The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-08-09 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-MONDAY.

At the earlier sitting of the house, the order of the day
was read for the third reading of the New South Wales Bill.
Mr. CHARLES BULLER took various objections to the
system of colonial government, and to the continuance of
transportation to the colony. He was followed by Mr.
Labouchere, Mr. Ward, and Lord Howick ; and the noble
lord pointed out gross errors in the statement of Mr. Buller,
by which the expenditure of the colony had been stated by
him at nearly double its actual amount. The bill then passed.
IRISH CLERGY.
At the latter sitting of the house,
Mr. SHAW, seeing the noble lord the Secretary for Ireland
in his place, wished to know when it was likely the arrears
of the Irish clergy would be paid, also whether any steps had
been taken to cover the arrears due by the landlords to the
Irish clergy; and also whether the clergy had any chance
of receiving the £lOO,OOO.
Lord MORPETH was in hopes that the arrears to the Irish
clergy would be settled without delay. With respect to the
proceedings by the Attorney-General, against the landowners
in Ireland, he thought that required further consideration.
With respect to the latter question, he could not hold out
much expectation that either parliament or the government
would think itself justified in voting the £lOO,OOO.
On the motion of Lord MORPETH, the Constabulary
Force (Ireland) Bill was read a third time and passed.
PROPERTY TAX.

On the order of the day being read for going into commit-
tee of supply, Mr. FIELDEN rose to move, that the taxes
imposed on the necessaries of life in this country render them
so dear that the working people cannot command a suffici-
ency to supply their daily wants ; that the taxes imposed on
raw material are an obstruction to the productive industry of
the country ; and that the inability of the people to purchase
a sufficiency of the things which their labour would produce,
acts injuriously upon those who employ the people, and com-
pels them, from want of a market at remunerating prices, to
limit the employment of many, and refuse employment to
others, who are anxious to earn their bread by the labour of
their hands, and [who, from being denied employment, are
compelled to :accept relief from the parish in any way that
they can obtain it, or starve ; that such a state of things is de-
trimental to the productive classes, and dangerous to all other
classes : that, according to a return ordered to be printed by
this house, on the 10th day of June last, the taxes raised by
excise and customs on the following :articles !amounted, in
the year ending the sth day of January, 1839, to the sum of
£27,614,543 ; viz. malt, £4,232,080 ; hops, £302,906 ; soap,
£810,813 ; candles and tallow, £183,669 ; coals, sea-borne,
£7,632 ; sugar and molasses, £4,893,684 ; tea, £3,362,035 ;
coffee, £684,979 ; butter, £251,665 ; cheese, £113,907 ; cur-
rants and raisins, £300,828 ; corn, £186,760 ; cotton wool and
sheep's, imported, £725,445 ; silk, £254.874 ; hides and
skins, £61,478; and on paper, £541,781. That justice, sound
policy, and humanity require that the laws imposing these
taxes should be repealed, the corn laws abolished, and that
the revenue should in future be raised by an eqitable assess-
ment on property. There were instances without number
(said the hon. member) of labourers with a wife and seven
or nine children each, and only at the rate of 21d. and 3d.
per head per day for their maintenance. With persons in
such a condition, it would be in vain to attempt means of co-.
ercion. The only means to quiet them would be to redress
their grieveances ; and the sooner the house considered them
the better. The country was on the brink of a precipice,
pregnant with danger. Millions of the lower classes were in
such a condition of distress, that, to many of them, life itself
was an intolerable burden. Taxation had arisen to an enor-
mous amount ; and by the monetary system which had been
adopted, nine bushels of wheat were now required to pay £3
of taxation, which in 1818 would have been satisfied by five
bushels.
Mr. WILLIAMS, of Coventry, seconded the amendment.
After a few words from Mr. T. Arrwoon,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated, that the
statements of the hon. member for Oldham were inaccurate
in many respects ; but as he thought the house would not
consider the present a fitting occasion for discussing the
general subject, he should, without any disrespect to the
hon: member who had moved the amendment, decline enter-
ing into the question.
The house then divided, when the numbers were—For the
amendment, 15 ; against it, 58 - majority, 43
The House subsequently 'went into a committee of supply ;
and on the usual grant being proposed for the salaries and
expenses of the Irish secretary, privy council, &c.
Colonel PERCEVAL said he took that opportunity of stat-
ing, that, having presented a petition numerously and re-
spectably signed by the Protestants of Ireland against the
appointment of Lord Ebrington, he felt it but justice to say,
that the conduct of the noble lord had given the utmost
sOsfaction even to those who signed that petition. It was
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with the utmost satisfaction and delight he felt himself
enabled to make such a statement. (Hear.)
Lord COLE entirely participated in the very gratifying
compliment which had just been paid to the present lord-
lieutenant by his hon. and gallant friend. (Hear.)
A vote of £lO,OOO having been proposed to defray the ex-
pense of metropolitan police officers sent down to the country,
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said he wished for some explanativi.
of this vote. They had been told the other night that each
district was to defray the expense of the police sent down to
it, and.he must object to making jt a general burden.

'Lord .1. RussEiL said that he had 'Come to the determina-
tion of adding 100 men to the police force, to meet the de-
mands which might be made upon it from the country. He
did not anticipate that the whOle amount of the vote would
be expended, but he thought it the best sum to fix upon.—
Vote agreed to.
The supplies were voted. Other business was transacted,
of no general importance.
The orders of the day were then disposed of, and at two
o'clock the house adjourned to twelve o'clock on Tuesday.