The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-09-04 00:00:00

Ettropolitan 6nip.

SW OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.


(The renuerks under this head are tope regarded as the es-
preimou ~ndependent opudon, from the peon! agentlenual
La whom we nave the greatest confidence, but for which a4O
110Werthe1ese do not hold ourcelvea responsiblej

Although at this season of the year politics are sup.
posed to be voted a bore, there are ample indications
of the approach of a time of great political excitements
and meanwhile politicians have by no means abanclone,l
their favourite study. Luring last session Ole atten-
tion of the United Kingdom was directed to Ireland,
and it will be the same during the coming session.
Then it was the Irish Church; shortly it will be the
Irish land laws. At present it Is but a period of
examination and prepare:ion. In default of any
knowledge even of the 'outline of the plan which Minis-
ters will bring fcn-ward, no single scheme for dealing
with the tereritorial difficulties of the Emerald Isle has
attracte,', public attention. Certain evils are generally
admitted, but the remedies for these evils are by no
Insane clear. We have presumably settled a great cc-
clesiaetical difficulty, but a far greater social difficulty
remains to be settled. The class for whom legislation
is specially required are the tenant farmers, and
their leading grievance is the absence of tenant
right and of security for their holdings; but how
this is to be secured seems to be a very serious
difficulty-. The Irish tenant farmer has a tena-
cious fondness for his farm which is uneoualled in
the world ; he wants to live and die on the little estate
where hie father perhaps lived and died before him;
he wants some security for long possesnion and a
guarantee that if he must be turned out he shall he
fairly paid for any improvements he may have effected.
And this is all the more important, as Ireland does not
possess those large commercial cities and those large
mercantile enterprises that are to be found in England,
and to a less degree in Scotland. But inasmuch as
any measure that the Government may propose will
almost of necessity be very favourable to the tenant
class, we may expect a tierce opposition on the part of
the landlord class, which is very powerfully repre-
sented in both Houses of the Legislature. Hence
political excitement is certain, and probably—though
thin is looking • long way ahead--we shall have many
weeks of fierce discussion, and then an appeal to the
country. There is a rumour of an Irish Land Bill
being introduced by the leader of the Conservative
party in the House of Lords ; but this is not very
likely; and under any circumstances we may look for
a bill on this subject being brought forward by the
Premier. Another thing we may confidently look or-
ward to and that is further reductions in the estimates.
The present ministry, it is said, are determined on
nothing so much as on economy in the public expert_
diture. Certainly there is nothing which the nation
more requires, for taxation has reached such an intensity
that it tends to cripple public enterprise and materially
affect for the worse the position of the middle and
working classes.
Though you will not lo.k to me for any report of
the Anglo-American boat race, the impressions on my
memory are so fresh that I nay be pardoned for re-
willing some of the features of the scene. The weather
was all that could have been wished even by the most
inveterate grumbler ; and if he felt inclined to say that
it was rather too hot, he must have been compelled to
admit that the heat was tempered by the most delicious
breezes. I had a shady nook by the river side, and the
View WWI charming. The Thames was bright and clear,
the sky ditto ; the back-ground of trees was a pretty fea-
ture of the landscape, but the moving panorama of craft
on the river was such as never before perhaps was seen.
There was the "trim-built wherry" such as Tom Tug
might have bidden farewell to with tears in his eyes;
there was the smart cutter, cleaving the water as
straight and as steadily as an arrow cleaves the air;
there was the gaily-decked barge, populated by
favoured (or well-paying) la-i iss and gentlemen, and
evidently supplied also with creature comforts ; there
was the pretty little sailing b 'at scudding before a
light and balmy breers ; there was the East Indiaman
launch-boat, a perfect model of finished handiwork ;
there was the captain's gig, and the captain's friends
enjoying themselves deliciously ; there was the smart
little canoe, which the solitary occupant sent along at
a ratt:iog pace, and who enjoyed the double pleasure
of seeing where he was going to and of paddling his
own canoe; there was the water velocipede, also con-
ferring on its occupants the same advantage over ordi-
nary rowers, and which achieved nearly the same rate
as a steamer without the heat and the danger; and
therewere, too, little steamers innumerable—miniature
screws which "walked the waters like a thing of life,"
and left the few people on board to enjoy themselves
with as little care as possible. For hours before
the race never was the river so crowded with craft
as on this occasion, and it was all pleasure
craft, business entirely giving way to pleasure
for the day. And never were the banks of
the river and some of its bridges more crowded with
eager and excited spectators. The race itself was a
splendid affair. I saw it for nearly a mile, and during
all that distance the Americans were ahead ; but they
had evidently put out more etrength than they could
spare to s cure that advantage, while from where I
stood it was plainly perceptible to all of us that the
firm, long, steady stroke of the Oxonians quite ac-
counted for the distance between the competing boats
having been lessened before they were out of sight.
Oxford won Ly three boats' lengths, and by six seconds
of time, as marked by Mr. Benson's chronograph.
That they could have won by more is generally be-
lieved, and those who saw the finish say that Oxford,
having made sure of victory, rowed in easily and
calmly to the goal. There were only two things
perhaps to be reoretted. Considering the numerical
strength of the British press, to say nothing of the
American, it was absurd to confine the i8411(1 of tickets
for the press-boat to the ridiculous number of fifty,
thus leaving a large amount of waste room, while
numbers of men having just as much right on board as
thatfavoured fifty were selfishly and contemptuously ex-
cluded. The other little matter was that, however highly
the Thames Conservancy and police arrangements are
praised, the fact is that the course was barely cleared
in time, and that a boat actually crossed the Oxonians'
path jut as they were coming in to the winning post.
The entire arrangements were, however, better than
they have ever yet been, and except to the Hai vardians
the day was on the whole a glorious one, while even
they have no reason to be ashamed of being beaten by
such a crew as the Oxford.

