The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-01 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

In the 1101:70E OF IVAN Feb. 24, Lord StallloY of Alderlex,,,
asked Her Majesty s Government whether they would adopt I
the same prtcautions against the plague with regard to
shipping coming to this country from Ituspian Ports in. th."
Baltic as had been adopted for shipping from the Black Bea;
and whether they had placed restrictions on the importation
of rags or other equally contagious merchandise from
Russia.

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The Duke of Richmond and Gordon replied that Her
Ilajesty's Government did intend to take the precautions
alluded to by the noble lord as soon as it might be necessary
to do so; but as at present all navigation in the Baltic was
stopped it was not necessary to issue the same order with
respect to the porta in the Baltic as had been promulgated
in reference to those in the Black Sea. Her Majesty's
Government had not placed restrictions on the importation
(4 rag's, nor did they think there was any necessity for such
a ragman).
Lorcl Cottesloe asked the Lord President of the Colwell
whether it was the intention of the Government to in-
clude within the provisions of the Dairies, Cowshed, and
Mill:shops Order, 1879, cowkeepers and dairymen who used
the produce of their dairies in the manufacture of batter
and cheese for sale, not being sellers or purveyors of milk.
The noble lord expressed his opinion that the order in
question was generally felt to be unnecessarily stringent,
and that it was also expensive to those who were brought
Within its scope. •
The Duke of Richmond and Gordon was sorry to hear
that there were such objections to the order as those
spoken of by the noble lord. The order had been issued in,
Accordance with the 34th Section of the Contagious Dis-
eases (Animals) Act of last year. Ile could, of course,
state what were the intentions of the Government in
framing that order: but it would be impossible for him to
snake an authoritative statement as to the particular cases
that might fromylme to time be brought within the order.
Each case must rest on its merits. He would, however, state
very distinctly that the intention was that those who sold
butter, cheese, and milk should be included within the order.
He did not think that those who sold butter end sbeese but
did not sell milk would come within it, the object being
to secure to the public a supply of pure and whole-
some milk. The noble lord appeared, to think that
the regalati-,n *as a stringent and expensive one.
If
the noble lord referred to the 6th section of
the Act, he would see that no charge was made by
the local authority for anything done under the Act, so
that there was no expense whatever to any one registered
tinder the order. Ile could not think the noble lord would
Wish that persons who sold milk should be allowed to sell
milk without any restriction whatever. It was reeognized
that disease was much spread by the use of bad milk; and
therefore he thought the order must be regarded as one
made in the interests of all consumers Of milk, both-high and
-Ow, throughout the country.
Lord Bury, answering Lord Truro, denied that after the
selection of the men for service at the Cape an order was
issued by the Horse Guards that soldiers who had less than
ii mont4s' service should be excluded. It was true that
the 91st and 94th Regiments had received volunteers to
complete their establishment service; but that was a neces-
sity of the localization scheme, which scheme had received
the sanction of Parliament.

•
Their Lordships then adjourned. •
In the HOUSE 01' COMMONs, in reply to Mr. Ritchie, Sir
Selwin-Ibbetson said he regretted that he was not yet in
a Position to fix the date from which the new scheme for
the Customs Department would come into force, but the
matter was now in hand. He hoped the basis of the scheme
would in a few days be in his hands, and no time should be
lost in considering it, and he hoped it would be disposea of
loon.
Mr. E. Stanhope, in answering a question from Mr. Grant
Duff, said there was no truth in the statement that the
Maharajah
of Cashmere has been instructed to carry on, or
's actually carrying on, operations in the direction of
Chitral or the Hindoo Koosh ; and Mr. Bourke, in answer to
Mr. Onalow, said the Government had no information re-
sPecting the reported organization by RUSSiall officers of the
Persian Army
In answer to Mr. Cowen, Mr. Bourke said : The abroga-
tion of the sth article of the Treaty of Prague has not been
notified officially to Her Majesty's Government either by the
Government of Austria or Germany. Information of the
fact of the abrogation has been received from Her Majesty's
representatives at Vienna and Berlin, but it is not intended
to answer those communications, and, therefore, no papers
Will be laid on the table.
In reply to a question from Lord H. Lennox, Mr. W. H.
