The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-20 00:00:00

THE EASTER RECESS.

Mr. WHITBREAD asked when it was intended to ad-
journ for the Easter recess.

Mr. DISRAELI said as tho public business was not as
forward as ho
„could wish, therefore he was afraid
he should have to ask the house to sit in Passion Week.
(Loud cries of" No, no.")

Mr. DISRAELI—WO, then I must ask the hon. gen-
tleman to repeat his question on another evening.

THE BUDGET.

Mr. HANKEY asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
on what day he proposed to make his financial state-
ment.

Tho CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, as at
present advised, he proposed to make his statement the
first Thursday after the Easter recess.

THE REFORM BILL.

Mr. BRIGHT said, as he found he could not pres&nt,a
petition ho held in his hand after the hon. member for
Brighton commenced his speech, ho would now take the
opportunity of doing so. The petition was from Birming-
ham ; it spoke of the hardships contained in the 7th sec-
tion of the Reform Bill of 1867, and it prayod that that
section, and also that part of it calling for the full payment
of rates, be repealed.

On the motion for the house going into Committee of
Supply,
Mr. J. WHITE moved, that in the opinion of the house
it was expedient that no such Reform Act of 1867 as made
occupiers liable for poor rates instead of owners, in re-
spect of premises to which the system of compounding
had been applied, ought to be repealed ; that the name
of every occupier ought to be put on the rate book, and
that payment of rata by the owner, under the compound-

continue to vote, whilst another class would have to pay
at least 265. per annum in addition to the usual outgoings
if they wished to enjoy the luxury of a vote for a member
of Parliament.
Mr. C. FORSTER 'seconded the resolution, and dilated
on the ill-feeling which would be engendered between
landlord and tenant by the new system, the additional
burden to the tenant, and the increased labour thrown on
the parochial officers.
Mr. AIRTON informed the house that the committee
recently appointed to inquire into the assessment of local
taxes had that day determined to make the operation of
the act of last session their first subject of inquiry. It
would therefore be premature to agree to a resolution
pledging the house to any particular opinion. Moreover,
he maintained the house could not make any alteration in
the system without having before it a bill which would
explain how the numetous difficulties and complications
surrounding the question were to be dealt with.
Mr. DIXON was of opinion that there was sufficient in-
formation before the house to enable it to decide on the
principle involved in the abolition of compounding, and
narrated the numerous difficulties which had been expe-
rienced in Birmingham under the new system. A system
of composition, he argued, was necessary to put the assess-
ments of the poor and the rich on the same footing, and he
particularly dwelt on the injustice done to female occu-
piers and servants of the Crown, who had to pay larger
rates and got no vote for it.
Mr. HENLEY showed how, by a compounding system,
poor people had been compelled to pay rates who never
ought to pay, and the rich occupiers were proportionately
relieved. The abolition of compounding, he reminded the
house, had not come from the Government, but from the
Opposition, and he pointed out that Mr. White's resolution
would in many cases give power to the landlords to dis-
franchise their tenants.
Mr. GOSCHEN replied that the landlord had just as
much power under the act as it stood, though he did not
believe it went so far as that, and urged that the exemp-
tion of the poorest classes ought to be regulated by an act
of Parliament, and not left to the discretion of magistrates
and overseers.

Lord HENLEY maintained that with the small ex-
perience of the operation of last year's act this resolution
would be premature, and he showed that the present
system had worked better at Northampton than the old
one.

Mr. HARDY reminded the house that Mr. Hodgkinson's
amendment abolishing compounding had been received
last year with general assent, and that Mr. Gladstone had
declared its acceptance would remove his objections to the
new franchise. Considering that we had only the ex-
perience of one rate, I hat many towns bad been for years
collecting their rates without compbunding, and that a
committee had been appointed to inquire into the mode of
collecting local rates, he trusted the house would not agree
to the resolution.

Mr. GLADSTONE, though of opinion that the present
Session should not pass without some proceeding on this
matter, recommended Mr. White to withdraw his motion,
as it was being investigated by a Committee, and depre-
cated the introduction of politics into it.
Mr. Goldney, Mr. Sandford, Mr. Evans, and Mr. Warner
made EOMe observations ; and
Mr. WHITE withdrew his resolution.
Lord ELcao and General DUNNE made some inquiries as
to the progress of our fortifications, complaining that the
works in many cases had not been carried out according to
the original designs and specificitions, and that recent ex-
periments on the Malta and Gibraltar shields had not been
fairly conducted.

