§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, he had formerly taken a vote of 300,000l. as an advance by way of loan, on the security of the rates in Ireland, in aid of the system of relief to be substituted for the relief works; and he proposed on Friday next to go into Committee, for the purpose of taking a further sum for the same purpose.
§ LORD G. BENTINCKtrusted, in reference to the proposed vote of 300,000l. for the relief works in Ireland, that his right hon. Friend would at an early day be able to hold out to the country some prospect of the diminution of the enormous staff maintained in Ireland for the purpose of directing the relief works. Whilst the number of workmen employed on those works had been reduced from 700,000 to about 240,000, the expense of the staff still continued at the rate of between 16,000l. and 17,000l. a week, amounting to something like 900,000l. a year; of which about a quarter of a million was charged exclusively to the Government, and was to be paid, of course, out of the finances of this country. He hoped, therefore, that his right hon. Friend, on Friday next, would be in a condition to acquaint the House with his intention of reducing, at an early period, the force of the staff to something like a proportion with the reduction of the workmen.
§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, that the observation of the noble Lord might give rise to a false impression, unless corrected. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had not stated that he intended to propose a vote of 300,000l. to be applicable to public works in Ireland. He had said that in March last the House had voted 300,000l., in 1170 order to be advanced by way of loan for the Relief Commission, on the security of the rates in aid of the system of relief substituted for the relief works, and that he intended to ask for the vote of a further sum for the same purpose. The noble Lord, by his observations, seemed to imply that the public works were to be continued, and that the vote was to be applicable to them. In that, the noble Lord was mistaken. With regard to the reduction of the staff which the noble Lord desired to see, it would give him pleasure to find the gentry and inhabitants of Ireland exerting themselves in carrying out the new system, so as to enable the Government to dispense with the officers now employed.
§ MR. HENLEYasked, whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have any objection, after the recess, to lay on the Table an account specifying how many of these persons receiving 17,000l. a week, and whoso number he held out no hope of immediately reducing, might he Parliamentary electors?
§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERdid not quite understand the object of the hon. Gentleman. The greater part of the persons alluded to were military officers, sent over from this country. [An Hon. MEMBER: But the overseers?] With regard to the overseers, if the question referred to them, their employment would cease when the works ceased. In point of fact, a great number of them were already discharged. No doubt a certain portion of these overseers, who were appointed by the relief committees, and not by the Government, would be of that class to which Parliamentary electors belonged; but their employment would necessarily cease with the discontinuance of the works, and with the carrying into effect the new system. It was no fault of the Government that the previous system had not yet been discontinued; but this arose from the extreme difficulty of inducing the relief committees in different parts of Ireland so to constitute themselves as to be enabled to carry out the new system.
MR. STAFFORD O'BRIENwished, as there might be a danger of having a pauper constituency in Ireland, to know whether it were the intention of the Government to bring in a Bill during the present Session, relative to the case of a voter in Ireland who should have received, since the registration, relief under the Poor Law Act?
§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, the attention of the Govern- 1171 ment was directed to the subject, and if necessary the Government would take measures to clear up any doubts on the subject.