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Leader (1850-1860), 10th May 1851, Edition Town of 1, Page 431

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      have been available , and concluded by a motion to the above effect . —Mr . Cobden , moved as an amendment , words for adding an inquiry into " bribery , treating , and corruption in the Falkirk district of burghs . " He described the disgraceful proceedings which had taken place in those burghs at the recent election , contending that the electoral history of the district since 1841 fully entitled it to the same measure of justice as was to be dealt out to the corruptionists of St . Alban ' s . He dwelt with , great force upon the demoralising influence of such , scenes , and appealed to the House to take stringent measures for putting an end to them . Mr . Baikd

      ( the member for the Falkirk burghs ) disclaimed having had any share in causing the intemperance and debauchery described by Mr . Cobden . The Attorney-General urged Mr . Cobden not to mix up two matt ers essentially disconnected . Mr . Roebuck saw no such difference betiveen the two questions as should prevent Mr . Cobden ' s amendment from being adopted . He dwelt with great intensity upon the wickedness of the proceedings in the Falkirk burghs , and declared that , in the presence of such accusations against the sitting member , the Attorney -General ' s objections ought to vanish . After a short discussion , Mr . Cobden withdrew his amendment , and leave was given to bring in the bill .

      The question of equalizing the poor-rates was brought before the House of Commons on Tuesday evening by Mr . Gr . Berkeley , who moved for a committee of ^ the whole house on the subject . His object in doing so was to relieve the agricultural districts from the depression under which they labour at present . In studying this question , he had found out several things to which he wished to call the attention of the President of the Poor Law Board . Looking at the returns issued by the board , he found that there appeared to be a great diminution in the amount of pauperism , while the sum levied for the relief of the poor was no way diminished . On examining more narrowly he found that , prior to 1845 , it was the custom , when a man and his wife , with six children , having one child sick , applied to the union for relief , to return them to the board as

      eight persons . Since then , however , an order had been issued , in consequence of which such cases were returned as consisting of three persons only . The new rule regarding vagrants , by which no one was admitted into a workhouse , even for one night , unless he consented to do a certain amount of work , had reduced the nurar er of paupers in appearance , though not in reality . But , notwithstanding all their contrivances , the expense of the system the

      in counties was excessive , whilst the result was very unsatisfactory . What he wished was , that the burdens in town and country should be equalised ; instead of levying 17 s . or 18 s . in the pound in one place , and 4 d . in the pound in the other . The true remedy for the existing evils and abuses was , to make the relief of the poor a national object . The comparative value of the property assessed , and the rates levied in different districts , showed the injustice of the present system . In Cheshire the rental

      assessed was £ 1 , 574 , 273 , and the rate ljjd . in the pound ; in Buckinghamshire the rental assessed was £ 706 , 000 , and the rate 3 s . in the pound . If his resolution were carried they would confer a great benefit on the whole of the community . He concluded by moving that the house should go into committee , to enable him to move a resolution to the effect that to alleviate a portion of the burdens from which the agricultural interest is at present suffering through the payment of parochial poor-rates , varying in many instances from 6 a ., 7 s ., 8 s ., 9 s ., to 13 s . lOd . in the pound , it will be necessary to substitute an equalised poor rate in England and Wales , not

      exceeding Is . Cd . in the pound , and subject to local government . Captain Hakuis , in seconding the motion , spoke with great approbation of Lord Malmesbury ' s ucheme . Uin lordship hod ascertained that the average expenditure for live year . s previous to 1849 amounted to £ fl , 8 /> 0 , 000 a ye « r , and he had calculated that a rate of 5 d . in the pound on all incomes above £ 30 per annum would produce th-. it Bum . Mr . Uainkb said the order issued in 1816 could not ulfect in any degree the late returns luid before Parliament , weeing that the whole of the yearn to which those returns related were- subsequent to 1810 . Ah for the question of national rating , it hud been already discussed by u committee appointed for thut purpose , la 1817 that committee heard evidence

      on the whole of the subject . ; but when the committee came to consider what report they would make , there wiih not one of them who took up the question of a national rate , or who yeemed to conmder it aa a remed y deserving a ninglo moment ' s confederation . fc > inco then Hcveral attempts had been made in the liouae in favour of national rating , but they had been UiitiuccuHHf ul . In two instuncoH the hou . se had negatived them without a division . The result of such u sytitein would be to dincourage watchfulnesH and economy on the expenditure of tho niton . The g . eatest . possible frauds and jobbery would » Iho take place under Huch u mo . le ,, | levying , | u . riltt . H whi i ,. it * adoption would J , wl lo im . huK-Hmu , increase of puupenmn throughout tho country . JJ , lt even without any incrouacol paupeumn the uyorago rate would

      be considerably heavier than Is . 6 d . in the pound . The total value of rateable property in 1847 was £ 67 , 220 587 , whicq at ls . 6 d . in the pound would raise £ 5 , 649 , 044 , whereas the amount levied last year under the head of parochial poor-rates was £ 7 , 270 , 492 , so that with a rate of only Is . 6 d . in the pound there would be a deficit of £ 2 , 221 , 448 . The scheme altogether was one of the most mischievous and ill-considered ever propounded to Parliament , and he hoped the House would stamp it with a decided negative . Mr . Gkantley after a brief reply withdrew his motion .

