HC Deb 12 March 1857 vol 144 cc2275-6

Order for Third Reading read.

SIR JOHN PAKINGTON

said, he had expressed on a former occasion his willingness to throw on extra-parochial places those burdens which all property ought to bear. He quite agreed with Mr. Bouverie in what he believed to be the principle of this Bill, that no property, on the ground of its being extra-parochial, ought to escape those burdens and charges to which in this country all property was liable. He had no doubt that there had been in many parts of England cases of extreme hardship arising from the want of power to levy rates for the maintenance of the poor in extra-parochial places. He had no objection to a Bill which placed extra-parochial places in the same position in this respect as other places, and as he understood that that was the scope of this 'Bill, he gave his consent to it.

MR. BOUVERIE

said, his right hon. Friend was perfectly right in his statement of the principle of this Bill. The Bill that was proposed last year went a great deal further; and upon representations made to him, and upon reflection, he thought it would inflict injustice on certain classes, and he had modified the Bill to prevent that injustice being done. The effect of the Bill as it now stood would be simply to make property in extra-parochial places liable to rates to relieve cases of destitution; but it would not be liable to any other burden, and so long as property of this description had no poverty within it, it would not be liable to any burden whatever. If the pauper were sent to a union it would have to bear its fair share of the burdens of the union, but not till that event had arisen.

SIR GEORGE PECHELL

said, this was a fair specimen of the impropriety of allowing Bills to be read a second time pro formâ—the right hon. Member for Droitwich had to ask what was the scope of the Bill now that it had arrived at the third reading. If parties living in extra-parochial places had only to bear the expense of any pauper sent to the neighbouring union, he did not think there was any great objection to it, but they were afraid of being liable to all the expenses of the union.

Bill read 3°, and passed.

The House adjourned at Eleven o'clock.