The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

The ii 01.1113 of Commons met on Monday nicht. April 17,
after the Reiter TBCOM, and proceeded with tne Army Esti-
Mates, after disposing of some preliminary manna the
first of these was a resoiution by Captain Beaumont tit favour
of forming our limas. s cidirely of men who have paned
through the rains of the Regular Army, lie recommended
the estanlithment of a regillar standing army of 80,000 men,
with Reserves of SOO COO men, aid for this purpose he was
for passing 38.000 men annually from the Line into the
ito-
•er,e, and enlisting sew reciults in proportion. Thin, he
contended. t'Y 00 ei.borste COn'ind/011 Of the Individual not
of Linesmen, Militiamen, Colonles to, and Reserves, would
fled a cmalderable saving In the Estimate,.
Colonel North wan of opinion that this plan would lead to
the ultimate disappearance of the etanding army; and he
made a sharp attack on Mr Carde at, dishendrueon of the
last two years.

. --
Mr . u ardwell reoestad the defence he has of ten made of
his reductions fu the lt...gular Army: an& in reply to cap-
tain Beaumont, he agreed with Coloutl North that the
scheme would statical the Bernier Army. besides al.otishing
the Militia sod Volunteers altogether It was by a Judicious
and careful combination of all our voluntary modes of en-
listment, and not by any sputum which ,ould only be fully
earned eat by sompullory service, that the forces r‘quired
for the defence of the country most be obtained.
Abiir lEckron made Nome observations on the difficulty
now telt too obtaining t occults Of good quality, and the motion
was then withdlawn.

Lord °ernes also moved a re. dutfon (which he did not
presc condemning the reorgaide dine scheme as nu in-
sidlicient scheme, entering into an exhaustive examination of
Mr. Card propos.le, 1.11,1 contending that they Mole in-
adequate to the four millions addition to the Army Kith
mates, which he estimated they would entail,
The Medics then went Into Committee of Supply, and, on
the vote of •"a low for the e spouses of administering inertial
law. "Jr Card wal patio tribute to the late Judge-Ailvocata
Clener.l, and stated that, owing to hie death, the promised
ineaeure for theamendment of Military Law would necessarily
be delayed. Ou the vote of £2lB 300 for medical establish.
nomt. S r 11. Sk,rks, in answer to Dr. Brewer, gave some
details from the report of a recent Committee on Ambulances,
de.
Thera was a protracted conversation on the Milli is vote
(E 957,300 Mr. R sthbarie moved • reduatlon of 40000 men in
the vote, but met with little or no support, the general feeling
being stronsly in favour of maintaining the force on a strong
and efficient footle g Lord Elcho, Mel or Walker, Celesta
liarttelot, sir IL Verney, Mr. Whlttrell, and others spcke in
this sense, and, in answer to Sir J. Eakliaton, Mr Cardwell
stated that it was Intended to raise the Militia to 139,0.10
men, but that need,' not be done until the Army Regulation
All gave the War limo the neceeaary power to page the
present statutory limit of 120,000 men, lie gave further es.
planations en vari,ns p date. and among nthrr thinge stated
that In the autumn it was intended to establish a camp of
Instruction for 3,1,000 men of .11 anus, including Yeomanry,
Militia, and Volunteers. Mr. Rethbone's motion was
negatived by 92 to 16

The following votes were also agreed to after some des-
ultory discussion :—N,51.700 Yeomanry Cavalry, £40\700
'Volunteer Force. 4129,240 Army and Reserve Forel
The Trwies' Union I:1U, and the enlace] Law Amend-
ment Threats, Molecation, and t(ostruction) LW Were
read • third time and passed.

The ftllls of neaten; and Prom Wary Notes Bill wee read
a second time, and sorno other orders having been forwarded
• stage, the Howe adJ3urned.

In the Home of Commons, April 19, the following bills
were read a second time :—Cambridge University and Town
Water, Clarlditie Bridge, Cork Ihrhour and Curraghbinny
Railway, Kilmarnock Municipal Edemalon mid Improve-
ment, Stamford !coinsure, Won:eater Park Road
Eztension, and Portman Nand Reclamation.

.....
Mr Sheridan gave notice that on going into committee on
the Llcensing Bdi he would move that, in the opinion ol
Ml* House trovlslons should be in vie In the bill for more
extended compensation. then Is provided in the bill for
vested interests thereby adtcterl.

