Thus, by this law, the whole
expense of supplying food to the people during the remainder of the year
1846, and the entire year of 1847, was made a local charge, the Treasury
lending the money at five per cent, per annum, which money was to be
repaid at furthest in ten years. The repayments required by the previous
act, under which operations ceased on the 15th of August, had to be made
on the principle of the grand jury cess, which laid the whole burthen
upon the occupier. The Labour-rate Act got rid of that evident hardship,
and charged the landlord with half the rate for tenements or holdings
over L4 a-year, and with the _whole rate_ for holdings under that annual
rent.
The Lords of the Treasury published, on the 31st of August, a _Minute_
explaining how the provisions of this law were to be carried out, which
Minute was published to the Irish people in a letter from the Chief
Secretary for Ireland.
1. This _Minute_ directs the Board of Works to be prepared with plans
and estimates of those works in each district where _relief is as likely
to be required_, on which the people might be employed with the greatest
public advantage; an officer from the Board to be present at the
presentment sessions, in order to give such explanations as might be
called for.
Pages:
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303