The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 19.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock.
RAILWAY CLAUSES CONSOLIDATION BILL.

Oa the question being put for the third reading of this
Bill,
Sir R. H. INGLIS took the last opportunity of call-
ing the attention of the House to a subject connected
with railways of great importance. He alluded to the
practice of large railway companies taking great
bodies of people from places where they had been accus-
tomed to receive ample religious and moral instruction,
and conveying them for the purposes of the railway to
some portion of the line where no provision whatever
was made for their future spiritual werfare. lie im-
plored all those who were connected with railway com-
panies to take this subject into their most solemn and
serious consideration. It was a duty incumbent upon them
not to form new towns without giving those persons whom
they collected in them such means of education for their
children, and religious instruction for themselves, as
they received in the county from which they came. He
would take the same opportunity of expressing an honest
hope that some measures would be adopted for preventing
railway companies from carrying large bodies of people
to places where they were likely to create a breach of the
peace. It had been stated in that House, that in a late
instance a special train was employed by a railway com-
pany to convey a large body of people, in order to en-
able them to commit a breach of the peace. He would
not have mentioned the circumstance, were it not for the
purpose of giving it a public contradiction. He would
not mention the railway company of whom this slander
had been circulated, but he could assure the House that
he had their own authority for declaring that the slander
was absolutely without foundation in truth.
Mr. HAWES said that he always listened with very
great respect to whatever fell from the Right Hon.
Baronet (Sir R. Inglis), and he, on the present occasion,
was quite aware of the great importance of the matter
which he had brought before the House; but he thought
that it would be better to leave the provision of the spit itual
wants of the people assembled through their instrumen-
tality to the spontaneous liberality of the company. He
(Mr. Hawes) could bear testimony to the great liberality
with which the railway companies had acted; and he
thought, from the evidence which they had given of a
disposition to provide for the spiritual necessities of
those dependent upon them, that the object of the Hon.
Baronet would be better served by the mode he sug-
gested than by any compulsory regulation. He might
give an instance in the conduct of the Great Western
Railway, who, at one of their stations, Swindon,
had not only erected a church, and provided
for its ministration, but had also endowed a
school for instructing the children who were brought
together. The whole arrangement, indeed, was a model
which might well be imitated by every railway company
in England. On the Birmingham line, also, there was
an establishment of a similar character, at Wolver-
ton. And not only had the companies been careful
to make this, provision for the spiritual wants of the
people when.their works were finished ; but, whenever
there was a necessity for bringing a number of people
together for the execution of works requiring any con-
siderable time for their completion, they had made a
temporary provision for the spiritual necessities of their
dependents and those who were brought together through
their means. He thought, therefore, that the better plan
would be to leave the provision which the Hon. Baronet
so earnestly desired to the spontaneous liberality of the
companies, rather than introduce any compulsory clauses
into the Bill.
Lord G. SOMERSET said, that he also thought that
it was better to leave it to the goodwill of the com-
panies, than to introduce any such clause. The railway
directors had always subscribed with great liberality to
any work which had for its object the spiritual welfare
of their people.
The Bill was then read the third time, and a clause
introduced which provided that it should be competent
for persons interested in any property likely to be
affected by the formation of any railway, to take
copies of, or make extracts from, the copy of the Bill
deposited with the clerk of the peace. The Bill was
then read a third time.

On the motion that the Bill do pass,
A clause was introduced, on the motion of Lord G.
SOMERSET, providing that railway companies should
not alter any branch or main gas or water pipes until
they had substituted other pipes, and providing also
that all such new pipes should be laid at least eighteen
inches from the surface of the road; and also that cul-
verts, or other protection, should be provided which
would enable the company to make any repairs that
might be necessary.
Mr. HAWES wished to know whether the Noble
Lord would have any objection to frame a standing order
requiring companies to give notice to the Admiralty of
any works which they intended to construct affecting the
navigation of rivers. As the Bill before the House
was then about to pass, he had one remark to make. It
was, that he hoped they would never have these twelve
o'clock sittings again at the commencement of the
session.—(" Hear, hear," from Colonel Sibthorp.)
Those who had attended the sittings upon that Bill
must have seen that the public business was not satis-
factorily attended to.—(Hear, hear.) He trusted that
after Easter no morning sittings would take place ; if
they did, it would be impossible that the Bills could re-
ceive proper attention. At the end of the session the
same objection did not apply ; because the business
transacted was, in fact, the completion of measures the
general principle of which had already received the
sanction of the House ; but he entertained a strong
objection both to the continuance of the morning sit-
tings after Easter, and to the repetition of them at a
still earlier period of the session.—(Hear, hear.)
Col. SIBTHORP expressed his full concurrence in
what had fallen from the lion. Member (Mr. Hawes) on
the subject of morning sittings. He did hope that they
would never have a repetition of such scenes as had re-
cently been exhibited, when ten, fifteen, or twenty Mem-
bers were all who were engaged in passing the most im-
portant measures.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said the question which had
been mooted by his Hon. Friend near him was a very
important one. That question was whether it was ex-
pedient or not for the House to sit at such an early hour
during the former part of the session. He confessed that
on the whole he was inclined to agree with his Hon.
Friend ; but at the same time he must say that in some
cases both the Government and the House had to make a
choice of evils.—(Hear, hear.) Whatever inconveni-
ence there might have been in taking these Bills
in the early sittings, it must be acknowledged
that it would have formed a great obstruction
to the public business if they had been taken in
the evening. Still, though he did not blame the
Government for the course they had now pur-
sued, he thought the practice was objectionable. He did
believe that, in the long run, they would not get through
more business by attending these morning sittings, than
if they sat at the usual hour in the evening.
Lord G. SOMERSET said, he admitted that the
various considerations advanced of the inconvenience of
attending the morning sittings were entitled to the
utmost attention, and he much regretted the necessity
that existed for having had recourse to such
a procedure. There were peculiar circumstances
which rendered such a course absolutely necessary. He
could not deny that the subjects before them were of' pa-
ramount importance, and well deserved the eonsidera-
don of the House. It was quite notorious that the
whole strength of the House would be required on Com-
mittees on private Bills after Easter, and it was, there-
fore, desirable that these measures should be disposed of
before Easter. He did not think it would be necessary,
under all the circumstances, to continue the morning
sittings after that period. With regard to the proposition
made by the Hon. Member for Lambeth (Mr. Hawes),
he fully concurred in the expediency of it, and it was
very probable that after Easter he should introduce it as
a standing order.
The Bill was then read a third time and passed.
LAND CLAUSES CONSOLIDATION BILL.

Lord G. SOMERSET brought up several new clauses,
which were severally read a first and second time, and
committed. _ _

vV
The House having again resumed, the report was
brought up by Mr. GREENE, and agreed to.
On the motion that the Bill be read a third time being
put,
Colonel SIBTHORP said that he observed in one of
the Noble Lord's amended clauses a reference made to
canals, and other public undertakings. He wished to
know whether barracks or public warehouses were to be
considered as public undertakings ; and whether the
public would have access to see the plans relating to
them ?
Lord G. SOMERSET said, where public works were
intended to be built, every opportunity would be given
for public inspection.
The Bill was they read a third time, and passed.
RAILWAY CLAUSES CONSOLIDATION (SCOT-