Star.
London, England, 1831-06-21 00:00:00

ON IRISH POOR LAWS.

►ROM PRACTICAL MINTS. DT MR. llAtilt, o► LOUSE.
CRZW, ♦ RZSIDCRXT COUNTRY GCNTLEIRAN. 4.110

ZITINSIII. LAMB= 1.101PL1Z704
It is hopeless to expect that the condition of the
lower orders of the Irislipeople can be satisfactorily
improved by any single act of the legislature, or
that a respect for the higher classes and the exist-
ing constitution of the country, can be maintained,
without the revision and amendment of the various
Acts of Parliament which have been from time to
time passed, with a view to support the rights and
interests of all ranks of society. We cannot do a
greater injury to the cause we mean to advocate,
than by endeavouring to give it more value in the
eyes of the public than it can in reality maintain.
In venturing to give publicity to a " Plan of a
Labour Rate," I was actuated by a wish to direct
attention to what 1 considered a principal link in
that chain ; which if wisely directed, will draw with
it a happier destiny for oar country. In proposing
the means of employing the able-bodied and active-
minded of oar peasantry, I coasidered I was
rightly laying the first stone towards. improvement.
To them, both the old and young of the labouring

population must look for their chief support,
I freely grant that some provision for the la(
of those who have spent their best time in
vice of the community is much to be desired,
as for the families of those who hare been
if in the prime of life, by fever or other cr
My plan of a " Labour Rate," (as exhibited
more length in a recent publication undoer
title,) is briefly as follows: It is proposed.
" Rate " should be placed on the receipts
landlords in Ireland to the amount of 2 y
and on all payments made by tenants to the
of 1 per cent, to be placed at the disposal
mittee ; the amount of the rate to be exp.._
each parish in useful labour, such as draining,
claiming waste ground, or any other work t-
to its general advantage, to be fixed on
committee. Relief will be thus extended
able-bodied labourer at those periods of
when the farmer is least in want of assistance,
As an exemplification of the working
system, let us suppose a census taken in a
4800 acres, in which there is a small town,
there are 100 acres of bog and waste land ;
maining 4,700 acres at an average of thirty
ling rest per acre, with tithes amounting t,
per annum, would pay to the labour rate
2201. Suppose further that 80 men were
ployed in the parish for four months in
and that fifty of those have houses and
2001. would give employment to those ,
sixteen weeks, at five shillings per week
man ; and allow 201. for the expenses of col
and management. The remaining thirty men
of whom I will consider single, or connected
some of the fifty families,) a-e the beat sulijrcts
Location, Emigration, and public works,
the expense of removing a family, and the
state it would be left in when the work was
render such a source of employment only
those who are natives of the spot where t
is going forward, or are unincumbered,
posing then, that these thirty labourers
disposed of, we have now the means of
the condition of the fifty remaining familit
giving them employment under the labour,
Let us look to their present situation.
tenants they now bold a miserable cabin
than a rood of ground for a garden, general)
placed, as to be destroyed by their own
hour's pig or poultry, at a yearly rent of
pounds to fifty shillings ; with, on ono side,
pect only of payment in case of some
employment, and on the other, a promise .
the roof in thatch which is seldom performed
lees the rent is already in band.
Such are the circumstances under whici.
rally speaking, the labouring poor are placed,
there is no prospect of their emerging
wretchedness, unless the head-landlords
duced to deal with them directly. The
having employment and being placed in
earning an additional 31. or 41. per year.
enable them to deal with the proprietor I
and their improved prospects would render
less the direct interest, than it is the positive
of the head landlord to take them (to use
warm-hearted ex pression) ' under his honour
This could be readily done. For a rent
from 50s. to 60s. a year, I.e could well
to let a eomfertable house, with a quarter
an acre of garden, whilst the lan.lord Ghoul,
dertake to keep the house in repair, reserving
the yeas for that purpose.. Having in some degree
shown the elect of the rate on thorn who
receive it, I will• turn to the Committee
intend it. This is to be formed of the clergy
rate and COM payers in the parish. rhese / •
divide into three classes, according to the
of rate and eess they have to pay ; and
the Committee out of three, taken by .
each class, independent of the Clergy of
suasion..
For the purpose of giving the necessary
meat, I suggested is my "Plan of I
Rate," the draining and reclaiming of waste
&c. intimating that an improved system
making might possibly be joined thereto
vantage to the public, and worked by
means. On reflection, lam further convinced
the feasibility and good effects of this
that some alteration of the grand jut y law.
ing road-making, would be a necessary
niment of any enactment for a labour rate.
gestion is, each pariah do take upon itself
ing and repairing its roads by means of its committee
and that three members of each parish comt
meet and form a barony committee, and
members of each barony committee do
the magistrates, at road sessions, the work h,
to be done on the several roads in each baron.
that in each barony there be a person appointed
keep the public accounts, and collect the
labour rate, who shall also superintend
and the works carried on under the rate,
▪ fixed and ample salary : that all parish .
carried on by labourers resident in the parish
that all carriage of gravel or stapes be
for by the toe, and the preference given to
en the line of road where the work is going
lt trill be objected, that in some parishes ;
cannot be found competent to form the proposed
committee. I confess I know of no such parishes,
but if such do exist, let them join their neighbours
in the barony, and carry on their work wit
assistance.

