The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-08 00:00:00

POOR-LAW COMMISSION.

Colonel SIBTHORP, seeing the Right Hon. Baronet
the Secretary for the Home Department in his place,
would renew the motion which he had made in
the early part of the evening for the returns which
had been ordered to be made in the month of May
last, but which had not yet been made as to the occu-
pations of the Poor-law Commissioners. The return
had then been assented to, but he understood that the
Right Hon. Baronet now intended to object to it, and
would assent only to make a partial return on the sub-
ject. But, unless the Right Hon. Baronet could give
some aatisfactory reason for objecting to that to which he
had assented in the month of May last, he (Colonel Sib-
thorp) should certainly take the sense of the House on
the subject. He understood that the Right Hon. Baronet
considered that there would be some difficulty in making
the return, but there was no roster kept of the number of
days on which thePoor-lawCommissioners were employed,
The Right lion. Gentleman, as he understood, said that
there was no roster kept of the number of days which he
was employed at the Home-office ; but he (Colonel Sib-
thorp) did not wait for any return of the number of
days which the Right Hon. Gentleman was employed,
because he believed himself, and it was the general
opinion of the public, that there was no public
officer more attentive to the duties of his office
than the Right Hon. Gentleman.—(Hear, hear.)
He did not say this out of flattery—(A laugh)—but he
believed it was generally admitted that it) one had
given greater satisfaction as Secretary of State for the
Horne Department than the Right Hon. Baronet.—
(Hear, hear.) He did not want any roster of the num-
ber of days the Right Hon. Gentleman was in his
office, because he believed that the Right Honourable
Gentleman performed his duties faithfully; but he did
not belive that the same could be said of all officials.
Now, with regard to these commissioners, he had no
opportunity of knowing if they were properly employed
or :,ot. He should like to see a statement of where they
we.: e. They might be in improper places for anything
that appeared to the contrary, and he had no opportu-
nity of knowing whether they were or not, and he should
like to have an opportunity of knowing.—(Laughter,)
He wanted to know where they were, and what they
were doing ?—(Laughter.) Now, unless the Right Hon.
Baronet would assure him that he had no suspicions
with regard to them, he must have the same return which
he had before moved for, and the Right Hon. Baronet was
bound to furnish to the House and the public the reason
ashy he now refused what he had before assented to.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said what the Hon. and
Gallant Officer had stated was true, that towards the
end of last session he thought it his duty to make this
motion, and that he (Sir James Graham) did not oppose
it. But he submitted to the Hon. and Gallant Officer that
with regard to the first of these two questions, there
would be a great difficulty in making any return.
With reference to the attendance of the Chief Com-
missioners, no roster was kept any more than of the
attendance of the Commissioners of Customs or Excise,
or of the Revenue Board, and without such a roster
it was hardly possible to give in detail the return the Hon.
and Gallant officer desired. At the same time he was bound
to state of his own personal knowledge, that no public ser-
van s were more attentive in the execution of their
duties than the Poor-law Commissioners. It would be
for the satisfaction of the Hon. Gentleman or the House,
that as far as possible this information should be
afforded. So far from resisting it, he would do
all in his power to furnish it. Could it be
considered as any reflection on the Poor-law Commis-
sioners, he should have felt it his duty to have resisted
the tnotion, but as he did not think this could be the
case, he should grant the return.
Mr. F. FRENCH said that in the appointment of the
Committee of Inquiry the word "operation" had been
omitted. He begged to ask the Right Hon. Secretary
fur the Home Department, whether this had been done
designedly, and if not, whether there would be any ob-
jection to have the omission corrected ?
Sir J. GRAHAM said that, although it had been
stated by an Hon. Member just now, that suspicion at-
tached to every thing that was connected with the poor.
laws, he could assure the Hon Gentleman who put the
question to him, that he had not been .ware of the omis-
sion to which the Hon. Gentleman referred. But if it
would be any satisfaction to the Hon. Gentleman, he
(Sir J. Graham) would not object to the insertion of
the word " operation."
The returns were then ordered.
RAILWAYS.
- -

Air, YOUNG, according to motion, moved a resolution
to suspend, for the present Sessioh, Standing Order No.
102, " That all Petitions for Private Bills be presented
within twenty-one days after the First Friday in every
Session of Parliament," to fix the days for receiving
Petitions for Private Bills.

