The Sun.
London, England, 1817-03-08 00:00:00

LOOfl LAWS.

Mr. CAI CRAFT then rose to present to the
Muse petitions Irom the inhabitants of two ditie.
tent pnrishe4 in the county of Dorset, complain-
ing 01 the excessive pressure of the Poor Rates,
and praying for spine alteration in the Poor Laws,
tie begged the. attention of,the Noble Lord op-
posite (Castlereagh) to the 'statement contained
in these petitions. One of them from the parish
olLankley stated, that that parish contained 575
inhabitants, of wlrmu 419 at this moment are re-

cciving parochial aid : that the poorldtes in that
parish amounted to 18s. or 19s. for every pound
sterling of rack-rent ; and that the funds would
be, at the present rate of distribution, exhauited
sty the, 22d of this month. The other petition
was from the parish of Swatiney, which contain-
ed a greater number of inhabitants than the other,.
and it .stated that in it the poor-rates amounted
to a guinea on the pound sterling of rack-tent.
lie knew that the facts stated in their petitions
me true, because they had come tinder his•own
observation, as the parishes were in his neigh-
botwhood. The inhabitants of these two pa.
Fishes were principally engaged' in the stone-
trade, the 'lute total stagnation ot which had been
the cause of their present distress. The peti-
tioners had not yet been compelled to have 're.
Conse to a rate, in aid, owing to the liberality of
the Gentlemen in their neighbourhood, at. •the
bead of whom, he was happy to mention, was
Lord Rldon. But as there was every probability
that they would ultimately be obliged to have re-
course to a rate, its aid, he submitted the pro-
priety ot the tononittee now sitting on the Poor
LAWS, adopting some measure to taillitate rates
in aid. It was quite evident that some great al-
teration was necessary in the present system of
the Poor Laws, anti he saw no more effeettial.way
than by making tine holders of Footled Property
contribute towards the antintensnee.ot the Poor.
There was no reason why the -utmost publicity
should not he given' to the names of persons ,pos.

soft(' of t'untied properly ; and if this were clone
it %% Auld then be very cal in every parish to sad-
' die the hittahitant4 of it who pusseseed funded
property with their share VI-the poor-rates.—
lie then moved that the Petitions be brought up.
Lord COTLICTIEAGH thought the cases of the pe-
titioners worthy of attention. But he thought it
worthy of notice, that throughout the kingdom a
great proportion of the expence of labour appeared

;tot tittiler the brad of labour, but ttuile'r the

bead of poor rates; because the farmer gene.
rally acted on a .very false principle, by com-
promising the poor rates, by accepting the In.
bour of paupers, whose wages to the whole
amount were thus said to be poor rates.- it
must not therefore be supposed, that when it was
stated that the annual amount of the poor raw
hod started from three millions to seven millions,
that the numher of paupers bad increased in the,
same proportion ; for the fact was, that a great
part of the money laid out on the wages of labour
Was disguised snider the name of poor rates. At
the same time, be did not menu to say that this
Inade'it at all less necessary to provide, if possible,
tome remedy for the heavy pressure of the poor
rates-; uuly it was treees,lary to correct what was
likely to produce a false intpressiou as to the real
amount of the poor rates.-- (Hear, hear !)
Mr. CALCRAFT dxfilaitied. fie agreed perfectly
that, in agricultural districts, a great proportiOn

of money laid 60 in t'l.e triages or tahnin'' Vt'Ai
I lit under the head of poor rates. But that did
I,ot apply to, the pe:itiotter.„ HS they ,ver:i 'riot en-
gageti itt agriculture, hut in the Stunt Trade,
whieb was now in is complete state of stagnation,
Mr. C 1.1 k WEN admitted, that in miny countiet
the pernicious pruetiee of mixing up the wages of
labour and the poor rates prevailed ; but he did
not believe that it was by any means general.—
The distress occasioned by the Poor La ws Was
now come to such a pitch, that it %you'd be im-
possible for the house to separate without adopt-
ing some tnetistire to m'tigate it ; and for tilk
purpose he had always: been of opinion that the
otiott equitable mode. w4s:to,,conie upon the fund-
holder, and make him contribute Ilia share. ;11e,
for one, hoped that the distress would only be
temporaty ; but in the mean time was abso-
lutely.itecessary fah the House to du something to
relieve it.

