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

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ner required by law, shall be for every quarter un
der
| 4os the duty shall be. los.
over ASS. and under 49s...............9s.
! 49s.. Sos. .............6s.
| Sos. ...5ls...............7s.
5ls.......... SIS. ..............6s
52s.. Sos. .............5s
and that whenever the price Of grain made up AM
published in the manner required by law shall ex
coed 63s, there shall then be an inyariable duty o
Is per quarter" That is TO say that there shall b
no temptation to hold grain when the price shal
exceed Dds for the purpose OF securing the shilling
OF extra duty. Hear, hear The enactment
which we shall propose with respect TO all other de
senpuons Of grain, will precisely follow the seal
which We have adopted with regard to wheat.
would, however, perhaps be more convenient TO
the house, considering the time have already Occu
pied, that should rather refer them 10 the detail
which will be printed tomorrow morning, than g
through the whole now as regards oats and barley
Hear, hear.l II may be sufficient for the presen
purpose to State that the same general rule will b'
adopted in all. Hear, hear. There would now
therefore, be levied on wheat, instead of a duty o.
los, one Of 4s and every other grain at the pres
prices taken out Of bond for consumption in tn,
home market, would be subject TO a merely nomi
nal duty. Hear, hear That Is the arrangement
for the ad ustment OF this great question which he
majesty's government are induced to offer for the
consideration Of Parliament. We propose to ac
company tHdb arrangement WIN OlntT pfONlSOnt
calculated-l will not say to give compensation
but calculated, in my firm belief, materially to adj
vance the interests Of that portion Of the clmmuni
ty which, after the lapse Of three years, will be call
ed on TO reinquish their protection. believe il is
possible to suggest arrangements not affecting the
interests Of other portions Of the community, we,
materially beneftting theirs, by introducing re-
forms in the levying Of duties, and in the applica-
lion Of the burdens which to be raised thank
them for having permitted me, without inerup-
ten, to state all those portions Ofmy proposal which
might appear 10 be bearing heavily on them. ] am
obliged TO them for the forbearance with which they
have permitted me to go through that part Of my
proposed measure. Hear hear will now state
what are the measures with which we propose to
accompany this great present reduction and the ul
innate extinction of protection-measures which |
believe, will prove greatly to advantage Of that inter
est in whose welfare this country 10 deeply interest
ed, Hear hear.
Let US review some Of the burdens which do fall
Immediately on land but burdens which are in my
opinion, some Of them, at least capable of alleya-
ton, not by their transfer to other parties, but
by the introduction OF reforms into the mode Of their
levy. Now first let ma take the existing arrange
ment with respect TO one great source of expend-
ture-to one great burden which is constantly and
justly complained Of by the agriculturists-I mean
the amount OF rate which is levied for highways
thear, hear. IL Is not quite possible, without sub
jecung other parties to the expense Of maintaining
TIC highways, 10 HlfOuuCc IclOTLS INTO the MODE OF
raising the highway rate which might be advanta-
geous to the agrculturstS believe it is possible
hear, hear. What is the law at present with re-
spect to highways There at least l6, 900 local
authorities, each Of which has charge of the high
ways. As railways advance, whilst turnpke-roads
are in many cases becoming Of little importance,
highways, which have hitherto been Of little ad-
vantage to the public, becoming OF increased i'm
porance. But where a highway is u continuous
channel OF communication passing through different
parishes, that same highway is under the control of
every parish through which it passes; and as have
before said, the total number of parish authorities
not less than 1900 The practice for keeping up
the repair Of the roads is to have nominal appoint.
ment of paid surveyor in each parish, who abso-
lutely knows nothing whatever Of the construction
Of roads hear, hear hear;l or even if they did-if
they had double the ability which they do posses
the existence Of different surveyors highway
is necessarily defective arrangement. That each
portion Of the highway should be subject to paro-
chial authority, distinct from the other portions in
other parishes, and that the highway should be thus
subjected to numerous local authorities, must evil
IDENTIFY tend to increased outlay, to great abuse.
and generally to axny of expenditure, and
a bad system of repair, which it is DESTROYS should
be avoided IN future hear, hear There is at pres
ent in existence an act of Parliament which permits
the voluntary union Of parishes into local DISTRICTS
for the purpose Of the more eecIua superntendence
and repair Of the roads; but the union Of the par
voluntary, there is hardly any instance in which that
union has taken pace--in which the voluntary power
of forming such district has been exercised. What
propose is thls-and in proposing, do not bring it
forward as a relief to agriculture from any BURDEN
but as a means Of beneftting the agricultural in
terests, by greatly improving the communication by
highways throughout the country. Hear, hear.
propose, therefore, that what is now power of
voluntary union on the part of the parishes should
be made compulsory. Cheers. If we adopt the
same extent Of district for those local unions as that
which is selected for the poor-law unions il will
give 600 local authorities throughout the country;
and propose to compel the parishes in those dis
tricts 10 form such unions for the purpose of the
superintendent and repair of the roads. [Hear,
hear. ! also propose that each union, when so
formed, should have the power of appointing sur
veyer Of the roads for that particular district; the
surveyor so appointed to be a properly qualified
professional man, who is to have the entire charge
Of the roads in his district. Some of the vol
untary union Of parishes do exist at present, as
have before stated; and wish to remind the house
before proceed further of the effects which have
been produced by the adoption ofthese unions, and
the substitution for parochial management, of a
central management under the direction of a sur
veyor Hear, hear. hold in my hand a return
relating to dIstrc, in the north, in which parochia
management has been superseded, and district of
seventy miles in extent, formed for the purpose of
carrying into effect better mode than that which
prevailed under parochal management of repairing
and experimenting the roads under the direction of
county surveyor. The result Of the improved svs-
tenn Of central management is thus described. Here
the right hon. barone read return from the parishes
within the district of seventy miles, from which it
appeared that under the old system the cost of re-
pairing and surveying the roads was from 3D. to
TO Cd. in the pound, whilst the money at the same
time was thrown away; whereas under the central
lied system, this expense was more than from
3D. to Sd. in the pound, and the work done in the
ho,t In al; L
not adopted the system Of voluntary union, the ex-
pense of repairing, &c, was from AID to Sd in the
pound,l That is not a transfer of any burden,
whilst it will go IA great way in improving the
channels of communication, and thus so far tend to
the benefit of the agricultural interest," and relieve
them to n certain extent of burden which they
bear That is, therefore, one system by which pro-
pose to relieve the agricultural interest," and it can
be effected without transferring it to Others but bv
better arrangement of our existing institutions. l
will now direct the attention of the house to law
which has been greatly complained of by the agr-
cultural Interest," mean the present law of settle
ment. Hear hear, from the agricultural represen-
tatives. 1t happens, under the present Ia of set
temeni, that large portion of the population of