-- -
Any one who has watched the labour market for the
past few months, aLd who has noticed the movements
in connection with strikes and locks-out, must have
noticed that there is a growing tendency, both on the
part of employers and employed, to avoid these extreme
measures. The strikes and locks-out that now exist are
as nothing compere l to what they were say four or five
years ago. There are two causes for this—one to be
regretted, the other to be rejoiced at; the one is the
dulness of trade which has affected this country for the
last couple of years at least (a dulness which is decidedly
brightening by the dye), and the other is the progress
which has been made towards the general acceptance of
the principle of arbitration. It is specially note-
worthy that at the Trades' Union Congress the other
day • motion in favour of courts of conciliation and
arbitration was passed by a large majority; and that
Mr. G. Pot .er, in his correspondence with the Comte
de Paris, shows that the London Working Men's
Aseociation never aids any society on strike till an
offer of arbitration has been made by the men and re-
fused by tile plasters. Such facts as these show that
is time for semtliing Ike an organized effort to be
made for developing this principle of arbitration, so
that it may be made permanently applicable to any
future disputes.

I see that the secretary to a certain lodge of "the
Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds" has been corn.
mitted for trial on several chargesof fraud on the funds
of this benefit society, and that the secretary of the
Ninth South Lancashire Building Society hoe been
sentenced to five years' penal servitude for embezzle-
ment, As this Bert of thing is always occurring, would
lt not be well for the members of these societies to see
whether they are doing justice to themselves in the
matter of audit? When any crash takes place in any
great company we generally find that the system of
audit has seen defective, and that had the accounts
been periodically and thoroughly examined the spit, m
of defalcation which ultimately lei to the smash would
have been discovered at the outset. Is it not the same
with the friendly societies of the working classes?
These societies are so important that at all events the
question is worth consideration. Bad as is the a, stein
of audit ir connection with limited liability companiee,
I believe that with benefit societies it is worse.
It is a very nice thing to have dividends to take
from the old lady in Threadneedle-street but the
Pleasure has hitherto been somewhat marred by the
neceasity of personal attendance, as a title, to obtain
these dividends. Under a new Act of Parliament,
however, the old lady will send its wit dividends by
poet. The warrant is to be in the form if a cheque to
order, and crossed no as to he paid only through a
banker. This will be some protection against these
new dividend warrants being stolen, but the thought
occurs that it would be rather dangerous if these war-
rants are forwarded under any uniform conditions
which will inform postmen and others that the enve-
lopes cover dividend warrants. The pickpockets is ill
not like the change. It is well known that London
thieves of both sexes used to look cut anxiously for
dividend day, and that through robberies in omnibuses,
dec., these pickpockets reaped a harvest on "dividend
day," which was in fact their dividend day also. As a
kindred matter I may note that the Indisn papers
state that the money order system is about to be es.