§ Lord Duncannonmoved, that the House go into a Committee on the Bill for granting Compensation to Officers in the Land Revenue Department.
§ On the question being put,
Mr. Humethought it would be desirable to appoint a Committee to inquire Whether it would not be better to transfer the duties of the Board of Works to the Ordnance, than to the Woods and Forests.
§ Lord Duncannonsaid, he thought there was no necessity for such an inquiry; a great part of the business of the Board of Works was already done by the Office of the Woods and Forests; certain parts of parks and buildings were connected with the latter Office, and other parts with the former—and it was to prevent the present collision between the two Boards, that the present measure was introduced.
Mr. Maberlysaid, it would be much better, in his opinion, as he had already stated, to transfer the business connected with the Board of Works, to the Ordnance, which Board had a competent establishment of officers and engineers, capable of superintending all public buildings, as they already did those connected with military purposes. The question, therefore, simply was, whether they should consolidate the Board of Works with those of an established and perfectly-organized department, or whether these duties should be transferred to persons ignorant of their nature. The advantage of this latter arrangement, according to his noble friend, would be the consolidation of the office of the Board of Works with that of the Woods and Forests; but surely this could not be equal in advantage to transferring the duties to the Ordnance. He perfectly agreed with his noble friend, that it was most advisable to abolish the Board of Works. On the whole, however, giving full credit to his noble friend for his intentions, he thought the proposal of his hon. friend, the member for Middlesex—that the subject should be referred to a Committee—most proper.
§ Lord Duncannonsaid, the Ordnance could not possibly perform the duties of the Board of Works without a large addition to the present establishment of officers.
The noble Lord Duncannon laid upon the Table a copy of the patent of the office of Auditor of Land Revenue, and moved a Re- 153 solution, declaring that compensation ought to be granted out of the Land Revenues of the Crown to the holder of the patent office of Auditor of the Land Revenue.
Mr. Humesaid, he should object to any compensation calculated on the fees and emoluments of the last few years. In consequence of the improvements in Regent-street and Regent's Park, doubtless a larger salary had been received by the Auditor of late than at any fomer period, or than he was ever likely to receive again. The average should be taken, therefore, for a great number of years, and not for the last six or seven.
§ Lord Duncannonsaid, the present question was simply, that a compensation be made to these parties, but it was intended the question of amount should be settled by arbitration—one arbitrator to be chosen by the Crown.
Sir Robert Inglisbegged the noble Lord would inform him, whether the sum of 250,000l. paid out of the Treasury to the Board of Works had been wholly applied, or was any part of it to be repaid to the Treasury, and what portion of it had been expended on Buckingham palace?
§ Lord Duncannonstated, that 100,000l. had been repaid to the Treasury, and that the remainder was in course of payment.
§ Resolution agreed to.