The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS-LAST EVENING.
CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS.

The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.

Mr. FAWCETT gave notice that on the 4th of March
ho should call the attention of the house to the sub-
ject of the Civil Service Examinations, and to move that
the people of India had no fair chance of competing for
commissions as long as the examination was held only in
this country, and in order to alter that system he should
propose to the house to express an opinion that simulta-
neous examinations should be held in Calcutta, Bombay,
and Madras.

COAL MINES.

In reply to Mr. NEATEN

Mr. HARDY said ho could not say at the present
moment whether the Government would during the pre-
sent session introduce a bill founded on the report of the
committee presented last year.
BANK HOLIDAYS BILL.

Sir C. O'LOGIILEN moved the second reading of this
bill, the object of which was to make the day following
Christmas-day, viz., St. Stephen's day, a bauk holiday, to
enable the Queen in Council to make a general bank holi-
day without the necessity of passing an act of Parliament,
and to provide that Promissory notes falling due on auy of
such holidays to b2come payable the day after. There
was no revolutionary principle involved in the latter part
of his bill, because it was now the general rule in all the
principal countries abroad. The bill he thought would be
productive of the greatest general accommodation, and,
therefore, he hoped the house would agree to give it a
second reading.
Mr. S. CAVE thought on the whole the bill would
work inconveniently, and therefore he could not support
the second reading.

Mr. Goschen, Alderman Salomons, and Mr. Baring spoke
on the question, but the bill was ordered to be referred to
a select committee.

LIFE POLICIES NOMINATION BILL.

Mr. LEFEYRE moved the second reading of this bill,
which was to enable persons insuring their lives to nomi-
nate the parties to whom the amount of the plicy wag to
be paid when it became a claim.

Mr. Alderman LAWRENCE objected to the bill, which
he looked upon as one to enable a mtn to provide for his
wife and family at the expanse of his creditors. If the
bill passed, all a man would have to do to put his money
out of the reach of his creditors was to effect a life assur-
ance with it, when ho could go on and gamble with his
capital as much as he please(l, provided he managed to
keep himself solvent for only twelve months. If lie did
that ho was quite secure that the largo amount for which
he might insure his life would, at his death, only be paid
to his wife or his nominee.

Mr. DENMAN said he should not oppose the second
reading of the bill providing the hon. gentleman did not
object to the bill iu committee baing altered to embrace
only such cases where the premium is paid year by year,
and not to allow, as at present proposed, the payment
down of a large sum of money, whether the person doing
so secured for his wife, or his nominee, the amount paid,
although he partly might be, through over-trading, ren-
dered very poor himself.
After a few words from the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, the
bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed
to-morrow.

COMPULSORY CHURCH RATE ABOLITION BILL.
Mr. GLADSTONE moved the second reading of this
bill, the object of which was to abolish the compulsory
payment of church rates. The funds required to repair
the fabric of the church would have to be procured through
voluntary payment of the rate, but the bill pro
vided that those who had subscribed to the fund
should be the only persons who should have the manage-
ment of it. The bill enacted that no suit should be fox
the recovery of the rate, but where an amount had been
promised and a liability had been incurred then an action
might be brought for its recovery. He did not bring
forward that bill with a view of adding to
the worry the question of church rates had
occasioned for a number of years, but with a
view, if possible, of settling the question on equitable
grounds.
_ _

Mr. HENLEY objected to the bill, as he did not think
the measure would tend to mitigate, but, on the contrary,
would tend to aggravate, the state of affairs which would
be brought about by the abolition of the Church Rites.
He thought the provision which gave the power of drag-
ging a man—who had promised a certain sum, and which
he did not pay—into the Court of Chancery, from which
he might never escape during his life,as very objectionable
and a power ho for one could not assent to. He thought
if the bill was to pass it would be more objectionable than
the measure of the hon. gentleman the member for Bury
who went for a total and unconditional abolition of the
rate.

Mr. GILPIN supported the bill, but he hoped when it
got into committee the enactments of the sixth clause
might be modified.

Col. BARTELOT said there was sufficient in the bill to
enable him to give his consent to its second reading, but,
in conclusion, he hopedit would be made a measure accept-
able to both sides of the house.

Viscount CRANBORNE accepted the proposed measure
not because ho admired the way in which it disposed of
the subject of church rates, but because he thought ho
might go further and fare worse. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. NEWDEGATE objected to the measure; but after
a short debate,
The bill was read a second time.
HABEAS CORPUS . SUSPENSION (IRELAND)