Sir J. PAKINGTOII replied that all variations from
original designs had been made solely with a view to im-
proving the efficiency of the fortifications, and that the
completion of the iron shields had been delayed till the
experiments were concluded.

The house was about to go into committee on the Army
Estimates, when Capt. VIV,IAN appealed to Sir J. Peking-
ton to postpone his usual statement, alleging the thinness
of the house and the lateness of the hour—a quarter to 10.
There were at the time more than 100 members present,
which is by no means a thin house on such occasions, and
at an earlier period of the evening a promiso had been
given that the estimates should not ba brought on later
than 10 o'clock.

Sir J. PAKINGTON complied with the request on con-
dition that he should be allowed to take a vote on account;
but Mr. Ayrton objected to this, ant in the end the Army
Estimates were postponed altogether. Votes, however,
were taken in committee of supply for 67,120 men and boys
for the Royal Navy, and for £2,000,000 on account of the
Navy Estimates.

Tho Sea Fisheries and the Fairs (Ireland) Bills wero
read a third time and passed, and the Consolidated Fund
Bill was read a second time.
THE laISH REFORM BILL.

The Earl of MAYO brought in Irish Reform Bill.
He announced at the outset that no change would be made
in the county franchise, which now stands at £l2 rating ;
but the borough franchise would be reduced from £8 to £4,
and then by the peculiar rating arrangements of Ireland
(each tenant over 44 paying half the rates) every man who
paid rates would have a vote. This would add 9,313 electors
to the borough constituencies, bringing the whole number
up to 40,000. The provisions as to residence and regis-
tration would remain unaltered, but there would be a
lodger franchise and a Boundary Commission. Passing
to the re-distribution scheme, Lord Mayo analyzed mi-
nutely the population and property returns of the boroughs
and counties of Ireland, from which he drew the conclu-
sion that the counties were under-represented, in compa-
rison with the boroughs, end particularly the four largest
counties —Cork, Tyrone, Down, and Tipperary. To give
them adequate representation the bill proposed that Down-
patrick, Dungannon, Bandon, Kinsale, and Cashel should
yield their seats to 1104 V divisions of Down, Tyrone, Cork,
and Tipperary counties respectively,, In none of these
cases would the locality of representation be removed, but
Portarlington would be called on for a greater sacrifice, as
she would be asked to give up her seat to furnish a third
member to Dublin City, who would be elected on the mi-
nority principle.
By some confusion or misunderstanding leave was
given to bring in the bill without any remark, but Col.
French moved the adjournment of the house to give an
opportunity for discussion.
Mr. BRADY complained that no reduction was made
in the county franchise, and demanded vote by ballot for
the Irish tenants ; Mr. Bagwell objected to the elimination
of the urban representation, and pointed out that the
change was in favour of the territorial influence ; Mr.
Lam son (Portarlington) denied that the largest counties
had been fairly chosen for increased reprpsentation, and
asked why the third member was not given to the coun-
ties, as well as to Dublin city, on the minority prin-
ciple. Mr. Reardon also made some remarks in con-
demnation of the bill, and Mr. O'Beirne (Cashel) com-
plained of the attack on his borough •in violation of the
principle of the English and Scotch bills that no place
should be disfranchised.

Mr. GLADSTONE, admitting that there were one or
two good principles in the bill, reserved his opinion on
tho details until the plan was in print. But he regretted
that the Government had not seen their way to a larger
increase of the Irish constituency, and pointed out that
the merging of boroughs into counties would make it
more difficult to retain the county franchise at its present
figure.

Al!. M. TORRENS obtained a committee to inquire into
our Extradition Treaties.
Some other business was disposed of, and the house ad-
journed at a quarter to 12 c'clook.

EXTRAORDINARY FISHING IN DERWENTWATER
LAKE.—Ou Tuesday Mr. Anthony DiaJn, aceorbpauiel by
Tom Moore, the well-known boatman, was successful in
capturing a flue salmon, in splendid condition, which
weighed 181 b., as well as several pike,--cunOerland
Pacpg,