The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-05-01 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-THURSDAY

Lord J. RUSSELL moved for leave to bring in a bill to
amend the acts for the more effectual relief of the destitute
poor in Ireland. The noble lord said the chief object of
the bill was to establish a maximum rate for the support
of the poor in Ireland, with a view to give encouragement
to the investment of capital in the cultivation of the land.
He proposed that the maximum rate in each electoral di..
vision should, up to a certain point, be only ss. if any
electoral division required a further rate, it should be le-
vied from the entire union ; but this additional rate should
not exceed 25., so that the maximum rate could in no case
exceed 7s. He concurred in opinion with those who
thought that it would not be well to make a new division
of unions unless they had a provision for the erection of
additional workhouses. Power would be given to the
commissioners to this effect; but it was a power which
should be used gradually and with great caution. There
was also a power given to the owner of land to deduct a
portion of the rates for those who had jointures and rent-
charges upon it. He also proposed that the occupier
should be entitled to deduct from the owner only one-half
the rates which he actually paid upon the valuation of his
occupation, and not, as at present, one-half upon the rent
he paid to his landlord. There were other provisions of a
minor character in the bill, which the noble lord shortly
adverted to, and said that his bill was not founded on the
report of any committee, but was brought forward entirely
on the responsibility of the Government.
Mr. STAFFORD thought the noble lord should not have
asked the house to legislate piece-meal, and reminded the
noble lord that if the 7s. maximum rate should prove to
be insufficient, he had omitted to say from what fund they
were then to draw resources for the maintenance of the
poor. He hoped the noble lord would give this informa-
tion, and would also state whether the five-shilling rate
was to be merely struck, or whether it was to be collected
before any demand was to be made upon the union.
After some observations from Mr. Fagan, Lord Bar-
nard, Mr. P. Scrape, Mr. H. Herbert, and Mr. Grattan,
Sir R. PEEL said he felt it necessary to correct a misre-
presentation into which Mr. Grattan bad fallen, which he
conceived to be of the utmost importance. The hon.
gentleman attributed to him, in some observations which
he had formerly addressed to the house, that in the pro-
position which he then suggested his object was prompted
by a sectarian spirit to depress the Roman Catholics.
This was the last thing that ever entered his mind. On
the contrary, his object was to elevate the Roman Catho-
lics by giving them the opportunity of turning their capi-
tal and their labour to advantage. The fact was, that ho
believed the greater portion of the evils of Ireland was to
be attributed to the want of means and embarrassments of
the present possessors of the soil, to cultivate it properly,
and their utter inability to sell to advantage, owing to the
legal difficulties in the way of the transfer of encumbered
estates in that country. This was what the house should
direct its attention to, for if that were removed they
might, with comparative facility, deal with the other evils
of Ireland.
Leave was given to bring in the bill.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL then moved for leave to
bring in a bill further to facilitate the sale of encumbered
estates in Ireland. The bill of last year, the hon. gentle-
man said, had proved wholly ineffectual, but its inefficacy
was to be attributed to a variety of causes, not connected
with the measure itself. It was proposed to appoint a
commission, consisting of three paid commissioners and a
secretary, which could proceed to take the necessary steps
to give a Parliamentary title to the purchasers of estates,
unfettered by the rules of the Court of Chancery, and
make its inquiries without all those fees and the whole
antiquated system, which could not be immediately re-
moved from that court. The commissioners should have
power to sell those properties, in large or small propor-
tions, as might be most advisable, and at no future period
should it be necessary to go beyond the title thus given
by the commissioners. The produce of sales should be
paid into the Bank of Ireland in the names of the com-
missioners, and as soon as possible divided amongst the
parties entitled to it. It was also proposed to give an ap-
peal from the commissioners to certain members of the
Privy Council in Ireland, to be named by the Lord Lieu-
tenant, such appeal not to take place without the consent
of the commissioners. He was aware that it was not
enough to release the land from its present embarrass-
ments, but that care should be taken, by means of a pro-
per system of registration, to prevent its ever falling back
into the same condition. Government had turned its at-
tention to the subject of an improved system of registra-
tion for Ireland, but they had not as yet matured any
measure sufficiently to submit it to the house.
Mr. J. STUART said the measure of last session failed
because it consisted of complicated provisions upon a most
difficult subject, which provisions were not understood by

one in ten of the members who called upon the house to
pass the bill. The present proposition was one which
would also be found full of difficulty, as any question
must be when the rights of numerous parties who were
helpless had to be dealt with without their consent or ap-
probation,

Sir R. PEEL expressed his cordial satisfaction with the
course pursued by the Solicitor-General, and with the
main provisions of his bill. The object to be attained
was to give a clear Parliamentary title. which would be
put against the whole world, for it was quite impossible
that the existing state of things could be permitted to
continue.

Mr. BRIGHT warmly supported the measure, as a step
in the right direction.
After some observations from Sir J. Walsh, Mr. J.
O'Connell, Mr. Horsman, Mr. Henley, Mr. Monsell,
Mr. Bankes, and Sir H. W. Barron, leave was given to
bring in the bill. _

The SOLICITOR GENERAL then moved for leave to
bring in a bill to enable persons having perpetual and li-
mited interests in lands in Ireland to make grants in fees
or demises for long terms of years. The object of the
bill was to enable parties to grant building and improving
leases.

After a short conversation, in which Mr. Stuart and
Mr. Sadlier took part, leave was given to bring in a bill.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—FRIDAY.
The house went into committee upon the Poor-laws
(Ireland) Rate-in-Aid Bill. Amendments were proposed
on the several clauses by several members, but they were
all negatived, and the bill was ultimately reported. The
house having resolved itself into a committee of supply,
on the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a sum
of £52,173 was voted to replace the escheated property of
the late John Turner, which had been placed into the
consolidated fund, in default of heirs, who had since
appeared and established their claim. The ecclesiastical
commission bill was read a second time. On the motion
of Mr. Reynolds for the nomination of the select com-
mittee on savings' banks, the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, by way of amendment, moved the re-appointment
of the committee of last session. After a discussion, in
which Mr. R. Fox, Mr. Goulburn, Mr. Keogh, Mr.
Hume, Sir H. Willoughby, Mr. J. A. Smith, Lord C.
Hamilton, and Mr. Reynolds shared, an attempt was
made to amalgamate the lists, omitting certain names ;
but a division took place upon the retention of Mr.
Napier's name in Mr. Reynolds's list, which was nega-
tived by 111 to 74, whereupon Mr. Reynolds gave way.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—SATURDAY
The report on the Poor-laws (Ireland) Rat

inn iNus urougnt up, ana tne Diii, as amended, was con-
sidered, and was ordered to be read a third time on Mon-
day, and to be printed.
Mr. BERNAL brought up the report of the committee
of snpply._

Th-e'eXchequer bills (X 17,786,700) bill went through
committee, and the report was ordered to be brought up
on Monday.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave notice that
he would, on Friday next, move that the house resolve
itself into a committee of the whole house, to consider
the advances to be made to Ireland.