LORDS' AMENDMENTS, [ADJOURNED DEBATE.] (Hansard, 28 April 1887)

§ MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)

I have to move that the Motion to take into consideration the Lords' Amendments to this Bill be postponed. I may remind the House that the object of the Bill is to legalize a scheme for the construction of main drainage works, the execution of which will cost the people of the town of Belfast £500,000 sterling, and render them liable to an annual taxation of £25,000 for 35 years to come. The public debt of the town of Belfast already amounts to £750,000, and involves an annual taxation of £45,000 for the repayment of principal and interest. The local taxation of the town has become so heavy that it is the subject of great and bitter complaint among the working classes, who say that the system of taxation pursued by the Town Council for some years has been of such a nature as to impose a grievous burden upon them, and to require careful consideration. When this Bill was before the House last year, I was not then one of the Members for Belfast; but, as an Irish Member, I took an interest in this community, and I felt it my duty to point out that the municipal government of Belfast is of so anomalous a nature as to render it undesirable that this scheme should be proceeded with until the people of Belfast obtain more control over the expenditure of their own money. The population of the town is upwards of 220,000, and there are more than 30,000 Parliamentary voters, but the municipal voters only number some 5,000; so that 25,000 householders in the borough are shut out from any share in its municipal 186 government who, if the borough were situated in England or Scotland, would have a share in the government of the town. I have here a statement made by Dr. Graham, one of the aldermen of the borough, who calls attention to these facts, and points out that, as a necessary consequence, the people are powerless. He says that a great majority of the inhabitants are opposed to the present ill-conceived main drainage scheme. There are five wards in the town, and at the last election for the Cromac Ward it was decided to make the drainage scheme a test question. Dr. Graham reluctantly consented to stand as an alderman, and he was returned by a majority of 3 to 1. The resolution under the scheme has been unanimously passed at a public meeting, and no public meeting has been held or could be held in its favour. The Town Council have preferred to send up a deputation to coach up Members in regard to the Bill; they dare not submit their proposal to a public meeting. I may say that I have received a telegram from the Lagan Pollution Committee, expressing a hope that I may succeed in overthrowing the Bill to-night, and intimating that a Petition, signed by more than 1,000 persons, will be presented this evening against the measure.