Smith said—The report from the Thunderer Committee
arrived at the Admiralty this morning. The documents
annexed to it are exceedingly voluminous, containing
several hundred manurcript pages, and I have not
Yet had time to read them. I trust in a few days to be
able to lay the whole of them upon the table. The com-
mittee report the cause of the accident to be as follows :
"The committee have now to report the cause which they
are unanimously convinced burst the gun was that the gun
having missed firer at the time of the electrical broadside,
and this misfire not having been noticed, the gun was pre-
sented to receive the full charge and empty common shall
for the independent firing, and did receive this charge and
shell while the battering charge and the Panther shell were
Still in the gun."
I am not yet able to inform the House as to the nature of
the evidence which was sufficient to convince the committee
that this was the cause of the accident; but I may state
that their conviction was arrived at in the most satisfactory
manner, each member of the committee separately writing
down his opinion and handing it to the secretary with-
out communicating its nature to the others. Singular
enough, their opinion was unanimous, (Hear, .hear.) Ex-
periments have been made with a view of peeventing a re-
currence of the accident; but the committee have reoom,
mended that further experiments should be made. The whole
matter will receive the very cereful attention of the
Admiralty. (Hear, hear.) Comrannications are being held
between the admiralty and the War Department on the
subject of breech-loading as- opposed to muzzle-loading guns.
In answering a question irons Mr. Whitwell, the Chaecellor
of the Exchequer Intimated that, in e few days, he should
have to rnake a statement in respect to the Supplementary
Expenditure and'the outstanding Exchequer Bonds.
Tha.aeltatein4' debate on the Resolutions for Despatch of
Busintiss was Tesuthed, and Mr. Anderson having withdrawn
the amendment which was before the House on the last
occasion, Mr. Beresford Hope renewed It in en extended
form and proposed that on every occasion of going into
Sunniy an amenchaaent may be moved relevant to.the Esti-
mates:to be discussed coupled with the proviso that the
Miniater'may make his statement before the House goes
line Committee. This was opposed both by • the Chancellor
of the Exchequer and Lord Hartington, and. after some dis-
cussion was negatived by 191 to 7.
Slr.W. Barttelot then moved an addition to the Bret Re-
solution, Which the Chancellor of 'the Exchequer intimated
his" willingness to accept, and which allows a relevant
amendment to be moved on first going into committee on
the Arroy, Navy, and Civil Service Estimates respectively.
It was discussed at some length, and several attempts
Were made to amend it by introducing exceptions in
Various' directiOns. Mr. M. Henry suggested that there
Should be a right of moving preliminary amendments on
each class of the Civil Service Estimates, and on this being
negatived by 88 to 49, Mr. 0 Donnell moved that the Irish
Estimates relating to Law, Justice, and Public Works, should
be treated as a separate class. He was supported by Mr.
Parnell, Mr. O'Connor Power, Mr. Henry, and other Irish
Members, while Mr. Id.'Laren, Mr. Dillwyn, Mr. ICnatchbul-
nugessen, and Serjeant Simon objected to giving the Irish
Members special advantages over the rest of the House.
On a division it was negatived by 181 to 81, and Sir W.
Barttelot's amendment was then agreed to.
Mr. Parnell next moved an amendment allowing grievances
arising out of the conduct of the Administration to bo
brought forward on Supply, which was negatived by 139 to
47; and a further amendment by Mr. O'Connor Power,
Riving Notices of Motion precedence of Orders of the Day
on Fridays, was rejected by 139 to 60. At 12 o'clock thetirst
Resolution, as amended was carried on a division by 130 to
60, and the otherßesolutions were postponed until March 6.
The Assists Bill was read a second time, and the Habitual
Drunkards Bill was considered in committee.
Some other business was disposed of, and the House wa
counted out at a quarter to two o'clock.

In the HousE OF Louns, Feb. 26, the Duke of Richmond
arid Gordon laid on the table a Bill to amend the Medical
Acts and in doing so made a statement on the subject, from
Which it appeared that, with one important exception, the
provisions in this Bill are the same as those originally in the
Bill introduced by the noble Duke last year. His Grace, having
touched briefly on the objections to the existence in the United
Kingdom of 19 separate licensing bodies' each of them
giving a single qualification which admitted the holder to
have his name placed on the Medical Register, reminded
their lordships that in the bill of last sear it was at first pro.
