Star.
London, England, 1825-03-22 00:00:00

POLICE MAGISTRATES.

The House wait into a Committee so the,Police
Mr. Secretary PEEL said he wished to call the atten-
tion of the House to Police Magistrates, who, under the
Police Act, had very extensive powers, and he was con-
vinced the House would not consider a small addition
to their salary unreasonable. He held in his hand a
document shewing the amount of salaries paid to the
Magistrates of Police Offices, and a paper describing
the inc.ease of business since the first institution (.1
Police Offices. The buiness had been continually in-
creasing with the population, but it was on other grounds
that Le plopos-d ai addition to their salary. The first,
had a salary limited to 4401. They had some time after
16001. per annum. In the first instance, individuals were
selected for the office who were quite unfit to discharge
the duty. He found among twelve Magistrates one
Major in the Amy, three Clergymen, and one Gh4ow
trader; they were all unfit for the office. These.was no
system rf education for a Police Magistrate, but the
Right Hono..raitle Gentleman, and Lord Sidniouth, his
predecessor, had considered persons of the legal profes-
sion most eligible, and in that view they promoted no
one to she si tuition without he had been a Barrister of
three years standing. That was 'found the hest
class of persons to fill the situation; bat in order to give

ffect to the choke of such persons, he asked whether'
6001. a year was enough? Was it enough to induce a man
to give up his practice? The salary for the individual was
too small. The House certainly would wit object to em-
power the Secretary of State for the Home Depart-
ment, to allow each Police Magistrate in London 800/.
He might be told there were individuals ready to take
the office for 6001. The Right Honourable Secretary
did not doubt persons were to be found to take it for
that sum, but there was no reason why they should
select for that important duty men who had• ndt been
able to succeed at the Bar. Police Magistrates were
called upon to administer the law in complicated cases.
Tire number of Acts of Parliament which had passed
of late years, greatly increased their duty. Cases under
the Building-Act often occupied the Magistrates two
days. It was impossible, without legal knowledge, to
do justice between the parties. He should propose to
make their salary 8001. in lieu of 6001. In this country
there was more parsimony in the administration of jus-
tice than any other. It appeared the worst species of
economy to refuse a proper salary to persons for the
proper discharge of their duty. In the choice of the
Magistrates, they ought not to take the refuse of the
Bar. Of the thirty Police Magistrates receiving 6001.
a year, four only were not Barristers. The Right Ho-
nourable Secretary concluded, by moving that each of the Police
Magistrates of the Metropolis should be allowed £BOO a-year.
Sir JOHN SEBRIGHT supported the Resolution.
He was convinced nothing could be more injurious than
an attempt to get the duty of Police Magistrates done
on cheaper terms. He thought it imprtant that they
should be enabled by salary to support that situation in
life which had due effect upon the Public. He was
old enough to remember the trading Magistrates of
Westminster, and in the opinion of the Public, they
were contemptible indeed. He should have supported
the resolution had it given a greater increase.
Mr. HOBHOUSE did not wish to give the Ministers
of the Crown more patronage by allowing them the
power of making Barristers Police Magistrates. He
did not oppose the increase of salary on account of the
money, but he thought Government had enough in-
fluence over Barristers. There were 820 Barristers,
and he understood that 400 places might be given by
Government to Barristers. If he was right, he might
ask what became of the independence of the Bar? Was
the money to be given to the Magistrates at the will of
a Secretary of State, and taken away at pleasure ? He
recollected that the Head of the Police was once put
aside against the feeling of the Country, and if the. Ma-
gistrates' salaries were to depend on a Secretary of State, what
would become of the independence of Justice?
Mr. Secretary PEEL did not mean anything of that
kind. There would be an increase to all the Police
Ma-
'gistrates of 2001. a•year. All the Magistrates would
receive the same sum. When the Honourable Member
spoke of influence over the Bar, no such thing was in
contemplation. If influence was wanted they would
not seek it at the Bar, but from the country, among
persons who had no legal education. It would be bet-
ter, as a matter of patronage, to have persons from the
Bar. They selected Barristers only on account of their le-
gal knowledge.
Mr. HUME said, that the question he wished to ask
was, how the thirty Magistrates in London were to be
disposed of, and what was to be the time of their at-
tendance? Because he had heard complaints that suffi-
cient attendance was not given. He thought that the
number of Magistrates might be reduced when the
salaries were increased. _ _ _

Mr. Secretary PEEL said that he proposed no addi-
tion to the number of Magistrates, but that their duties
would allow of no reduction. In the year 1792, Lon-
don was divided into nine Districts, and no addition had
since been made by the Police E-tablishments, notwith-
standing the increase of population. One Office, the
Thames Police, had been added ; but with that ex-
ception, no alteration had been made for 30 years.
He could assure the Honourable Member that the re-
laxation from business on the part of Magistrates, was
very small. The law required that two Magistrates
'should sit for the administration of justice, and that,
he believed, was a most salutary regulation. But it
required that three should be attached to each Office to
dispatch the business under such a rule. He understood
the hours of attendance to be from ten in the morning
till eight at night. To give the Hon. Member an idea
of the duties of Police Magistrates, he would only state,
that at one Office, Union-hall, three Magistrates had to admi-
nister justice to a population of 247,000 people; and in the month
of July,l SU, the cases of assault only at that Office amounted to 176.
After a few words from Mr. W. SUM, the Resolution was
agreed to, and the House resumed.
The other Orders were disposed of, and the House adjourned at
this o'CLocu.