The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-02-03 00:00:00

A HOME IN AUSTRALIA,

The Times has published the following letters :

Sir,—The enclosed is an extract from a letter from a
friend at Melbourne. I shall be glad if you will insert
it in The Times if you think it worthy of a place there.
It is perfectly trustworthy as to Australia. I hope he
is a little wrong as to us. He has no interest to
exaggerate ; he has retired from business, and employs
no labour except that of domestic servants. B.

"Point out the folly of permitting the pick of Eng-
lish artisans to go to America where they help a
foreign power when England has in Australia land
in every way equal to America, where every emigrant
from England is actually only the transfer of what
is useless in one to where it is most Useful and
reproductive in another, because every man, woman,
sand child landui in Australia is just another cus-
tomer for English manufactures, Here there are
hundreds of thousands of miles where the foot of
white man never trod, rich fertile tracts of country that
never saw a sheep or animal save kangaroos. Land
can be selected for 20s, an acre near railways, and
payment deferred for 20 years or more; wages—
labourers on railways 7s. to Bs. a day, mechanics 10s.
to 15s. up to 20s. a day—all eight hours, I have seen
sheep sold for 6d. each, skinned of course; beef, 2d.
per lb. ; mutton, choice joints, ld. to lid. per lb,;
flour, about ld. per lb. Last year we had a drought,
and prices are higher. But then wages are higher.
Look at the frightful poverty in England. The multi-
tudes in crowded cities, earning miserable wages,
seeing no sun, the very life worked out of them.
Here within 40 days' sail per Orient Line is the fairest
land under God's sun; where men will not work over
eight hours a day when work begs the worker, and
wages are high, and living cheap. Hundreds of cities
could be planted in Australia, We want men, those
very men who are a trouble and source of danger to
your overcrowded cities."

. ,
"When Mrs. Ramebothanv.wae ,told about,the
frightful increase of intemperance amongst the lower
orders (no one told her anything about the upper
classes), she said it reminded her of the old proverb,
' Distilled waters run deep.' "—Punch.

PRINCE BISMARCK ON SUNDAY
OBSERVANCE.

Prince Bismarck We Berlin correspondent of the
,I,andard says) recently had occasion to express his
own opinions on the policy of encouraging or enforcing
a stricter observance of the Sunday in Germany, which
is now part of the programme of the Conservative
party, In the course of his observations, the Chan-
cellor said :

"The English and American mode of Sunday ob-
servance is a terrible form of tyranny. The first time
I set foot on English soil—it was in Hull—l remember
that I began whistling in the streets. Oh, pray do
not whistle,' said an English fellew-traveller. 'Not
whistle ?' I asked. 'Why not? Is it prohibited?'
No," was the reply; 'it is not against the Jaw; but
don't you know it's the Sabbath?' I waxed so angry
at such intolerance that I determined to leave the town
at once; and I took the next steamer which conveyed
me to Edinburgh."
The Chancellor unfortunately omitted to mention
whether he attempted to repeat the performance on a
Sabbath day in the Scotch capital, or what his ex-
periences may have been in that case. He added:
"In general, however, I am not an opponent of Sun-
day observance." A friend who was present remarked
that Sunday in England was, after all, not so bad as it
was often represented. He had liked it because it was
quiet. It had always done him good after the bustle
and hurry of the week in London.
"For my part," rejoined the Chancellor, "as
landed proprietor I do all in my power to support the
observance of the Sunday, but I would not have people
legally compelled to keep it rigidly. I would leave
every one to prepare for a future life in his own
way. But there ought to be no ordinary work on Sun-
days ; and I think so not so much on account of the
Scriptural command, but because men must have time
for proper repose. To the service of the State, such as
the answering of telegrams on diplomatic and other
urgent affairs, this does not so strictly apply,"