The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-02-10 00:00:00

THE MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

Once more the recess iq nearly at an end. and
in a few days the Legislature will be once more
in session. Exceptional circumstances ha,' e
made the break exceptionaly short, seeing that
it was early in December that the Sovereign,
through her Royal Commissioners, took leave
of her Parliament December is suggestive of
Christmas, which speedily followed on the re-
lease of the lawgivers from their prolonged
duties. It has only been since the beginning of
New Year that the floodgates of political talk
seem to have been opened, and that from a
score of platforms in all parts of the kingdom
Ministerial and Opposition speakers have re.
plied to each other. That is a very short time
as compared with previous years, and the period
is now near at hand when the war of words will
be removed from country to town—fro,n the
provinces to Westminster.
The circumstances under which Parliament
meets illustrate in a remarkable degree the wear
and tear of modern public life. Under ordin-
ary conditions this is the time when Cabinet
Councils should be held in order to settle the
measures which the Government intend to pre-
sent to'both Houses. But the absence of Cabi-
net Councils thus far is accounted for in two
ways. In the first place the Bills which the
great collective wisdom of the nation is to con-
sider are the remanets of last session, which,
like its predecessors, was occupied in attending
to the requirements of Ireland. Some of these
were brought in only to be withdrawn ; othei s
were never introduced at alh In the second
place the Prime Minister, no less than the
leader of the Opposition, has been compelled to
seek rest and chance of air in a foreign country,
with a more genial climate and a less clouded
sky than the storm-swept firmament of ;hes,:
latitudes. It may be remembered that Sir Staf-
ford Northcote was compelled, by the state of
his health, to delegate to Sir Richard Cro3s his
duties in the House of Commons before that
assembly had got through it. new Rules of Pr
cedure. Whnn a man has re:x=l the mature
age of 65, the protracted strain of an ardnoa4
public life is likely to be felt, Rest and a
thorough change was necessary ; and these
requisites have been found. Mr. W. H. Smith
placed at his colleague's disposal his ste im
yacht Pandora; and across the dark hue Med-
iterranean and over the glowing water of Xi •s-
-sina tho Conservative Leader has been living in
anotherworld, far from party division ant politi-
cal contentions, out of the 601111,is of those ring-
ing cheers and triumpaant shouts w.,ich so
often arise from the crowded benches of the
People's House. In place of the brightly-
lighted ceiling of the Commons chambers, he
has had the brilliant sunshine of a southern
clime. But sometime or another all things
terrestrial must come to an end- Holidays of
whatever length draw to a close, and life itself is
bound to have its termination. .

_
Then there is Mr. Gladstone, who only two
months ago celebrated too fiftieth anniyeraary
of his entrance into the 11.31133 of Coininona, of
which half a century afterwards ho is still th-
leader. There was a sitniiar instance within
living memory in the case of Lord Palmerston ;
but it must be obvious that the strain of 'moll°
life in the lifetime of twit statesman was by no
means what it is now. Lord Palmerston
entered Parliament in 1807 and in 1857 was
Prime Minister, dying as such, eight years
afterwards at the age of 81. His political ju-
bilee was commemorated at the same age as
that at which Mr. Gladstone observed his-73.
But no one would pretend to say that the wear
aud tear of even ten or .fifteen yretrs ago was
anything like what it is gtrew The peculiar
move of doing business in the House of Com-
mons which has witnessed such a development,
has added immensly to the worry of official life.
The House has endeavoured to assuage the
evil by amending its rules of procedu,e, some of
which were obsolete, and about as suitable, to
our own times as the old sage coacnes would be
to the requirements of our traffic to day. These
new rules have yet to be tried ; and not to early
seeing that the health of both- political leaders
in the House of Commons gave way under the
pressure of the old ones. When Ar. Disraeli
was 72, and holding-the position which Mr. Glad-
stone fills now, he found that the long days of
business in his department at the Treasury and
the long nights of debate in the liouse of Com-
mons were rapidly impairing his health. He
therefore withdrew to the House of Lords, leav-
ing the Commons' debates to younger hands.
Lord Palmerston, as we all know, remained all
his life in the Lower House, of which he was a
' member duriag the amazing term of 58 years.
The era from 189/ to 1865 ouvered a spaee it
the nation's history waleh is but ioadequlto
repreaented by the Intel& heel figures. For six
years he was Secretary-at-War Rhise we were
fightid,-; the first Nitoot,ou, tl.: set
tiouse of Commons tied a century after Natm-
leou'a final overthrow. Lord Russel, anotTier
of our modern Premier', was a ineweer of the
House of Coo:mons 48 years, and after that he
was 17 years in tue Lords. \Yuen he left
official life he was 74, an age toward- which Mr.
Gladstone is progressing now. Lard
Beaconsfield resigned the Premiership at 75, but
he had enjoyed the rest -f the peer,ge only a
short time. All acconnrs from Cann-:.s unite in
stating that Mr. Gla.lst,)..to, lie Sir Stafford
Northeote, has greatly ,behefi.,3,l tbc
of air and scene, and the. abseuee from business
Public life in this country is happily free from
the peraooal bitterness which charteter:ses it
in some other lands, an I there is no ohe who
will not join in the hope that bate beaders will
return to Parliament folly tereng•heoed to cope
with the heavy wok whom nes befora

