The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-12 00:00:00

PONTYPOOL RAILWAY.

Mr. BECKETT brought up the report on the Pontypool
Railway Bill.

'MANCHESTER IMPROVENIENT BILL.

The Manchester Improvement Bill, and the Manchester
Courts Bill were respectively read a third time.
GREAT WESTERN (IRELAND) RAILWAY.
Sir W. SOMERVILLE moved that certain reports on the
subject of inland navigation (Ireland), should be referred to the
Committee on the Great Western Railway (Ireland) Bill.
Lord HARRY VANE, moved that certain persons should
be summoned to give evidence before the Committee on the
Nuneaton Railway Bill.—Agreed to.
CHESTER AND BIRKENHEAD RAILWAY.
The report on the Chester and Birkenhead Railway Bill was
brought up.

Ali. BRIGHT presented a petition from Durham in favour
of the Hartlepool Railway Bill, and another from Heywood in
favour of the Liverpool and Birmingham Railway Bill.
ACCIDENT TO SIR B. HALL.
Lord SANDON reported from the Committee of which he
he was Chairman, that Sir Benjamin Hall had not at-
tended in consequence of an accident which had befallen the
Honourable Baronet, by which he had sustained serious injury.
He moved that Sir B. Hall be discharged from further at-
tendance on the Committee.—Agreed to.
LYNN AND DEREHANI RAILWAY.
The report on the Lynn and Dereham Railway Bill was
brought up.
WATERFORD AND KILKENNY RAILWAY BILL.
The report on the Waterford and Kilkenny Railway Bill was
brought up.
POOR.LAWS (SCOTLAND).
Mr. H. DRUMMOND presented a petition from Perth
against the Scotch Poor-laws.

DISTRESS.
Sir H. HALFORD presented a petition from the operatives
of Leicester, complaining of distress, praying for relief, and
more particularly for an alteration of the poor-laws. The
Hon. Member gave notice that he should to-morrow move
that the petition be printed.
Mr. M. PHILLIPS presented a petition from the beer-
sellers of Salford, praying to be placed on the same footing as
the licensed victuallers.
Mr. F. KELLY presented a petition from Cambridge
against the Parochial Settlement Bill.

-Mr. COWPER presented two petitions from Yorkshire in
favour of a Ten Hours' Bill for young persons and females.
Mr. BRIGHT presented three petitions from Rochdale to
the same effect.

Mr. MACKINNON presented a petition in favour of the
Smoke Prohibition Bill.

ARRESTMENT OF WAGES (SCOTLAND) BILL.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE brought in this Bill, which was read
a first time.

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION (IRELAND).
Mr. LAW gave notice that, on the motion for the third reading
of the Irish Colleges Bill, he should move an amendment to the
effect, that the inculcation of religion was an essential element
in a system of national education, and that no measure brought
in by her Majesty's Government on the subject of education
ought to receive the sanction of the House unless it contained
provisions for religious instruction.
RAILWAY CONSOLIDATION CLAUSES (SCOT-

sound in principle and deficient in detail. He hoped the mea-
sure would be, therefore, taken out of the hands of amateurs
and that the Government would ere long introduce another
more comprehensive and satisfactery.
Lord EBRINGTON conjured the House not to be led away
by the arguments of the last speaker. No new principle was
introduced by the Bill, which merely proposed a more efficient
mode of levying rates at a similar proportion, let the nature of
the property be what it might. Cottages were now almost
wholly exempt from assessment, and the present system of
levying county rates was objectionable and unfair, and the
measure before the House was calculated to prove highly ad-
vantageous.
Mr. DARBY, while objecting to neither the second reading
of the Bill pro forma, nor the system of valuation and rating
adopted in it, disapproved of the mode of assessment, and
the power given to magistrates of deciding the amount of
valuation.

Mr. BROTHERTON suggested that more mature con-
sideration should be given to the defects already pointed out in
the measure, before a second reading should be given it.
Mr. HENLEY regarded the principle of the Bill as sound,
and its details efficient, and supported its second reading.
Mr. HUNIE objected to the Bill, as he thought it would
create a second mode of valuation, which would only entail
confusion and increased expense in every department of its
working. Strange to tell, there was no mode of auditing the
county accounts but by the magistrates who assessed them, and
he thought this fact alone sufficiently evinced the necessity of
some change being introduced into the system. lie would
suggest that auditors should be appointed to every. county in
the same way that auditors were appointed to joint-stock
companies.

Sir J. GRAHAM said the measure did not deal with the
whole question of the county rate, but merely established a
more uniform and regular mode of valuing and rating property
to the fund. With regard to the objections of the Honourable
Member who had last addressed the House, that there
were no auditors of the county accounts, he thought there
was a sufficient check upon the accounts, in the circumstance of
their being published every half year in the various newspapers of
the country. He quite agreed with the Noble Lord, the Mem-
ber for Plymouth, that it was important that some steps sh.,u!,l
be taken for carrying into effect the suggestions of the Po,,r-
law Commissioners, and he could assure the Noble Lord that
the report of that body was now under the consideratioa of Go-
vernment, and he looked forward to the early introduction uf a
more large and comprehensive measure, for placing the sul j .ct
of county rates upon a more firm and settled footing.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on Friday.
SMOKE PROHIBITION BILL.

The House then went into Committee on the Smoke Prohi-
bition Bill.

Mr. HAWES objected to the first clause, which related to
the appointment of surveyors under the Bill, and urged the
Committee either to postpone or expunge it.
Mr. M'KINNON could not consent to allow the clause to
be struck out or postponed, because it would destroy the 13111
altogether.
Lord LINCOLN objected to the clause, because his own
Bill for improving the sanatory regulations of large towns
would establish a body of inspectors, and in them ought to be
vested the power of seeing the provisions of the present Bill
properly and fairly carried out.
Mr. AGLIONBY supported the clause, and urged the ne-
cessity for having a separate body of inspectors under this Bill.
An HoN. MEMBER here called the attention of the Chair-
man to the fact that there were not forty Members present.
Strangers were therefore ordered to withdraw, and the
Chairman, having ascertained that there were only twenty-
nine Members in attendance, the House resumed, when the
Chairman reported accordingly.
The House then, at a Quarter•past Seven, adjourned till
to-morrow.