§ (The Earl of Belmore.)
§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
THE EARL OF BELMOREsaid, that this was a Bill which had come up from the House of Commons, the object of which was to enable Boards of Guardians in Ireland to provide, out of the poor rates, for the cost of coffins for persons who might have been in destitute circumstances at the time of their death, or whose relations might be unable to bear the expense of coffins for them. Up to the year 1864, in any case of this so t, it was the duty of the Churchwardens of the parish to provide coffins, and to defray the expense of them out of what was called vestry cess, and that irrespective of the religion of the deceased, In that year, Sir Robert Peel brought in a Bill to abolish vestry cess, which passed through Parliament, and since then there had been no fund applicable for the purpose. It was very true that these cases might very seldom arise, but they had arisen, and he would instance two cases which had occurred in the Enniskillen union. In one case, an old woman had died in destitute circumstances, and but for the charity of the landlord of the place in which she had previously lived, must have been buried without a coffin. The other was a still stronger case. The relieving officer was in the act of conveying a woman in a cart to the workhouse when the woman died in the cart. She was clearly not in receipt of relief, not having been admitted to the house, although, if she had lived a short time longer, she would have been. The relieving officer buried the woman at his own expense, and applied to the Guardians to recoup him. He was answered that they had no power to do so, but they referred the case to the Poor Law Commissioners. He (the Earl of Belmore) did not know what reply the Commissioners gave, or whether they had given any answer, but he apprehended that there was only one answer they could give, and that was that they had no power to interfere in the matter. He did not know that there was anything more that he need say, and he hoped that there would be no opposition to the Bill of which he begged to move the second reading.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."—(The Earl of Belmore.)
2070THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDEsaid, he looked with suspicion upon Bills to increase the burdens thrown upon the poor rates; and, while he did not object to the principle of the Bill, he thought it ought to have contained some limitations.
§ Motion agreed to: Bill read 2a and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Monday next.
§ House adjourned at Six o'clock, till To-morrow, half past Ten o'clock.