The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-05-13 00:00:00

THE NEW JUDGE IN CHANCERY

The LORD CHANCELLOR, in answer to a question from Lord
Lyndhurst, said that the retiring salary of the Lord Chancellor
would under the proposed alterations remain at its present
amount, and that of the Lord Chief Justiclin Chancery would
be the same as that of the Lorct Chief Justice of the Court of
King's Bench.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS (IRELAND) BILL.

The house having gone into committee on-this bill. Lord
LYNDHURST brought forward his amendment of the second
clause, which reserves to freemen all their rights of admission
to the freedom of boroughs, except by gift or purchase, and the
continuation of all their rights respecting corporation property,
except an exemption from tolls or town's dues. All freemen
admitted or entitled to claim their freedom on the sth June,
1835, to be exempted from these tolls, as they would have been
had the act not been passed.
On this amended clause a long discussion ensued, after which
the committee divided. For the amended clause, 107; for the
original clause, 53: majority against ministers, 54. On the
question that clause 22 (which enacts `that mayors, aldermen,
and councillors be chosen in every borough") be struck out,
another debate arose. The Duke of Richmond supported the
original clause, and was followed by the Marquis of Lansdowne,
who spoke in favour of the continuance of the Irish corporations,
and deprecated the abolition of them. The Duke of Richmond's
motion, that the clause be retained as part of the bill, was lust
on a division, 45 voting in favour of, and 98 against that motion,
leaving government in a minority of 53. The committee con-
tinued sitting until the 36th clause was disposed of, when the
house resumed and adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAY.
RAILWAY AND NAVIGATION BILLS.
The lords' amendments to the Arbroath and Forfar railway
bill were agreed to-on the motion-of Mr. Chalmers.
The Gloucester railway bill was read a second time.
The report on the Newry navigation bill was agreed to.
The Dundee harbour bill was read a third time and passed.

FACTORIES ACT AMENDMENT BILL.
Mr. P. THOMSON moved the second reading of this bill. The
only object contemplated by the measure, the repeal of one
single clause of the act as it nowstood, and to place the law with
regard to factories in the same situation in which it stood on the
let of March this year; its object was to provide that, whereas
children under 12 years of age, after the Ist March last, were
prevented from working more than eight hours a day, and were
confined to that time, the restriction imposed for the single
year from 12 to 13 should be removed, and that children eleven
years old and upwards should come under the operation of the
provisions under which they stood on the Ist of March and be
permitted to work 12 hours a day.. His grounds were these—
that they had from the inspectors appointed under the factories'
act an unanimous declaration, that they found it impossible to
enforce the law as it now stood since the Ist of March, and also
that they had the declaration of other parties, that if the clauses
be carried into effect, the inevitable consequences would be,
that all the children between 12 and 13 must be thrown out of
employment. Was it advisable for the ends of humanity, if
that alone were to be considered, was it expedient at once to
put an end to the employment of 35,000 children ? The mea-
sure was opposed by two classes of persons ;• for one class who
came forward as the advocates of humanity—and at whose head
was his noble friend Lord Ashley—he had the greatest respect ;
hut he would meet his noble friend on the ground of humanity,
as regarded his proposal; he would tell him that he believed it
to be more humane, having protected children up to a common
age, and restricted them to three hours, not to prevent them
from following that work to the extent of 69 hours per week,
when without it they would not he employed at all, and must
fall back upon their parents. Whether such an extension of
labour might be permitted, without injury to their health, was a
question which he had put to 48 medical men, indiscriminately
chosen from the manufacturing districts, and he had received
answers from 43, the greater part of which were -to the effect,
that it might decidedly be permitted; thereat were -accompanied
by a qualification, that if properly fed they could suffer no in-
jury ; from the remaining five only he had received opposite
answers. After some further arguments in its support, he con-
cluded by moving that the bill be read a seccud time.
Lord ASHLEY, after some introductory remarks, denied that
the amended act would be any benefit to 'the factory children.
Every argument which had been advanced againSt his •(Lord
Ashley's) bill of 1833, the right hon. gentleman now advanced
against his own act—he (Mr. Thomson) having then refuted
his opponents, now came down and refuted his refutation. With
respect to throwing 35,000 children out of employment,' he
(Lord Ashley) had taken some pains to obtain information
upon that point, and he. had been- told by a high authority on
that subject, the member for Oldham, that it would be utterly
impossible for the mill owners to carry -on their business if they
were to dismiss the children under the age of 13 in their employy
meat. The noble lord then proceeded to read the evidence o-
the inspectors, in order to show that it was at least extremelyf
improbable that the services of children under the age of 13
could be dispensed with, and concluded by moving that the bill
be read a second time that day six months. At the close of the
debate, which was a long one, the house divided. For the
second reading 178; for the amendment 176. Majority in
favour of the bill 21—Adjourned. '