The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-02-22 00:00:00

DISSOLUTION OF THE lIALIFAX UNION

(From the Halifax Guardian.)
On Wednesday next, at the Board of Guardians, Mr.
Pitchforth, guardian for Rastrick, is to move for the dissolu-
tion of the Halifax Union, and a return to the old system.
Uncompromising opponents as we have ever been to the
New Poor Law system, we cannot permit our present num-
ber togo forth without brief mention of this motion, and of
our wishes for its success. 'When the New Poor Law was
introduced into this Union—when the bastile was erected—
and again, when it was attempted to put on the screw of
" prohibition" to out-door relief in reference to bastardy—
we opposed the system to the best of our ability. In the
latter the board thought with us ; but in the former the san-
guine anticipations of the Poor Law advocates triumphed.
Have those predictions of good and benefit been realized?
Have they not miserably failed 7
Our reasons for advocating a return to the old system may
be briefly stated. We leave ofit of the question the consti-
tutional principles involved in the law. But confining our-
selves to the mere working of the new law, we have abun-
dant argument for its dissolution. The distance which the
poor have to come—the sacrifices the, guardians have to make
in order to do imperfectly at Halifax what could be done
twice as well, with half the trouble, in their own townships--
the expense of the cumbersome machinery of the union—and
the hasty manner in which, of necessity, the greater part of
the business is done by the officers, call loudly for the resto-
ration of the old system.
The proposal to abridge the labours of the guardians by
handing the poor over wholesale to the relieving officers, is
one against which we must set our face. It is giving to those
officers an unchecked power greater than any paid servants
ought to have ; at the same time that we fully confess there
is no other way of carrying on the union. It has been sug-
gested as the least of two evils, but in our opinion it would
be the greatest of all evils to the poor. The relieving officers,
we doubt not, have rarely betrayed the confidence reposed in
them, because there has always been an efficient check upon
their actions ! But it is neither good policy, nor sound wis-
dom, to abandon the wheel at the same time that you crowd
all sail.

We presume not •to thrust our advice on the guardians.
But when the very parties whose anticipations have been so
wofully reversed, come forward with more suggestions to
get the union out of the scrape they got it into, we have a
right to recall to the guardians the fact that we predicted all
these difficulties, and therefore have a superior claim to con-
sideration. The union system is too unwieldy to work, and
it would be easier to-make another system than to mend it.
But the old township plan has already approved itself to the
poor and to the ratepayers, as, if not the best system that
could be devised, at least infinitely better than the reformed
one substituted in its stead.

No Wesleyan minister is, or has been, a member of the
Anti-Corn Law Conference. -

From an official paper, just published by order of the
house of Commons, in reference to the expenditure attend-
ant upon the operation of the Poor Laws' Bill in Ireland, it
appears that in addition to a sum of a million sterling, already
appropriated by Parliament towards the purchasing of sites,
and the erection of buildings under the provisions of the
act, no less than one hundred and fifty thousand pounds are
still necessary for accomplishing these purposes. An outlay
of 1350,000, no less, before the law can be fully carried out ;
and this " required early in February, or as soon as possible
after the meeting of Parliament!"—Dublin Evening Packet.

FURTHER CHANGES IN THE IMPORT DUTIES.—We are
sorry to perceive, from the answers that have been elicited
from Sir R. Peel on the subject in parliament, that it is his
intention to make some other important changes in the laws
affecting the importation of the necessaries of life, besides
those which he has proposed with respect to corn in its raw
state. For instance, it appears that he intends to remove the
prohibition against the importation of flour into Ireland, and
to lower the import duty on foreign beef, pork, butter, and
live cattle. These are changes that will tell very seriously on
Irish interests, and no time shall be lost in endeavouring to
dissuade the premier from such measures. In the article of
oats. the Irish farmer will be a heavy loser, if so large a re-
duction as is contemplated take place—our exports of oats
and oatmeal to Great Britain being nearly five times as that
of wheat, and it has gone on increasing in quantity almost,
every year. And if the other modifications that we have
hinted at are carried into effect. they will bring ruin on the
landholders of this country. The rumour of these changes
has already produced a depression in the p►ovision markets
of the South of Ireland, as we learn from the Limerick
Chronicle of Wednesday last, which further inform us that
while the wheat market was but little affected by the proposed
reduction of duties, there was a " marked decline in the
price of oats, that which sold a month ago for Bd. or 10d.
now selling at fild. to Bd. per stone. These are matters that
should be at once taken Into consideration by all who have
the welfare of the country at heart, but particularly mer-
chants and landed proprietors.—Londonderry Sentinel.