Posed that the formation of a Conjoint Examining Board
Pottid be left optional with the medical corporations; but
having considered the arguments for and against the per-
missive character of that, the main portion of the
Bill, he arrived at the conclusion that it could not
!so sustained by weight of reason or argument. Accord-
;lVY, during the passage of the Bill through their
lordships' Rouse, he introduced the compulsory prin.
niPle, and it was to be found in the Bill now before their
lordships. Under this Bill there naust be a Conjoint Board
Of Examiners. By another alteration made in the Bill of
!alit year, the certificate of the Conjoint Board would of
Itself have been sufficient to entitle the candidate who
had - obtained it to have his name placed on the
Medical Register as a person duly qualified to prac-
tice medicine and Surgery. In consequence of the
objections urged by the medical corporations to
that provision, on the ground that its effect would be to
lower the status of the medical profession, it Was proposed
in the present Bill that any pereon who bad obtained the
certificate of the Conjoint Roard should be entitled to pre-
sent himself to any of the medical corporations and solicit
its diplomat. On obtaining this lie would be entitled to re-
gistration; and If it were refused— but only in this
case—the candidate could be admitted to registration;
On the certificate of the Conjoint Board, alone.
Thia latter proviso was all the More necessary because
under this Bill the Conjotnt Bard wouTd be bound to
examine women; and it would do to have them excluded
from the register merely because one ed the medical corpo-
rations refined to grant them its diploma. Admit-
line that among the medical body at large there were
demands for the reconstitution of the Medical Council,
his Grace announced that it was the intention of the
Government to refer to a joint committee of the two
Houses of Parliament the task of inquiring into-and report-
ing on that constitution, and as to what changes in it, if
any were desirable; but they did not think the progress of
this Bill ought to be arrested for that inquiry, and therefore
they would endeavour to have this Bill proceeded with, so
that it might become law before the end of the present
Seasion.
Lord Ripon expressed his opinion that the Bill was en-
titled to the support of Parliament. The great reform neces-
sary was that there should be only one portal to medical
registration- and be thought his noble friend did well not to
mix that up with the question of the constitution of the
Medical Council.
The Bill was then read a first time, and the second reading
was fixed for next Tuesday week.
.Their lordships adjourned at ten minutes to six o'clock.
In the IlousE OF CoMmorrs, at be time of private business
the Leadenhall Market and Improvement Bill was under
discussion for some time. Sir C. Dilke, in the first instance,
moved its jection, but withdrew in favour of a motion by.
Mr. James that it be referred to a Select Committee, and
after it had been read a second time a division was taken on
this question, which was negatived by 137 to 83.
In answer to Mr. Macdonald, the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer said that at the present moment and in the present
state of public business, he was not able to name a day when;
the Employers' Liability Bill would be introduce& He
hoped it would be before Easter.
In answer to Mr. Serjeant Simcn ; Mr. W. IL Smith said
there was no fixed regulation which determined the- period
of service for sub-lieutenants to obtain their promotion ; but
latterly it had been the practice to promote them after four
years' service. Tue Order in Council of November, 1872, gave
the Admiralty the power to do so in the came of sub-lien-
tenants reaching the number of 250. The number was now
below 250, so that the promotion ceased. Ile was not in a
positioo at present to say that the Admiralty bad any inten-
tion of altering the system which prevailed; but he would
admit that the slower promotion did very seriously affect
nb-lieutenants and other officers.
In answer to Mr. Elliot, Mr. W. H. Smith said that France
and England have each sent a vessel of war to Egyptian
waters, but no special instructions have been given to them.
Major O'Gorman asked the Secretary of State for War
whether it was intended, as reported in the public prints,
to send to South Africa six officers of the Guards and three
of the Line to fill up the places vacated by the officers of
the 24th Regiment lately slain in action.
Colonel Stanley said it was intended to send out the offi-
cers to whom the hon. and gallant gentleman referred under
these circumstances :—Xhe draft for the 24th Regiment
went out 633 strong. Obviously they could not go without
officers, but they were attached for daty and did uot belong
to the regiment.
• In answer to Mr. Waddy, Colonel Stanley said be bad
received.a cemmunication on the subject of aliewhig w '
klan'bhaplains to accompany the troops in South AfriCa,
and he was going to reply that it was advisable to limit the
number of iiene-combatants as much as possible ;
would be no objection to give suoh facilities as, might be
desirable. but there
1116 Sir J. WEenna called attention to the subject of bank de-
posits. contending thet the practice of receiving money
edoosi was to bear interest and to be repayable at call
tended to aggravate the causes which brought about peplos.
In order to impose a salutary check on this iiractice, ha