The Sun.
London, England, 1819-04-24 00:00:00

LEAD MINES' ASSESSMENT BILL.

•
Mr: ArtitiaiTT moredthe order of the Day 'for
the „secant:. reirding of the Lead Mines' Aiseisment
the question being put,
Pr. Moitarrr begged to odstr a few words on
rhp.nectSsity of the tne4lstire. This , was si-
fiiiiar. in it,s nature to that. which .had been intro-
cipeed)ostsear, but which had not succeeded;
its .ohiect wps,to make lead mines liable to the
pour' s rare, 'in the same manner that any other
sp,:xies o property...was, Several petitions bad

liepnpesente(l ou the tubjek rrair,
ands oral other places-. - 4act, those mines
htti-tieen lo this rate, but were .put out of
)4'operatim) by a decision of the Court of King's
-Rend) last year : and Alms all the mining property
in the kingdoin was protected from contributing
with the landed proprietors to maintain the poor
of the country. He wished to state to the I-louse
how this affected the poor in general, but in York-
shire particularly. In -one, district in Yoiltiliire
there were seventeen hundred and sixty-seven pati
pers, 1400 of whom had been miners ; the min-
ing property ire this district anumnted to more
than I 1;0001., ..i4ereas the landed property was no
more than 60001. By the operation of the deci-
sion above alluded to, the landed property was
14r-idled with the support of those paupers, while
the. mining property did not pay a single farthing.,
He rneritioned one district as an example he
Could
_easily point out several that were-similarly
situated. The object of the Bill was, to remove
this weighty pressure from landholders, by making
the miners participate in it ; he had framed it
upon the principles la,d down by the Committee
on the Poor Laws. He wished to observe, that,
when'in the Coin nit tee it was his 'mention to
propose a Clause for the' exemption -of iron-
ruiners, as they had not ever been liable to the
Poor's Rice.

Colonel Woori differed from •his r Honourable
Friend- as to the necessity of introducing olea-
sure. If the Bill passed into a law it would at-.
feet not only the miners in question, but ail the
miners in the kingdom. If he could adopt the
principle ot the Bill, be would, undoubtedly, be
in favour of exempting iron-trines Iron) 115 oPe-
ration ; but then the arguments used by the .Ho-
nourable Member in support of this Bill went to
shew the liability of iron-mineq to its operation,'
as much as any other. The Houton able Mt in-
ber (Mr. Morritt) mentioned as one rea-
son why iron-mines should be exempted, that
they bad never been liable to the .Poor'a
Raie. True, they bad not, but neither had lead
been subject to this rare generally if the
Member would look back to, the 43 it of El,zo-
beth, he would find that there was no aneoition
made of the liability of lead-mines to th s rate.. It
had been said that those mines where Benefit So•
cieties were established were to be exempt from the
operation of the Bill, but such a measure would,
he conceived, be tlif a most injurious tendency, as
by encouraging such establishments they en-
couraged demoralization, and destroyed those
upright silt) independent feelings which every
one ought to wish to see actuate the poorer, as
well as all other classes of society., A Corn>
mittee had sat for the last two tears for the pur-
pose of inquiring into the present stale of the
Poor ;Laws, and, discovering if any and what
amendment could be made in them piet them not
then, before they heard the Report of that COM-
inittce, drag under the operation of those laws.a
species of property which vt--s never before liable
to this rate. He certainly telt himself bound,
under these impressioni, to oppose the Bill.
Lord LASCELLES could not see the effects or
this Bill in the same point of view as the Hort.
Member who had just sat down seemed to do.
He knew that in one district ' in 'Yorkshire there
were no -less titan 5257 pertious on the poor's
rate, out of which number 3331. had been em-
ployed in mines. It was well ktiown, that when
the lessees took those mines, they stipulated to
'pay the poor's rate, • and had calculated on the
value of them, including the payment of that
rate." In many places the landed proprietors were
heavily burdened with this rate. In one parish
the poor's • rate was, in- 1501, 6681. whereas in
ISIS, it was no less than 2,2341. There were many 1
other parishes similarly, if not worse situated
titan that to, which he alluded. He knew there
was a strong prejudice against the present
yet nothing was more just than that it should pass
laic,. a .law,.as'it in fact only placed the lessee in
the same situation in which he was ashen he en-
tered upon his lease. He entreated the House
to consider the Measure fully and impartially be-
tore they opposed its being carried into effect.
Mr. Alderman Wools objected to the Bill ; it
was..a partial measure, 'and only'calchlated to ie-
lieve a few parishes, in one county. Be thought
it iron was to be- exempted ftota- its operation,
copper, ought to he • equally so. Under all cit.-
cumstances, he felt himself bound to oppose its
beirig carried into a law.
Sir Jaarss GRAHAM said, that as .he had on a
former occasion taken a part in this question, he
wished to say a few words upon it. 11e objectod
to this Bill; as it was partial in its operation ; if
it •Was.general, and went to impose a liability to
the poor's rare on all mines, he would not object
-to it ; but he could not .agree Co tax one species
of mines, and that too which was the least able
to .pay, for it was well known, that wit It the ex-
ception of copper, there was no species of mining
so prectrions as lead. ; It was said that the landed
.proprietors iii the neighbourhood of mines were
oppressed by the weight of the poor's rate ; hut
let it -be considered, that those proprietors had- a
profit of at least twelve and a half -per cent. front
the cheapness with which labour'Was procured.-1
Honourable Baronet concluded bylnoving,
as an amendment, that tie Bill be' read a'aecond ,
time on this ninny six wombs.
Lord MILTosr Was decidedly of opinion that the
Bill before the House ought to pass into a law,
and, as far as it regarded his own property, he
freely concurred in its propriety. The House
ought not to take into Consideration any minor
disadvantage with which this measure might he
attended; but acting conscienciously and con-
sistently, they ought to support it when its good
effects were so fully shewn. This measure had
been introduced last year, and he. wished it to he
understood, that it was not then lost, but de-
feated by Parliament having dissolved there ought
not then to be any prejudice from a
supposition of its having .b?sett previously ne-
gatived. Mitch had
.been said abort the cheapness
with which landed proprietors in the neighbour-
hood of mines procured labour, but it was to be
observed, that the' great number of paupers, and
consequently of the poor's rate, was caloied, not
by the landholder but by the tnioer ; as the work
to be obtained at the mittes caused ariirltritense
increase.ot, population, whereas it there luau) been
no mines the Parish would be inhabited by.a few
farmers, sofficieut merely to cultivate the ground. ,

