Commons Sitting of 8 August 1846

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS.—1°. House of Commons Offices; Naval and Military Departments; Public Works Commissioners (Ireland); Public Works and Fisheries.
2°. Contagious Diseases Prevention.
Reported. Deodands Abolition (No. 2); Death by Accidents Compensation; Forms (Assessed Taxes); Militia Pay.
3°. and passed. Naval Medical Supplemental Fund Society; Sugar Duties (No. 3); Fisheries (Ireland); Exclusive Privilege of Trading Abolition (Ireland).
PETITIONS PRESENTED. By Mr. Villiers, from Secular Clergymen and Laymen of Bilston and Wolverhampton and their Vicinities, professing the Roman Catholic Religion, in favour of the Roman Catholic Relief Bill.—By Viscount Ebrington, from the Honourable Newton Fellowes, of Eggesford, and from Occupiers and Owners of Land in the Parishes of Chawleigh and Eggesford, for carrying the Tithe Commutation Act.—By Mr. Sharman Crawford, from Members and Adherents of the Church and Congregation meeting at Ebenezer Chapel, Hexham, Northumberland, against the sanctioning, by Votes of Money or others, any further Embarkation of Troops from the United Kingdom to Foreign or Colonial Countries.—By Mr. William Lascelles, from the Committee and Members of the Wakefield Mechanics' Institution, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in favour of the Corresponding Societies and Lecture Rooms Bill.—By Mr. W. Lascelles, from Guardians of the Poor of the Wakefield Union, in the West Riding of the County of York, for Repeal of the Poor Law Amendment Act.—By Mr. S. Crawford, from Thomas Callan, an Inhabitant of the Town of Arden, in the County of Louth (Ireland), Gentleman, for Assimilating the Irish Poor Law to that of England.

SITES FOR DWELLINGS.
VISCOUNT MORPETHsaid, with respect to the two Bills for sites for dwellings, which stood for a second reading that day, as he understood the noble Lord formerly at the head of the Woods and Forests had some objection to make to them, and considering the very advanced period of the Session, and considering also that general questions of a sanitary nature must come under the notice of Parliament next Session, he thought it better not to press these Bills upon this occasion; and he would therefore move, that they be read a second time that day month.
Motion agreed to.

CONSTABULARY—(IRELAND).
On the Order of the Day for going into Committee on the Constabulary (Ireland) Bill,
MR. B. OSBORNEsaid, there were several Irish Bills before the House, but he had been unable to get any information from the Government as to what Bills they intended to proceed with. The only one they seemed prepared to go on with was the Arms Bill; but he thought they had better give them all up.
LORD J. RUSSELLsaid, if the hon. Gentleman would ask him with regard to any Bill that stood on the Paper for that day, he should be prepared to give him an answer. With regard to the general measures connected with Ireland, the hon. Gentleman had on the preceding day asked a question respecting some particular Bills, and had received a detailed answer from his right hon. Friend the Secretary for Ireland. [Mr. B. OSBORNE: I received no answer. I spoke of the District Lunatic Asylums Bill.] That Bill did not stand for that day; but when it was in the Paper his right hon. Friend would be ready to give the hon. Gentleman an answer. The hon. Gentleman said, the only Bill the Government seemed desirous of proceeding with was the Arms Bill; but that was not quite the fact. The object to which the attention of the Government was specially directed was to provide work for the unemployed poor during the next autumn and winter, and, therefore, they had looked very carefully over the Bills that were passed in the early part of this Session. All those Bills had undergone a very minute revision, and it was intended to carry similar Bills—they had already been introduced—through the House, which should provide, in the best way they could, employment for the poor during the autumn and winter. With regard to the permanent Irish Bills, the Government had reserved them for the next Session of Parliament; and as to those Bills which were continued from year to year, and which it would be dangerous to stop at once without consideration, the Government proposed to keep them on foot in order that they might be discussed fully next Session. With regard to the Arms Bill, when it was brought in by the late Government, he said he thought it would be necessary to continue it another year.
House went into Committee.
Bill passed through Committee, and House resumed.

SUGAR DUTIES.
On the Order of the Day for the Third Reading of this Bill,
SIR J. R. REIDsaid, before this Bill passed, he wished to say that he retained the opinion which he had on a former occasion expressed with regard to it. Since that time he had spoken with a great many individuals who were interested in this question, and they entirely concurred in the sentiments he had then uttered. Every day convinced him more and more of the truth of those sentiments. Still, the West India interests were prepared to carry this Bill into effect, if they might have more labour—if molasses were allowed to be introduced—and if rum were put upon an equality with British spirits.
MR. P. M. STEWARTsaid, that since this measure was announced, a packet had gone out to the West Indies and returned from there, and, from the information that packet brought, it behoved the Government to prepare without delay those other measures upon which the success of this one depended—he meant measures extending the principles of free trade to the Colonies. All that the West India interests asked was to be able to compete with the foreigner, but which, in consequence of the unwise legislation of that House, they had been prevented from doing since the Emancipation Act was passed. He understood that a number of bills of exchange which had been forwarded from the West Indies had been refused acceptance, under the apprehensions that now prevailed.
The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, he had already announced to the House that on Monday he should move that the House go into Committee on the Customs' Duties Act, in order that he might then propose the reduction the Government intended to make in the duty on rum. With regard to the other measures referred to by the hon. Gentleman who spoke last, he did not see the possibility of carrying them through this Session. All he could say was, that inquiries on the subject were already commenced, and no time should be lost to ascertain what it was thought possible to do; and at an early period of next Session what could be done should be done.
Bill read a Third Time and passed.

THE NEW CORN LAW.
MR. C. P. VILLIERScalled the attention of the House to the petition of Robert Maule Gillies and George Horne, respect-
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ing the duties on rye, peas, and beans. The hon. Member stated that great inconvenience had arisen from an error in the Corn Importation Act, which in the 4th section provided that the duty on rye, beans, and peas, should be regulated as it was under the former Act; while the schedule directed that the rate of duty on those articles should be regulated by the average price of barley. The importers waited until the rate of duty on these articles of grain was declared by the regular officer, who directed that the duty should be regulated as it had been under the former law. Subsequently, however, a question on the subject was raised at the Customhouse, and the case was referred to the law officers of the Crown, who were of opinion that the Act specifically required that the duties should be regulated by the price of barley. Now from the statement made by the late Prime Minister with regard to Indian corn, he thought this could not have been the intention of the Legislature; for the right hon. Baronet (Sir R. Peel) had observed, that though the duty on Indian corn had previously been regulated by the price of barley, he considered that there was no relation between the two articles. He presumed, therefore, as there seemed to have been some error in the Act, that the Government would be prepared to propose its Amendment, and to make some declaration that the Treasury would issue an order for the reduction of the high rate of duty on the articles to which the petition referred.
The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERhad no reason to believe that any error had been committed, and he was not, therefore, prepared to make such a declaration as was suggested by the hon. Member.
MR. HENLEYconsidered, when the subject was mentioned, that a mistake had been committed, but he did not think it of any material importance; and he thought it would be unwise to disturb the measure recently passed on account of such an error.
MR. C. P. VILLIERSsaid, the mistake was not unimportant, for, under the existing law it was not improbable, judging from present appearances, that within a fortnight, beans would be dearer than wheat, and that in a month this duty would amount to an actual prohibition. He wished to ask his right hon. Friend whether he would have any objection to exercise the discretion which he (Mr. Vil-

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liers) believed was vested in the Treasury, and to issue an order for reducing the rate of duty.
The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERdoubted whether the Government had the power to alter any duties which had been imposed by Act of Parliament.
House adjourned at half-past One o'clock.