Mr. ENTWISLE objected to the suspension of the
standing order. At the same time he wished to explain
that he was mistaken when he said, last evening, that
the preliminary expenses for preparing a railway Bill
were only about 301. or 401. He found that the cost
of printing only was of that amount. There
were other expenses considerably above that sum.
The Board of Trade had made their report against cer-
tain parties, and they would be enabled to delay printing
their Bills until they had ascertained thereason on which
the Board of Trade had grounded their decision. The
parties, therefore, rejected by the Board of Trade, would
be in a more favourable position than those in whose fa-
v(air the Board of Trade had reported, because they
e,.uld be enabled to draw up their Bill, embodying
clauses to meet the objections which the Board
of Trade had entertained to their plans. On that
account he would object to granting so much time as
had been asked to enable them to draw up their Bill,
after the reasons of the Board of Trade had been given.
Ile had very little experience in that House, but he
bad considerable experience out of it ; and he could as-
sure the House that, from the very day in which the
case was placed in the hands of Parliamentary agents,
that their expenses commenced. All those expenses the
Company in whose favour the Board of Trade reported
had to bear, while the Company against which the
Board of Trade reported only had to bear the
expense of getting up and printing their Bills.
The SPEAKER having put the question,
Mr. ENTWISLE said he should move that the
standing order with regard to petitions should not be
suspended.

Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said (as we un-
derstood), it was indispensable that the original motion
should be agrced to, in order to carry out the resolution
of last session, for the appointment of the Board of
Trade.

Mr. HODGSON HINDE thought it had been clearly
made out that it was necessary to take some step of this
kind in order to prevent injustice from being done to those
companies against whom the Board of Trade had re-
ported. Great injustice would be done if parties in
whose favour the Board of Trade had reported were
obliged to delay going into Committee till the adverse
Bill was in a state of such forwardness as to be com-
mitted also. He therefore hoped that the parties
wr.o were promoting an adverse Bill should be
obliged to bring their case before the Committee,
though they were not in a state of forwardness
to entitle them to come before the Committee. If some
such plan were not followed, the promoters of an adverse
line might delay until the last moment, so that parties
who had a bona fide intention of proceeding with their
Bills might be delayed for three weeks, which, at the
commencement of the works on a line, would be equiva-
lent to six months in the opening of a railway. He
hoped, therefore, that his Noble Friend would give his
attention to the subject.

Mr. ENTWISLE then withdrew his amendment,
and the following resolutions were agreed to :

Board
yl
:ee
resolutions
asulpvtnpihooei
PrivateiFl wr iadya Board
ther do t
hh2
eaBrst
hn
thando
at y yeteaf
I. Resolved—That this House will not receive any
petition for any Private Bill, other than a Railway Bill
aonppweahriecdh tinhethreepGoratreetbyen,tohafeteßr
this 2. instant
Resolved—ThatFebruary.
Railway Bill on which the Report by the Railway Board
has not yet appeared in the Gazette, be read the first
time after Friday the 28th day of March next.
3. Resolved—That this House will not receive the
Report of any Private Bill, other than a Railway Bill
on which the Report by the Railway Board has not yet
appeared in the Gazette, after Friday the 30th day of
May next.
4. Resolved—That this House will not receive any
petition f9r any Rail% ay Bill, of which the report by
the Railway Board has not yet appeared is the Gazette,
later than the twenty-first day Ether the day of the pub-
lication of such report in the Gazette.
5. Resolved—That no Railway Bill, of which the re-
portntea
which
3e-
bedt
eth
printed.
np
rpetehpa eorre in t
the
(ttt;
eee
rftthhedrayetiftri9onmfotse day of the
twenty-eighth day after the day of the reception by this
by the Railway
House of the petition for such Railway Bill.
Gazate, shall be read the first time lateurchthßanailtwhaey
6. Resolved, That this house will not receive the
Brllraeteiatcileileol.rpvir
tt•taihAooyafr4inlßbad
toy:haytetrhhdrleatsiihaltHwahhsetaiiyuslafoßeiotdiuol
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