The Spinish ladies are not au...
enter the pits of the theatres, and they consequently
that they pre fe r the pliery which they declare ie
mere Wilesslole part of the Louse.
New W airs.—New writs will be issued
following places on Wednesday night :
Newport (Cornwall), Hight= Ferrari, Tar
Melton, Liverpool, Milboroe Port, W;_
and, we believe, for Bandon Bridge. The
cies in the two first are occasioned by
of the members returned at the late general
tion ; of the remainder, except the last, k
returns ; and of the lest by Lord Bernard',
once of the Chiltern Hundreds.
An arrival from Bombay has brought
and the copy of a document of very great
est, and closely connected with a subject
bigwig political import**, It is the petit'
the Home of Commas of the Christians,
does, Parsees, Mahomedans, and Jews, net'
the British possessions Ulnas, as the grievances
they suffer nod*. the atialuittratien of r
meat u at Fremont consfitated in that pat'
Worli thirasiody for lbw gtivoses,
rights sod aivantagesAi which they aspire .
claim from the humane Mid prudent coosiderotio.l
of our Legislature.'

•T) r
4'
•
ort, though
latter days
n the ser-
ed, as well
en carried
r causes.
.hibiteil
mileer their:-
ell, that a
"ipts of all
per cent,
:he amount ii
I of a corn-
'Tended in
lining, re-
rk tending
on by the
led to the
if the year
assistance.
g of this
a parish of
n, and that
id ; the re-
thirty shil- •
rig to 4201.
rate about
ere unem- •
the year,
d families,
e fifty for 11
?.k to each
f collection
men (most
ected with
,uhjects for
r, to which
:be helpless
as fitislaed,
Iv suited to
the work
ed. Sup-
i were thus
improving
tmilirs, by
labour-rite. i
As under-
with less
enerally so
or neigh-
If from two
ide, a pros-
e hoped-for
use to keep
ormed, un-
hich, gene-
placed,r from their
and
can be el-
ite effect of
in a way of
rear, would
or himself :
mder it no
ositiieduty
e their own
our's wing.'
t areragiog
well Rain d
rter or ha:f
should un- .
terriog Ihtlf
tome degree
who would
who super-
clergy aNd
les. I wouJ.l
the amount
would forte
ballot from
of all per-
iry employ-
' a Labour
isle ground,
n of road-'
Ito with ad-
y the same
*minced of
I plan ; and
ws respect-
accerispa-
.. My sug-
If the mak-
committee;
matinee, de
I that three
lay before
rk proposed
stony; and
Ippointed to
to cats cad
the roads
, and this at.
eh work be
iarish, and .
contracted
to farmers
loins on.—
bee persoi.s
• proposed
.h parishes,
neighbours
with their
by law to
leanly aft,'
we to be the
ned for the
Reigate,
Tavittock,
Veyntoutb,
The recall-
the deaths
renal elec-
by double
rd's accept-
bt to Eng:
;rest lire r-
Oct of the
petit'o I to
ilia., Hill-
satires of
glierances
• rloveria-
pan of he
it, and the
aspire ad
maideratio.i
,