Lord COCItRANg a stated as fact, that at Man-
chester a weaver, who some years ago received
twenty-nine shillings for weaving a piece of cloth
of a certain size, now earned only seven shillings
by weaving a piece of the sante size and that the
seven Shillings which he now canted. was entirely
spent on coals, candles, and the paste used' for
dressing the cloth. These sevens shillings were
paid out of the Poor-rates, %Odell were contributed
entirely by the landed proOrietOr. The conse-
quence WaS, that when cloth manufactured at this
!trice was exported to the American market, a
he-try ditty ceaselaid upionit. This completely
shewed that the Interest, of 1110404 d proprietor
was sacrificed to benefit the litslder. of stock. This
was a system, that could not Ifiast. If a diminu-
tion of the value of funded prOpertyi'proportioned
to that in the value of landed property., was: not
made, all our foreign commerce Would be carried
on in a way detrimental to the nation. Ile was
convinced that no legislative enactment conic! re-
lieve the country trout the pressure of the Poor-
rates, tor it %vas not lobe supposed that poor crea-
tures s could get no work Ov'employment, and
who were not relieved, were to lie down in the
.ditches and starve. If the preseta system went
.the whole landed property in the kingdom
would be laid at the nt'.!rcy of the dealers in paper
ntooey.
A Memutta tinder the Gallery was of opinion,
that many advantages might be attained, it there
were a inure economical distribution, than had
hitherto been effected, of the funde levied for the
use of the poor. In the year 1815 there appeared
among the charges of Overseers 'the slim of
300,0001. expended- in—lttigatitrglihrf differences
arising between parishes iu cases 'of transferring
paupers.
Sir C. Bunn p 1.1. contended for the inviolability
Of folioed property, which he said was secured by
the faith of the Ndtion, and recommended an in-
creased eircutating medium of about two minions,
which, its his mind, would considers 44 increase
the energies of the country.
Mr. LocKliAtit was of opinion that (*muted pro-
perty ought to contribute to the support of rite
poor, but this consideration he should leave to the
good sense of the footled proprietors themselves,
who would, no doubt, be deeply impressvd with
the expediency of the measure, as absolutely ne-
cessary towards the general security.
Sir Oswomn Mnstav agreed with ,the Noble
Lord (Cochrane) that landed property `lead suf-
fered a great depreciation, aliLl that the poor rates
fell proportionably heavy upiot it ;: but he denied
that the pout- rates were „paid exclusively by the
lauded interest, for the manufacturing classes
paid a large proportion of it.
Mr. IlaouonAst observed, that the proposition
of the Noble Lord differed from that of the Hon.
Baronet only as secret fraud differed from open
violence. The one directly assailed the property
at the funded proprietors, the other did it more
covertly. Another opportunity would come for
discussing this question, but lie could not avoid
stating as an instance of very urgent distress, that
the average wages in Lancashire were three and
four shillings a week. From the numerous com-
munications he had from different parts of the
country, and personal conferences with sunny in-
telligent persons, he was convinced that the
Hollis had no conception of the wholly unex-
allotted 'pressure endured 'by theoubs'opy persons
engaged in manufactures.
'llte petitions were read and laid on the table.

PETITION FROM HOW!
Lord FoLLsToNst rose to presenta petition front
the Inhabitants of Orshain, complaining of the
distresses of the times, and praying for Reform
and Retrenchment, HMI that no measure against
the liberty of the subject might be, sanctioned by
that House. His Lordship stated, that this pe.
tition had been transmitted to hint,.occompuoieri
by a, letter, which stated that it had been agreed
to at a numetous, and respectable meeting of the
inhabitants of Horsham, and that the proceedings
at the meeting had been orderly and decorous;
that the Mayor of the Town had been applied to
for the use el the town-hall, whieh he had re-

riS.
The petition was then brought Hp turd read,
Sir Ilmorthr: Snoto.kot r.:34".4.* Is+ WOrth
very low tone. We understonilf;lia Ito say, ilia
the prociedings of the meeting-were lorderly, and
the persons who composed it respectable.
Ur. IIUkST said, be was instructed to
,state that
it was true that the Mayor of Horsham had re•
fused the use of the Town Hall'for this meeting.
A requisition signed by the proper number
householders had, in the first instance, been pre-
sentad to the Mayorovhn thereripon, finding no.
thing improper in the terms of the requkition,
had consented to allow the meeting to assertible
in the Town Hall. But ofterworols'a clause was
added to the requisition, which was placarded
about the town, inviting " all labourers, me.
ebonies, and apprentices, to join the meeting, as
the paid taxes for coals' and. eandles ;", upon
which the Mayor refused to allow the meeting to
assemble in the Town Hall, He (Mr.' If) had
also to observe a fact respecaug-this -petition, oit
which he would wi,l) to hear err opillitut of the
Chair,' namely, that macula the iiguatnre's to the
pet idon, there were 20 or 30 names signed by the
same hind. •As to what bath been Said about-the
orderly conduct - of the meet lug,' he could only say,
:hat a large blue flag bait been displayed at it, and
fixed up during the continuance of the aasemblage.
He was tegitested.ois behalf et'"the ivlible of the

Lklagistrattt Olaf tici;:idetnal;o,.il tt3 disq%:)..‘
the rt tiu iom and a ll tl.e SelliiioClOS it COW/third.
he SI'VAKF.R.-111 answer to the question of the
Honotirahle Member as to the point of ,ortitr re-
specting the signature of Petitions, 11 littve tt, •tate,
that it is theatticient and established rule of this
Mime. that every'Petition simian be signed by
the l'etitioner.• if this is not complied yt it
will be•contrary to the rules of the liou‘e to re-
ceive such at Petition.

Alter-some fle.nitory con versa( ion, the Petition
WfiS unit: red to lie on the tithle.

Lord PoutsToNE presented Petition from the
Inhahitaots of NetOntry, Iterks, praying that the
[louse Will not abridge the rights ot the people.
!lead, and ordered to lie on the table..