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and to s,fi THE LEADER. [STo. 487. July ...
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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. Monday\ July18. LOR...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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And To S,Fi The Leader. [Sto. 487. July ...
and to s , THE LEADER . [ STo . 487 . July 23 , 1859 .
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Imperial Parliament. Monday\ July18. Lor...
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . Monday \ July 18 . LORD JOHN RUSSEIX'S DESPATCH . In the House of Iords , the Earl of M-axmesbtjrtt asked her Majesty ' s Government whether the despatch of Lord John Russell , dated June the 22 n < J , and addressed to the Government of Prussia , which liad appeared in the newspapers , was authentic ; and , if so , -whether there would be any objection to laying it , and the answer to it , on the table of the House . —Lord WoDEHOtrsE said that the despatch as it had appeared in the newspapers was authentic in substance . The severe censure passed by Lord Malniesbury on that despatch was a censure on his own policy , as the despatch was merely an exposition of the policy pursued by the late Government . He consented to produce the despatch in question , but not the correspondence of which it formed a portion . —Lord Malmesburt explained the difference between his despatch and that of Lord John Bussell . —The Duke of Newcastle said the despatch of Lord John Russell was suggestive , while that of Lord Malmesbury was of a threatening character . STATUTE IiAW CONSOLIDATION . Lord CRAMTroRTH laid on the table five bills * an instalment of the scheme for consolidating the statute laws of the country . In these bills more than fifty acts were consolidated . It was expected that the whole code might be similiarly comprised in about 230 bills , and the whole work finished in two years . —The Lord Chancellor bore testiinony to the zeal and ability which had characterised Lord Cranworth and the Commission . The object of the consolidation would , doubtless , be facilitated ' . by what bad been already done , but' he did not think that the object would be facilitated by continuing the Commission ; He considered that a staff of
professional men might , besides consolidating the statute law of the land , be made extremely useful in their legal ^ capacity to both Houses of Parliament in assisting members in drawing up bills . He took the present occasion to state that the Government contemplated at the beginning of the next session to introduce measures on bankruptcy , on the transfer of real property , on taking evidence in the Court of Chancery , to consolidate and simplify the orders of the Lord Chancellors , and to establish fixed courts , so that courts of common law might be able to decide any equitable question which might incidentally arise , without bandying suitors from courts of
common law to courts of equity . —Lord Brougham thought it would be better that the question should ¦ be : solely committed to a body of learned men , who anight not only consolidate , but prepare a digest of it . He defended Mr . Bellenden Ker from aspersions which had been cast upon him by prejudiced and ignorant persons , —Lord St . Leonards thought the labour which it was proposed to accomplish \ ras enormous . The best ; course to bring the matter to a successful conclusion would , in his opinion , be to refer it to a select committee . —After a few remarks from Lords Wensletdamb , Chelmsi-ord , Crxntvokthand Brougham , the subject dropped .
, Their lordships adjourned at half-past seven o ' clock .
THE BUDGET . In the House of Commons , in a Committee of Ways and Means , the Chancellor of the Exokb-¦ queii made his financial statement . He presumed ho said , that it would be for the convenience of the / Committee to follow the usual practice , and to make . known the result of the finances of the past year . The total revenue of the year had been estimated at 63 , 900 , 0002 . ; it had prpduced 65 , 477 , 000 ? . The total actual expenditure had been 64 , 6 ( 53 , 000 * ., against a revenue of 65 , 477 , 000 ? ., leaving a surplus of 80 O , 00 QZ . The result of the duty upon draughts and oheofcs could not be correotly ascertained . Its amount had been estimated nt 300 , 000 * . ; but he thought it would not exceed 200 , 0002 . The egmallsation of the spirit duties , winch was a measure ot
