Lords Sitting of 29 April 1850

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS.—1a Naval Prize Balance.
2a Process and Practice (Ireland).
Reported.—West India Appeals.
3a Titles of Religious Congregations (Scotland).

POOR LAW (IRELAND).
The EARL of LUCAN, in presenting a petition complaining of the misconduct of the vice-guardians of the union of Mohill, called the attention of the Government to the necessity of making some alteration in the law as regarded the management of Irish unions by vice-guardians. The principal allegations in the petition, portions of which were read by the noble Lord, were, that the vice-guardians had managed the affairs of the union, at great cost, contrary to the desire of the ratepayers; that they had levied excessive rates—being 8s. or 9s. in the pound—and collected them in an irregular manner; that they had paid extravagant salaries to most improper persons; and had given blank cheques for the expenditure, and had contracted heavy debts to the amount of 5,821 l. The petitioners also complained of the audit, which they said was only a cloak for the extravagance of the vice-guardians. He thought the Government ought to take the earliest opportunity of turning their attention to this subject, with a view of providing some substitute for a system which had worked so unsatisfactorily. He would, therefore, ask the noble Marquess whether the Government
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intended to propose during the present Session any amendment of the law in respect to the appointment of vice-guardians in Ireland.
The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNEsaid, that there was no intention on the part of the Government during the present Session to introduce a measure of the kind alluded to by the noble Earl, although the Government had no desire to encourage the continuance of the vice-guardian system in Ireland; and that the Government had no information relative to the abuses mentioned by the noble Earl.
The MARQUESS of WESTMEATHregretted the answer of the noble Marquess to his noble Friend's appeal. The present time, when the appointments must be made, was the best for dealing with the subject. Great suffering had been caused in Ireland by the maladministration of these vice-guardians, and he thought that the Government ought, during the present Session, to substitute some other system for that under which, in some places, such notorious abuses had prevailed.
The EARL of MOUNTCASHELLblamed the Government for retaining the abuses that had been complained of. Great evil arose from this do-nothing system.
Subject dropped. Petition ordered to lie on the table.
House adjourned till to-morrow.