HC Deb 09 July 1806 vol 7 cc1015-7
Mr. Vansittart

brought in the bill for granting additional annuities to the younger branches of the royal family.

Colonel Wood

said, he took great shame to himself, that he had not, by attending his duty on a former evening, had an opportunity of stating his sentiments upon this subject when it was originally brought forward. That such a proposition should have been submitted to parliament, under the present circumstances of the country, and particularly by the noble lord, so distinguished for the profession of economy, was, to him, he confessed, no less a matter of regret, than of astonishment. The house, in general, indeed, must have been taken by surprise in this proceeding; for nothing had, he ventured to say, ever been brought before parliament in a similar manner. He begged the house to recollect, that the noble lord had, in the first instance, introduced this measure to the house, as a bill merely to rectify a mistake in a former act; but, immediately afterwards, comes a proposition to make a considerable increase in the salaries allowed to the junior branches of the royal family, recommended by a message from his majesty. When the situation of the country was taken into view, when it was considered that the income tax was raised to 10 per cent., that several persons, of a certain rank in life, paid 17½per cent., and that, indeed, most people paid no less, in public contributions, than 50 per cent. of their whole revenue, the country must be amazed to hear of this bill. For the illustrious personages, who were the objects of this bill, he professed the utmost respect; and he would be very ready to pay his own proportion of any contribution that might be necessary to the maintenance of their splendour and happiness. If the lords and commons were, alone, called upon for a contribution of this nature, he would most cheerfully assent to it; but, feeling for the people, who were already so borne down, he could not consent to increase their burthens, particularly upon such grounds as were stated by the noble mover of this. bill. That noble lord dwelt upon the depreciation of money, and the enhancement of provisions, which so much affected other people, as a reason for this bill; hut, he took no notice of this fact, that the royal persons, to whom this bill referred, were quite exempt from the taxes which so ma- terially operated upon others; and that the amount of such exemption formed a considerable virtual addition to their salaries; and, also, that each of them possessed either a civil or military office, or both, yielding, in general, not less than four or five thousand pounds a year. If, therefore, the situation of these distinguished persons were compared to that of the nobility of the country, who paid taxes, how much would the revenue of the former prove to be superior? and yet, to this revenue the noble lord proposed to add one-third; which, by the bye, upon further explanation, appeared to be one-half. The hon. officer expressed his regret, that the noble lord, to whom he. alluded, should not have been present, to hear those observations winch a sense of duty urged him to offer, and which he did not mean to address with any feeling of opposition to the right hon. secretary, to whom he did not mean to impute the slightest blame. For, that right hon. secretary was doing nothing more them his duty. But, upon the first occasion that should occur, in the presence of the noble lord who moved this bill, he would enter further into the subject, and fully state his protest against such improvident waste of the public money.

Lord Temple

had no doubt, that the hon. gent. acted from his conception of public duty; but, he could wish that, at least, the hon. gent. could have reconciled with that conception of duty, to postpone his observations until his noble friend, to whom they were more particularly addressed, should be present to hear them. Had the hon. gent. been in the house, to hear the arguments of his noble friend, on a former evening, most probably, the objections which he urged, on that evening, would never have been started. If, in addition, the hon. gent. had been aware of that which was mentioned only the preceding night, namely, that the establishments of tables, coals, candles, &c. heretofore allowed to the princes, was to be withdrawn, and which establishment was nearly equivalent to the proposed augmentation, the lion. member would have been, perhaps, still less disposed to resist this bill. The noble lord was persuaded, that every just, reflecting man must feel, that an adequate increase of allowance should be granted to the members of the royal family, at a time when the salaries of even the subordinate clerks in the public offices were generally augmented, in consequence of the depreciation of mo- ney, and the enhancement of provisions, which formed the grounds upon which this bill professed to rest.

Sir W. Elford

said, he was one of those who felt the burthens of the times as strongly as any man; hut, he was convinced, that it was his duty, as a public man, to provide the proper means for securing to the royal family that splendour which the present provision was, in his opinion, totally inadequate to maintain. These sentiments proceeded from a sense of public duty, and from that alone; for, he had not the honour of being known to one of the illustrious personages who were the objects of this measure.

Colonel Wood

was proceeding to urge some fresh arguments against the bill, when he was prevented by the speaker, who observed that he must confine himself to explanation. On intimating, that the speaker did not deal with him as with others, the speaker, appealed to the house, Whether he deserved the reproach that the hon. gent. had cast upon him. [Loud cries of chair! chair!]—The bill was then ordered to be read a 2d time to-morrow.