elusion , an unpleasant unpopular duty propose an increase in the public burthens ; but as at the present moment the money was required by the public exigencies ; and the estimates on both sides were before the House , they had no alternative except to provide rneans for carrying on the service and maintaining the good faith of the country . Mr . Gladstone concluded by moving a formal vote of Ways and Means , and laid upon the table two resolutions relating . to the malt duties and the Income-tax , to be taken into consideration oh Thursday . —The report of the Committee of Supply was brought up and agieed to . On the order for going into Committee of Supply , a conversation arose upon an objection raised by Mr . Atrton to fixing the second reading of the London Corporation Bill on Friday morning . observations the
Mr . A . Smith made some upon management of the property under the Commissioners of Woods and Forests . The House then went into Committee of Supply upon the Civil Service Estimates and Civil Contingencies , and various votes were agreed to , after much discussion , when the Chairman -was ordered to report progress . The House adjourned at ten minutes to one o ' clock . Tuesday , July 19 . In the House of Lords a letter was read by the Earl of Eipon , from the Colonel of the Antrim Rifles , explaining the facts relating to the late military outbreak at Kinsale , and correcting some mis-statements which , as the writer declared , had obtained publicity in previous accounts of the
occurrence m question . TELEGRAPHIC COStMUNICATION WITH INDIA . Lord St . CxleyofAlderlet , in presentinga petition in favour of the establishment of direct lines of submarine telegraphs between Great Britain and our possessions abroad / insisted on the importance of all these telegraphic communications being under our own control . He was glad to find that the Government were alive to the importance of the subject by the assistance they had afforded in laying down a line between England and Gibraltar , and dwelt long upon tile necessity , in case of war between JFrance and England , of maintaining our communications with India free from the control ci foreign powers . It would be much better , in his opinionif the Atlantic telegraph , when renewed ,
, should connect this country with America through Nova Scotia and Canada . —Lord Ellenbokougii entirely concurred with Lord Stanley of Alderley . It was intolerable to he dependent on foreign Governments for the forwarding of orders to our fleets and armies , and fraught with the greatest risk to the country in case of war . He also expressed a strong wish that a communication might be established between this country and the western coast of Africa , by which it would be possible to communicate with our squadrons in those waters . Lord Granville explained what steps had been taken by the Government in regard to the telegraph between this country and Gibraltar , and informed the House that the wire was being made slowly , but would not be finished this year . The whole matter was under the consideration of Her Majesty ' s
Government . Lord Wodehouse , in answer to a question from Lord Stratford de Redcliffe , said that her Majesty ' s Government , after consulting with the great powers , haa agreed to reepgniae the election of Colonel Couza as Hospodarof the two Principalities on the distinct understanding that the caso was an exceptional one andonot to be made a precedent . Their lordships adjourned at half-past six .
28 , 600 , 000 / ., wluch , however , included a sum of 400 , 000 / . as the last payment of some Long Annuities , which in ordinary course would have been debited to the account of the ensuing year . The other charges on the Consolidated Fund were expected to amount to 1 , 960 , 000 / . The army estimates amounted to 13 , 300 , 000 / . ; the naval estimates were 12 , 782 , 000 / . ; those for the civil service , 7 , 825 , 000 ? . ; and those for the revenue departments , 4 J 740 , 000 / . Observing that the miscellaneous civil service estimates : were greater by 800 , 000 /; than those of the previous year , Mr . Gladstone explained that of this augmentation the vote for education had been enlarged by 200 , 000 * ., while about 75 , 000 / . was charged to two items ,
PUBLIQ HEALTH . At the mid-day sitting of the Houaw of Commons , Mr . Low » moved the third , reading of the Public Health Bill , by which the provisions of the act now on the point of expiring are rendered pormanont . — - Mr . Ayrton opposed tlic bill , contending that the powers conforrea by the existing act were much too extensive . Ho moved as nn amendment that the order for the third reading should be discharged . Considerable discussion ensued . On a division the amendment was negatived by a narro"w majority of 101 to 05—6 . The bill was thon read a third tiino and passed . MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS BILL .