Mr. W. Fowler gave notice that on the lOth May he would
move for leave to Imlng in a bill to repeal the Contagion.
Diseases Ache, Ban and IMO.
. _

Sir George Jenkinson intimated that upon the second
reeling of the Local Taxation, Rating, and Government
Ellis, he wduld move a resolution that the crntinued ex-
emption of Income derived from personal wealth front con
trlbuitng Its f dr share toward. local taxation is a great in-
justice, and that no bill based upon snob exemption can be
accepted ar a satisfactory settlement of the question.
Mr. Fawcett announced his Intention of moving on the
16,h May a resolution declaring the expediency of a c,narnis.
Won to into evidi rice upon the financial and general adminis-
tration of lodic

Mr. Eastwick asked the Under Secretary for Pore!en
Attests whether the Government had recelvad Information of
Shy movement or cof.centration of Russian troops destfned to
act against K hive; and whether there was reason to suppose
that only a temporary occupation was Intended or a perms-
Dent cm.quett.

Lord Enfield replica that tha only Information which the
Government had 00b11 the subje,t we zontained in a
despatch from 0 Itssa, dat,d the 2701 March, enclosing an
extract from en Odeses newspaper, which stated that five
detachments would probably m4ke a reconnalsahee as far es
• the sea of Aral,

Mr. I: tstwick asked. with referene,to the limn military
camp which is proposed t,i. Mimed In II Unrbtar.l In Sep.
*ember fit It, w hetter the volunteers stkuding that camp
will have their expenses pall.

Mr. Cardwell slid that the artiliery volunteers would go
to Shotbusyness and tee i lye an allowaties. It was lutended
to give volunteers who weut into this camp uf instruction an
allowance; but the precise amount bad not jet been deter-
mined.

Sir JtIMOR Ephinstone asked tho Ilime fileretary whether
he Intended to reed the Licensing Bill a second time-on the
lit of May, seeing it was only plec M in the hancs of members
on the 15'h Inst.
Mr. Bruce would be sorry to lose any opportunity of bring-
ing forward the second reading of the bill st the earliest
possible moment, tut at the same time he was not very min-
gulne of having an opportunity /Ps early on the let May.
Mr. Gladstone, questioned by Mr. Hardy, said the Govern-
ment had not had time yet ta Col slim. the Westmeath Re-
port, but tie promised to Mate what they proposed ta do at
the earliest possible moment.

Mr. Mak seconded by Mr. Aldenktn List) moved are-
solution In favour of exteudleg to the whole Crvil Service
the privilege of commuting ironstone now et jey wl solely
by the War I (role and the Admiralty ; sod the Chancellor
of the Excheipter, hi reply, stated that, alter tha
yea's expeller ce of the Peeelens C tmmutation Act, he
hail determined to restrlet the privilege to persona who
receive pensions on account of the abolition of their offices.
Those who get pensions on arriving at GO years of age, or on
account 01 111 health, will co loot, be alio ed to cornrow°,
but, in return, Mr. Lowe stated that the Pensions Commuta-
tion Act will be extended to the whole C..v1l Service. Mr.
Monk enreseed himself thoroughly ristiallod with this com-
promise.
Mr. Reed next moved a resolniten calling on the Postale°
authorities to give to all the letter-carriers of the country
the exemption from Sunday labour now enjoyed in L yedr
Edinburgh, and certain noose towns. to sopport of it he
dwelt at length on the grievros of the po-stmett both In re-
gard to payment and bear-wart, reading numerous letters
Illustrative of the hoe Ish.pi of iho pres,nt system, end nar-
rating the history of Lord Ashitty'areWien in 185. t. Ile argued
that Sunday labour was none ceseary, and in answer to preen-
cal objections rf Inconvenience, he examined the various
alternatives euerreeted for Seamy labour, such as the use of
the telegraph, ate
Mr. Gladstone approved thonnghly the motives of the
motion, and dilated Cu the advantage., of Sena) rest es a
matter of civil policy. At the Same time he urged the trTAC.
Steal incowroutience of a sudden and belie:reel steep:es in the
Sunday delivery of letters, and aho wed thst molt of [hesitant.
Wes propomil would lead to icereerred Saudaylabour. it would
also. withat donht, produce a violent reaction. Bet, es a
compromise, he s Hared to consent to a rwolution calling ou
the Poet Office to inquire whether further reductions can he
made In the Sunday labour at present imposed en letter-
carriers and rural meseengers.

