Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/135

 1899.] Tithe Bent Charge BUI. [127

advisable to do so, but Mr. Dillon (Mayo, E.) apparently thought otherwise, although he ostensibly argued in favour of Mr. Courtney's amendment on the ground that the women had justice on their side. Many prominent Radicals like Mr. Birrell (Fifeshire, IT.), Mr. Channing (Northamptonshire, E.), Mr. C. Scott (Leigh, Lancashire) and Mr. Spicer (Monmouth Borough), sup- ported Mr. Courtney's amendment; but Mr. Labouchere strongly opposed it, and boldly asserted that the action of the Lords really expressed the wishes of the majority of the Commons. This was proved by the division, in which the amendment was rejected by 246 to 177, and the Lords' amend- ment was confirmed, and shortly afterwards the bill became law. Long before this, however, it was evident that the dreary session was coming to an early close, for when (June 19) Mr. Balfour proposed to take the whole time of the House for Government measures, the objections were feeble and perfunc- tory. The reason alleged by the leader of the House was that there were a number of Ministerial measures which it would be necessary to dispose of before the recess, for the most part administrative, but one or two distinctly contentious. The most noteworthy of them was the Tithe Rent Charge Bill, of which the Government evidently wished to diminisn the im- portance by having it introduced (June 22) by the President of the Board of Agriculture, Mr. W. Long (West Derby, Liverpool), under the provision of the " ten-minutes " order, which was in- tended for strictly non-contentious business. The bill proposed that owners of tithe rent charge should in future pay haft only of the rates for which they were liable under the existing law ; the other half would be claimed from and paid out of the local taxation accounts, which would amply provide 87,000Z., the sum immediately required. This sum was arrived at in the following way. The commutation value of rent charges payable to parochial incumbents was 2,412,000Z., but taking into con- sideration the fall of corn averages from 100Z. to 69Z. 18s., and making allowance for difference between the gross and the net rateable value at one-sixth of the estimated value of property included within the bill, it did not exceed 1,400,000Z., on which average a rate of 2s. 6d. in the pound had been calculated, making 175,000J., of which one-half was proposed to be repaid. Sir H. CampbeU-Bannerman, on behalf of the Opposition, strongly opposed not only the bill but its introduction at such a moment and under such conditions, but his motion to adjourn the debate was negatived by 243 to 162 votes, and ultimately leave was given to introduce the bill. The benefits to be conferred seemed outside Parliament to be altogether out of proportion with the friction such a proposal excited. It was admitted that between 10,000 and 11,000 clergymen with a gross annual income of 1,688,000Z. would be benefited, and the average relief to each would not exceed 51. per annum — a sum so trifling that, in the opinion of many of those it was proposed to benefit, it