The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-23


TO do 30 with great sums, and urgent occasions
but when you come to levy minute sums for the re
lief OF the poor on personal property in rural dis
trcts you would find that the attempt would mo-
be 80 successful hear, hear. To raise minute sum,
by any inquiSition on the part of local authorize,
would prove great burden on land in the rural dis
trcts hear There districts partly agricultural
and partly manufacturing, and there you may say
this mode OF assessment is UNJUST but whether OF
no, am not prepared to suggest such remedy al
this inquisttion into personal property for the pur
pose of assessment. | do not think that it would
be an advantage to the land that there should be an
INCLUSION by local authorities in order TO levy this
tax on personal property, Ii an inquiry were made
into the profits of trade for the purpose of this
assessment an inquiry should take place into the
profits OF the farmer. You had an inquiry into
personal property BEFORE under another act
but you abandoned It because you found il impossi-
bic. IL you established it in this case see no ad-
vantage that would arise TO the agricultural interest,"
and am sure that II the State took upon itself the
maintenance OF the poor II would be AN arrangement
open TO the greatest Objections and the charge is
present not general but local one do not be-
eye that the landed interest would be benefited by
this assessment Of personal properly for the poor
rates have not, therefore, proposed any material
alteration as TO the principle which the rates are
at present levied. always thought that the agri-
cultural interest had fair claim TO direct relief from
some local burdens, and looking at those which
affect the land exclusively, we propose TO take
some Of them of. | cannot mention this as
q direct compensation, but | believe it will be
found TO lay the foundation Of great social i'm
proVement II the public take upon them some
OF these charges. The honorable member for
Somersetshire brought some Of these burdens
under the consideration of the house last year.
then said that while we retained protection
would not advise the agricultural interest TO seek
the relief then sought, that relief would be com
Paratiyely small. But when we remove protection
from the agricultural interest, think il is in our
power 10 relieve the land TO a certain extent and
effect further social improvement. You have al
ready taken upon yourselves half the expense of
maintaining prisoners while in Jail before trial. and
also half the expense Of lunatic aSylums. You al
ready bear proportion OF the charge Of maintain.
ing consicus while IN prison, and Of removing con-
ylcts under sentence Of transportation We propose
TO relieve the country from these expenses aogeth-
er, and TO throw the charge entirely upon the con-
sodated fund. When ! say the consolidated fund
do not mean tn say that these expenses shall be
paid without inquiry, and therefore | propose, in
order that there may he constant and yigiant check
upon the expenditure Of the country that the ne
cessary amount shall be provided for by an annual
vote. With respect TO the expenses Of prosecutions
In England, one-half Of that charge is already paid
out Of the public purse, the other half by the coun.
ty in which the prosecution takes place. In Scot
land the charge is paid altogether by the country.
In Ireland portion OF the charge sIIll remains I'M
posed upon the land. We propose that in the case
of England and Ireland that portion Of the ex penses
of prosecutions which Is now betrayed by the
ty out Of the local shall be borne by the coun-
try at large. The relief will not be great but il
will at the same time afford you the means Of es-
ablishng some control over prosecutions, Ghear,
hear, and thus, in social point Of view, the
try will be amply repaid ~ the addition thereby
made TO the public burdens. In Scotland an adj
mirable system Of checking prosecutions by means
of public prosecutor has for some time existed.
Hear, hear In Ireland you have a control of the
ind hty utrtn hat
there shall be the Of public officer before
the prosecution can be Instituted. With a view,
therefore, partly to the relief which the land will
ceve, and partly to the means Of supervision which
will be thereby afforded propose that the whole
charge of prosecution shall be taken from the
land and placed upon the consolidated fund. The
expense which this will occasion will be eli 900
for Ireland, but in England 1t will not be less than
Goo 900. When | speak of Ireland, let il not be
forgotten that if there be any part Of the United
Kingdom which will suffer from the withdrawal Of
of protection to agriculture, that part Of the United
Kingdom will be loser by the course which we
have recommended. Its capital and its enterprise
almost exclusively directed to agricultural pur-
suits IT. therefore, there should appear at first any
undue favor shown to ireland, let it he borne in
mind that Ireland has not the which other
parts of the United Kingdom possess of employing
labor in manufactures. Il must also be recolIected
at the same time that we propose relief from Dor
dens which is not accompanied with great 80
cial benefit to the whole of the community. At
present there is a large police force established in
Ireland. The expense of maintaining that force
falls partly on the county, and partly on the public
at large This seems to me, confess, an anoma-
ous system. Hear, hear, hear. | think that it
would be great advantage to place that force under
the control Of the executive government, and to
make It as perfect system as you can excluding all
power Of local nomination and local interference
This course was strongly recommended by the COM
mission which Lord Devon presided, without
AM refe To w Of Iron
agriculture and therefore her maiesy's government
are disposed to recommend that the charge Of main
tanning the police force in Ireland shall be wholly
borne by the public treasury There another charge
borne by the land in this country, which, with
view the social advantages which will result from
the change, propose to transfer to the CONSOLE
dated fund. | alude to medical relief. There is
no part of the administration of the pooraws
which gives more dissatisfaction than the admins
tration of medical relief. Hear, hear. There has
been often great unwillingness on the part of the
guardians to provide proper means for visiting and
relieving the sick poor and am sorry to say there
have been frequently just grounds of complaint with
respect to medical attendance. The state of medical
relief in Scotland also has frequently attracted the
attention ofthe house during the last session of Par
lament For the sake, therefore, of gradually
introducing amended system of medical relief to
the poor, we propose that the public shall pay half
the charge Of medical officers | estimate that the
amount OF relief viii n the land will receive by this
9lUO 900, and will amount to about els 900 in
Scotland. Ireland stands in different position in
this respect, and the circumstances in which it is
placed will shortly occupy the attention of the other
house of Parliament. There is separate charge
which falls on the land in Scotland, from which,
think, it is entitled to be relieved. The charge of
the model prison at Pentonvile is borne by the
country generally, and Scotland objects that the ex
pense Of maintaining the prison at Perth ought not
to fall upon her exclusively 1t is but very small
hut nd ytis IN he ayod .
more, perhaps, a matter Of feeling, than uc-
count of the burden which it casts upon the people
of that country, who the prison at Pentonville
and the establishment of Parkhurst in the Isle of
Wight supported at the public expense. There is
only one other item ofexpenditure which propose
to take off from the land, but on which think
shall have the general acquescence of the house.
believe that, in many parish warehouses; there is
great ground Of complaint account Of the made
auate provision made for education. Hear hear
In many warehouses;, persons who are perfectly uD-
fit to be trusted with the education Of youth, have
been appointed schoolmasters. We propose not to