      A very dull debate on the Malt Tax occupied the House of Commons the main part of Thursday evening . Mr . Cayley , in moving for leave to bring in a bill to repeal the tax , rested hi 3 demand mainly on the assumption that the repeal would greatly benefit the enterprising farmer ; that it would prevent the adulteration of beer ; that , if we have no corn-law , we should have no corn-law taxation , and that an increase of consumption would be a direct consequence of repeal . Mr . Axcock supported the motion ; and asserted that upon the 1 , 000 , 000 acres under barley cultivation we raised a revenue of £ 5 , 500 , 000 . He would be satisfied with a gradual repeal . Mr . Packe was afraid that if the

      tax were repealed the country would be glutted with foreign malt . He would support a motion for repealing one-half the duty . For fiscal reasons Mr . Aglionby declined to vote for the repeal this year . Mr . Floyer based his support upon an argument somewhat novel on his side the House , but perfectly fair . He looked upon the repeal of the tax as a complement to the policy of free trade . He incidentally elicited some valuable remarks on the condition of the agricultural labourers , by admitting that they were partially employed , from Mr . Seymour , who declared that , even in Dorsetshire , the labourers were employed now as they never had been before .:

      —" Up to the very year before the free trade measures passed , farmers were accustomed to turn off labourers in October , and take them on azain at Easter . For his part , he could perceive no evidence of distress in his neighbourhood , and he could not understand how it happened that the labourers should always be worse off where a Protectionist resided than where a Freetrader lived . (? Hear , ' and laughter . ) ' Mr . Bennet was of opinion that "if we were to have free trade , it should be extended to the national beverages . Mr . Tkelawney could not understand how the repeal would benefit the farmer . Besides , he thought it most unsafe to meddle with our system of taxation , for it was like a castle of cards ; if you touched one part of it , you were apt to make the whole fall to the ground . Mr . Wodhhouse opposed the motion for

      reasons similar to those of Air . Pucke . Mr . Frewen- took ground upon the beer-adulteration argument ; and Mr . G . Sandars thought that the agricultural interests were acting suicidally by supporting this motion . Mr . Henry Diiummond wanted to know why honourable gentlemen opposite made such a clamour about bread , and did . not stir one stop in favour of beer . The Chancellor of the Exchequer might lay on a house-tax , an income-tax , a propertytax—any tax , in short , that he pleased , only let him take this tax off the labourer . { Cheers . ) The Ciiancf . li . or of the Excheuukr thought nothing new had been advanced on the subject . He was in favour of the tax , for a Chancellor ' s reason , that it was easily and cheaply collected ; and he thought that no material relief would accrue to any class by repeal .

      " For his part , he believed that , no tax was more equally distributed throughout the country than the duty on malt . It was paid by the consumer , and , thinking that the advantage of its repeal would not he so great , as wan anticipated by those who advocated such a course , he uhoulu certainly vote against the motion . " Mr . Diskakm declined to view repeal either an a question of taxation , or with reference to the interest of the labourer , but an it bore upon the capital of the- most Buffering class of the community—the owners and occupiers of land . They were experiencing a dilapidation of capital which had never yet been equalled . And what was the remedy proponed ? To give up growing wheat , and at the Kume time to keep up u heavy duty upon a crop which tho farmer looked to for criiniwiimitin ,, i > ... """" ""' winner looiteu to lor coinpcinmt . ion IVo

      . - tection had nothing to do with the question . " It wiin one of doing ju . st . ee to the occupiers of hmd and acling consistently with the free trade policy ,, | Ministers . Mr . Fvllkh and Mr . IhniK supported he motion ; Mr . Hume voted for repeal aa a Free . 1 ruder . Ue could not understand gentlemen taking trouble , to obtain cheap bred and cheap beef , and now turning round and refusing them cheap drink . Mr . Hash would go l ,, r repealing tho tux one half ; Mr . Uuothkkto * oppose , ! Mr IlKNi . KY and the Marqu . s of ( j « ANI 1 Y . supported , ' tho mono . i ; and Lord JOIIN | t ,, , SI , Wo . i , ul up tho debate , lie thought thut the main reason for voting ugauist the motion was , Unit it . would leave the finances m u rmnouH condition , and they would have no aource irom which they could mipply the loss of revenue .

