts of Parliament,
.he °ugly. to have borne in mind the circumstances under
which ttose Acts were passed. They were intended to
, _meat a great calamity, and the Noble Lord himself sup
gOit,ll 00 other mode of coping with that calamity. It
was admitted at the time that the machinery by which
• this Acts of the Legislature were to be put in metier'
was clogged by na •
•-1; •
;••• .1 11 ant unavoid side dtlficulties, but, meet
are )did not appeer that
.any serious abuses had oe-
,atTee'--- a...p:ftEZlf the proprietors and the tenantryof Ireland had,
112 nbri Mogi been called upon to contribute to an uu-

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