This tiler was accented by Mt Reed, and after tome obser-
vation. from Mr. M'L tree, the resolution as amended by Mr.
Gladstone was agreed to.
Lord Henry Lennox brought before the Boum the case of
Sir Spencer Robinson, and moved for a Meet Committee to
Inquire into the causes of Oh disa.iseol. iterninein4 the
Hoare of thesgreat services the late C ,ntroller had rendered
the country, particularly in Increarlng the armament and
the speed of our fleet, 'Hsieh bad noon warmly enlogired by
the Prime Minister and the late First Lord, he entered into a
long history of the Orono:tabu:et@ which had Tel tolls retire-
ment after which Lord henry commented on Mr. (Cad.
stone's share in the sifair end the final dismissal of Admiral
Robinson, anti on the COMO Master's unaccountable, per-
sistent refusal to state the rearms% ter this dismissal. He
himself traced it to tie lots of the Captaba anti avowed his
belief that the Minister was reticent because his rearons
were such as could not be pubicly stated with honour to
himself.
Mr. Gorchen comnteneed ble dt fence of the late First Lord
by protesting that he was se jealous t f the honour of Sir
Spencer Robinson as of Mr Cull lors's honour, and that
while repudiating any 'furon the late Fiat Lord, he had no
wish to east any on the late Controller. Ile denied emphati-
cally that the distutreal of sir Spencer Robinson was due to
thelota of the Captain, or to any diminution of confidence
In Ws professional abilry, and pointed out that this Wen not
the Mlle of the dismissal of a permanent civil servant, but
of • political Official parting with Ma colleagues. In short,
the reason asegned by Sir. G 'schen for Sr Spencer It Adn-
son's dismissal was that the relathms between him anti his
collesguts retarded the public service, and the Government
bad parted with him entirely In the public interest. He re-
presented it as a case of political ecileasuse separating them-
melees from another colleague with whom they could not get
on, and the Government could not ho responsible for the
conduct of any depaitment If this power were denied them.
Consequently he tincompromtsilugly opposed the appoint-
ment of a Committee.

Mr. Bouvetle, who rp)ks on behalf of Sir Spencer RObins
10111, maintained, even after Mr. Gomben'a explanation, that
he had been unjustly and ungenerously treated lie charged
the Treasury with having given the Admiral a pension in the
lowest class cmtrary to a direct undertaking to the con-
trary, and pointed out that the result of all theae changes
was to leave the Board of Admiralty stranded without any
men cf experience upon it, to the great detriment of the
public service.
Mr. Gladstone admitted that the Muse had a right to in-
quire Into tbe surject, but it touched so closely the responsi-
bility of the Guvernment for the conduct of each
department that he claimed for them the right of
wag the nv et emphatic arid crw chime steps to prisons:
it. With some warmth and excitorent of manner
be defended the proreet Board against Mr It:measles
disparaging criticism, aunties that, thread of being
shabbily tasted, 8:r Spencer Robinson had received the
highest pension the Trevoury ctii swirl, end showlog by •
comparison of hls Memorandum !quoted by Mr. Bouverie)
and the I' OVUM ix pars that the Admiral's recollective of the
conversations was not Mw .ss accurate. Justifying hie own
share in the elf.ir, he eislntaine t`t..t he hui inabsted 01
Sir Spencer Robinson's retirement, not on accuent of his
verbal controversy with Mr. CS tiers, but because Ma rela-
tions with his coil stAnis were such as to make it absolutely
neoessary for the public service.
Sir. Whitbread, in expressing his regret at the dismissal of
in able public...servant, remarked that the real bitterness of
the questlon lay in the Vue of the Captain, which It sea,
pONible nowinONCIP ; and Automat Ir,skine said it was
within his Owl I knowledge that the Cootroller n. ver Intended
to [erase while the Construction Curnmittee was tit tng.
Lord 11. Lennox was Wiling to withdraw his molten, bat
this was not permitted, and it was r. jected en a Mahn n by
MP to 101.