      Mr . Cayxey replied , and the House divided , when there were : — For the motion . 122 Against it 258 Majority against the motion .. 136 The House subsequently agreed to Mr , Hume ' s motion for the appointment of a select committee on the Income and Property Tax ; and to Lord John Russell ' s nomination of a select committee on the relations of the Caflir tribes with this country . The House adjourned at a quarter before two o ' clock . The House of Lords sat yesterday , advanced some bills a stage , and adjourned .

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      THE INDUSTRIAL CONGRESS . Her Majesty made one of her promised visits to the Crystal Palace on Saturday , arriving , in coniormity with her usual domestic habits , at an early hour . The royal party included the Queen , Prince Albert , the Prince Alfred , the Princess Alice , the Prince of Prussia , the Princess of Prussia , and the members of their suites . Some members of the executive committee were in attendance , and swelled the limited numbers of the royal cortege , to which a superintendent and a policeman acted as escort . As the royal party was not more numerous than many family groups , the exhibitors and visitors m the side departments and galleries were surprised to find themselves suddenly within the circle of royalty . The Queen ' s attention was first directed to the objects of decoration , and of the fine arts in the English division , among which a considerable time was spent . The Queen was attended by the Prince of Prussia , whose consort was conducted by Prince Albert , and the royal children followed . The general disposition of the persons present was to avoid obtruding in the Queen ' s presence , as there was an earnest desire to secure her in the same enjoyment of privacy as others enjoyed , and to preserve the public character , which has been somewhat damaged by unseemly demonstrations of exuberant loyalty . "We regret to say , however , that a considerable portion of the attendants on the stands and the building thought it incumbent on them to attend her | Majesty ' s progress in the nature of a body-guard . A very little

      care on the part of the police will prevent annoyance from this on future occasions , as any interruptions from an attendant crowd must be very annoyin * to those exhibitors who are desirous of explainin g the works under their care . As the express object of the Queen ' s presence in the Exhibition is to become personally acquainted with the works and their exhibitors , it is to be hoped that her admirers will keep their enthusiasm within some bounds , the more particularly as her Majesty is not included in the catalogue or programme . Besides the time spent in a minute xamination of

      e some of the departments , all the great works of art in the nave pasted under notice , and the satisfaction felt by the royal party gave every earnest of frequent and early visits . Her Majesty and her royal guests remained for ' more than an hour walking through the various parts of the building , examining the principal objects of interest . A considerable time was devoted by her Majesty to the examination of the department in the gallery in which articles of British plate are exhibited . The royul party took its departure from the Exhibition shortly after eleven o ' clock

      r l he Queen visited the Exhibition again on Wednesday , iu a private manner , without any royal parade , and wholly for the purpose of quietly prosecuting her examination of the products displayed Her Majesty came nearly an hour before the general " public began to arrive , and thus had the best possible opportunity of m-pecting the articles exhibited She was accompanied by Pih . ee Albert , the two eldest of the royal children , and the Prince of Prussia , with ono or two other distinguished visitors ; the royal party comprising the suite included about twenty persons Her Majesty entered at the main transept entrance " and proceeded forthwith to an innpeetion or the floor

      ground- compartments on that ( the south ) side of the English nave , having on the former occasion ' confined herself to the corresponding compartments on the opposite or north side of the name nave JI ,. Majesty passed the Indian compartment on the south side , and entered those of Canada and the West Indian colonies , where nhe remained some time evidently extremely interested . She then proceeded to the sculpture-room and mediaeval court , and thence to the extensive hardware compartments , where also . she ? remained . some time , and manifested very great : interest , walking up one aide of a e . ouipartmeni ' uiHl down another . ]{ y this time her Majesty apparently perceived that nhe would not have timo properly t <> clu ry out . hor design that day as to any othei

      compartments ; and so , passing into tho < rent . re , she walked down on the north side of the central division ( t . he compartment * in which she had visited on tho previous occasion ) , looked at . the objects there exhibited , passed through the transept , walked down tho centre of the foreign nuve , observing , us she pussrd the progress of the l'Vench compart . inen rs towards completion and went out . at . one of the t , j , Je doors in that nave . Her Majesty had been in the building upwards of an hour , and although , before . hIu : left the public had been admitted , yet to Umlaut few wcru

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      i May 10 , 1851 . ] at , ,, ueafcet . 431

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 10, 1851, page 431, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1882/page/3/