THE IRON TRADE. s
WOLVERIT.S.IIPI'ON, Wednesd.a.i.

Tee market teis a,ftereeon was steedi,r,- and
incrchaets were more disposed to do fat-18111033 theta
they hey° been during the last few weelte. ihis was
insulate measertedue te the actin of the two list
aoue!s who hive reduce! tnele prie,.s, but the
tran,actions in best motel were still ve:ry
is nureneeits gave their attend en o,i,efiy to the
cheaper ugakes of bars obtainable at from £6 6s. to
£6•l6s. SI:J1110 of the manafacterets reporteilmeet-
lag with difficulties in getting speciifeatione with
their old orders, but they have satficent to trce-p the
Machiuery going. Common 'sheets required for
conversion into galvanising roofiee eve•:.e more in-
quired for this afternoon, amd prices were s ill very
low, buyers getting all tney wanted. at .21 tor
sines. Several steeping shet makers reported
extended inquiries, and they are able to uphotd late
rates. In tin-plates there was scarcely anything
don notwithstandieg the pressure of , several
merlanti who deal largely in this commodity. The
principal inquiries Cee'Clettage fer local eonsumre
tien relate i cruelly to eirderpletes,an;les, and tees,
and a little more attenti.ei was given to
__hoops for
export. In strips tee gas tube makers were the
principal purchasers, but' the -prices were if any-
thing rather weaker. The pig makers reportest a
fair business, and prices were not so easy as mig4t
have been expected after tee ,eduction in finished
iron. Indeed, two or three makers of the better
qoality,'total refweei to take anything less than
tney obtained at tee quarterly ineetines, but the
makers of part-mine and c 'Tamen common cinder
had to make eoncessieus to the extent of 21 6d per
ton in their last contract prices. In for9ign`motals
Northampt eishire forge and Lancashire hematites
were those most purchased. Some good sales were
eadde in ironstone, reed the producers w re able to
seoare ee!;,hout any diffieult the prices Welch have
rated of late. In the am,' trade saks ran 'mostly
on forge materiel, • Stocks of domestic fuel are
exceedingly low for the seelon, bat this- does not
Seem to influNice the price in sellers: favour.

_
BIRMINGHAM Thuradal.

vaded the market thi. last week, .
Although a somewhat mole h :p ful feeling per.
stricted within very sinall limits. It was appar nt
that the market had not rec aered from the effect
baeiness 'was.re.
of the drop in marked iron, aud merchants and
consumers held back in order to get the best terms
they Gould. There was an absenc:: of inquiry for
in irked bars, but a u)nsiderable
business might
have been done in common iron at a siight re-
&lotion on ordinary current quotations, lint as a
rule manufacturers de,Mined to au..lept tha rates
vikren. Quocutuxla for
.untatirlieci Lars ranged