the expense of British Columbia and of the China and Siam missions , which had never previously figured upon the paper . Another sum of 100 , 000 / . was also set down as the cost of a telegraphic cable between Plymouth and Gibraltar . The gross total of expenditure thus appeared to be 69 , 207 , 0002 ., leaving a deficiency of 4 , 867 , 000 / . on the ordinary ways and means of the year . In proceeding to explain how this chasm was to be filled up , the Chancellor of the Exchequer offered some preliminary observations touching the financial position of the country at the present moment . This , he submitted , was to a great extent exceptional . We were not at warbut still were forced to incur a large amount
, of war expenditure . The estimates of the year were , chiefly on that account , more than five millions in excess of the year 1858-9 . Next year moreover liad been marked out , long since , as the period when the whole question of finance must undergo revision . Large sources of revenue , including the whole of the income tax , and some considerable duties on tea and sugar , -would then expire in regular course ; while on the other side more than two millions of Long Annuities would fall in ; causing extensive changes j which invited a comprehensive revisal of the whole financial system . From these consideration he < drew the conclusion that in the arrangements now to bemade the supply of
immediate wants should alone be regarded ; future years being left to ulterior adjustments . On this principle therefore the Legislature was called upon to provide between four and five millions for the wants of the current year . Was this sum , he asked , to be raised by loans , or taxes ? Against the former proposition he pointed out that Parliament had at no time resorted to the expedient of borrowing for so small a sum as was now required . Loans were always reserved as a last resource in periods of dire necessity , or for exceptional purposes , as in the instances of the 20 , 000 , 000 / . voted for slave emancipation and the 8 , 000 , 000 Z . contributed to assuage the miseries of the Irish famine . Asanother
reason for abstaining from a loan , he observed that another borrower , namely the Secretary for India , would , he feared , be shortly in the market , for whose operations he wished to leave the field open . Having therefore to provide nearly five millions from taxation , the question was whether the supply should be drawn from indirect or direct taxes . On tliis question Mr . Gladstone entered at some length , contending that of the four most productive items in the schedule of customs or excise , malt produced a large revenue , but one which had proved singularly inelastic upon any increase in the rate . . The income from spirits had expanded more than three millions since 1853 , and ought , he thought , to be left
undisturbed . Against any increase in the tea and sugar duties still stronger reasons were to be alleged . Since the close of the Russian war , also , a far larger proportion of temporary taxes had been levied from indirect than from direct sources of revenue . Altogether , he contended , that it was undesirable and indeed unjust to effect any aggravation in the schedules of indirect taxation . There remained , therefore , but ono expedient—namely , an increase in the property and income tax . On this subject the right hon , gentleman entered into computations showing that if extraneous causes had not compelled an increase in the public expenditure , the flow of revenue would have sufficed to dispense both with the whole residue of income tax arid with the war duties on tea and sugar by the close of the present financial year .
After explaining a . scheme for abbreviating the time of credit heretofore allowed to the maltsters , from which he expected to obtain 780 , 000 / . of anticicipatod revenue for the service of the present year , Mr . Gladstone stated that for the remainder of the deficiency , which amounted to about four millions , he proposed an additional 4 d . on the income tax upon all revenues exceeding 1502 . per annum , and of l & d . on incomes between 100 / . ana 1502 . The tariff of charge would thus become 6 id . on the smaller , and 9 d , on the larger class of incomes , and this enhancement it was also proposed to make applicable to the whole year , whereof nearly four months had already expired , From this augmentation he expected to derive about 4 , 300 , 000 } , of additional revenue ,., which would leave a narrow margin of 250 , 0007 . surplus upon the estimated expenditure of the year , It was , h « observed In
con-On the order for the second reading of this bill , Mr . S . Estoourk moved an amendment , to the effect that tho question with which the measure dealt , namely , the declarations required from the appointees to municipal offices , should ' be reformed to a select committee . Tho bill was opposed by Mr . Svooner , Mr . Nbw » hoav » , and Mr . Hbnlbt , and supported by Mr . M . Smixj j , Mr . Baxter , Mr . Alderman Salomons , and Mr . Hbnh » s 6 V . Upon a dlvivision , tho amendment was negatived by 130 to 44 , and two bill was read a second time . !
fiscal reform independent of pecuniary results , hod -been estimated to yield an additional revenue of 50 O . 0 O 02 ., but the produce in 1858-59 , as compared with 1857-58 , showed an increase of onl y 86 , 000 / . There was a prospect , however , of tho duty being considerably more productive . Mr . Gladstone then addressed himself to tho estimates of income and outlay for the ourrent year . He stated that ho oxpeoted to derive from customs a revenue of S 3 , 860 , ooo / . s from excise , 18 , 530 , 0002 .-, from stamps 8 , lQ 0 iQOO * . } from i « nd and . assessed taxes , 3 , 2 OO , O 0 OJU from income and property tax ' at the 5 d . tariff , 5 , 600 , 000 ! . } from Fost « offlce , 3 , 250 , 0002 . firomorown ¦ loads , 280 , oooz . j and from miscellaneous sources of income , 1 , 630 , 000 / .. The total result was thus estimated at 04 , 34 O , qQ 0 / . On the other side he comflutea tho sum remixed to pay Interest pn 4 obfc at
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 23, 1859, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_23071859/page/4/
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