tie lio.peitilie nonAe would perceive the necessity
supporting the pill, and not he led into a con
trary opinion by lire
,arguments of the Worthy
Alderman (Wood), or the honourable Baronet
(Sir J. Graham), who had Opposed it.
Mr. V. PAULPTT and Lord GaA.NviLLE 80M0i-
stl• opposed the Bill,
Mr. CURWEN rematked, that the 43d of Eliza-
beth had been quoted as authority to prove, that
Lead 'Mines were not originally liable to the
Poor's-rate; but it ought to be observed, that
that Statute referred tolhe speculator, and not to
the lessee. Though such an exemption was made
in favour of the former, yet it had been vet y pro-
perly w;ithheld from the latter. The honourable
Member, after some other observations, conclud-
ed by observing, that the Bill had his most cordial
support.
r goose then divided
• For the Bill 43—Agitinit it 77—Majority 94.

The Bill was consequently lost.
On the motion of Mr. LUSHINGTON, the Com-
mittee ot Ways and Means, and the Committee
of Suppiy, were postponed till Niontlay.
Oo the motion of Sir GF.ORGE CLERK, the se-
cond reading ot the MI relative to jails in the
Royal Burghs of Scotland, was postponed, as was
aiso• the second reading of the-Scots Church Bette:.
flees Bill, till Wednesday se'unight:- •
Mr. PARNELL.IIIOved for 'return of papers re-
latice-to the manner in which several (Aces of the
:Excise ,Irelind %vete filled when vaCint, amd
from quarter the recommendation to fill such
vacancies Caine.

After A Ww words from Nlr. !MP INGTON, (be
11.,noorable Member trit h drew bis.motioo.

A 'lumber of Members Cv r e added to the Com-
mitiee the London Fire Clergy ROI.

-
iIVI I M A 11T I N presented a petition froniMl Ha).
lows' l'Arish, against the London Fire Clergy
Bill.-1-teerred to the Committee.