'no *Alen businces was disposed of. and the lime &d-
-i Arm d

In the Mouse of CommonD, April 19. Mr. Lambert, lit I
moving the second reading of Trial by Jury (relami) hill,
adverted to the d filculty cef obtaining convictions for crime I
in Ireland, morn particularly In cure of wader, owing to
the present state of the law, which allowed oily an anent.
noun verdict to be binding, thus pluing It to the power
of any single Juror to prevent a verdict befog green. The
bill proposed to deal with this evil by providing that
the Jury should consist of fifteen person,, and that
the verdict of the nujority should be binding. In Scot-
land In the fivo years encing 1570 16,021 persons were brought
to trial, of whom seventy four per cent, were convicted,
whilst to Ireland allot persons were bled in the came
period, of whom only fifty-night per cent. were convicted.
oaring the last three 'ears there had been Ito murders In
Ireland, whilst one parson had been c,i.slcted. S ellgr
ro-
vlaions to llinee Which he proposed butt btrn 10 force in
i4C6t:and for a long period, and bad been sttubled with good
results, and he urged ti.at their hermit c too Into Irelmd
would be attended with illuillrelliELCO to bone bst the
rimlnal clus.
Mr. !funks opposed the reeled tar.ling of the bit',
which he characterised as a monstrous proikiltion, ano
which ought not to he brought forward by an irresponsii le
member lie malntainint that the question was not wbe-
thee a jury would cot,lt Its Ireland, bat whether there
was evidence upon valch toed r.,uld convict. The great
evil In Ireland Was th° difficulty In cut t.n criminal
cues. Into which the element of pmuliut sympiithr entered,
of trollnit persons to give evidence. As a general Mho.
wherever there was Ninth:lent evidence to satisfy a rea-
sonable Jury a serdtct Imacedfately followed. The Crown
had IllifiCielat power already, and what was wanted we. to
bring 'bouts greater respect fog law, and a dealt* to put

_
down clime. There mu no difficulty In finding honest juries
In Ireland, anti if the first jury disagreed, the iioveroment
had power to put the aetuted upon his trial again and mcdu
before new Dries. During the last year ore man had been
so teed no loss than four times. The affect of allowing a
verdict of wilful murder to he given by is majority of one
would be to hrl.m the administration of Punt., Into utter
contwmpt even amongst tin es classes whose moistest anxiety
now was to endue the people with a feeling of respeet for the
law. Ito m.vrU that the hill be road a second time that Els),
s,x months.

Slr Witten seconded the amendment. The people ol
Ireland were perfectly satisfied with the jury laws which
existed, and he asked the HOU., In a crude attempt of this
kind, wh'elt wou'd, If carrledout, bring innumerable evils la
ha nat to make any change In to Impottant a matter.
_ _

Colonel French oppcsed the bill.
The Solkite...General for Ireland h0p3,1 the bill would not
be opened. it would Intl oduce a very sort Ati change In the
law, sad would partly assimilate the jure law at Ireland to
that of Scotlaud. Lie did not thbuk the jury system of the
tines countries was satisfactory, and should not object 1,.
comprt bemire scheme for cleating with the whole question,
but It the WI were passed it would cot accAmplish the object
It Mused at, leastnuch as the jury laws ,d the three klagrionm
would still retrain us widely dtffereut heat pretent.

After a few wordsl'm Mr U Gregory arid the Marcia!'
of Harlington, the bid was withdrawn.

Mr. P, A. Taylor moved the second reading of the Gana
Laws Abollion itri and captained that it was ittnattral with
the measure he had introt:u.d on the same sir Joel last
,year. Ile wired the desirability of having not only an anal-
,cable neiterranding between the landlord and tenant,
' but a Just law to which the tenant might appeal tar emotion.
The great rail of the present laws was the over.orn .... lion of
wild animals. and although he pr,posod to abAhlt these laws,
he would support any measure which might be necessary to
Prevent the extinction of game, and a more stringent law of
trestran. The chief 0/011i1.11/1111 against the game lawa were as
regarded the farmer and the lab surer, noon whom these laws
harts most baneful effect. Perhaps the worst features of
game preserving might be found he Scotland, where two
millions of acres, or one.tenth of the whole surface, were
already devoted to deer forests, and whole districts were
helngdepointated for the same purpose. lie was connoted
that the abolition c.f the game laws was the only lathfactory
Measure which could be adopted.
Mr. lYckenson seconded the motion.
Mr. Hardcastle moved that the bill be read a second time
that day sin month. He admitted that the present sys,eln
contained many ollectionable features, but to destroy the
game laws entirely he 101 fled upon as equally ol.j,ctionable
and very absurd. To abolish the game laws would not 10811
to lb 811 pleasing results which the lion. member seemed to
anticlia,e, and he believed the only solution of this loesttoa
was to enact, as was proposed by the bill which he had lq-
troduced, that game should be Use specific property of the
occnolcr.

Mr. LI. Brand said that the people who would be bene-
fited by the abolition of the game laws would be the poachers
and thieves, the loweat SCUM of the community. The 111.-
lure before the House was not acceptable to the tenant
farmers. It Was not the game laws, but the abuses which
arose out of thorn, that were 10 drious to the people. lie
should be glad to see hares and rabbits removed from the
category of game, awl other species of genie made property,
but If the landlords would strmiely exprems their disappro-
bation of the conduct of a minority a their numbers in
abuid•g the low, they would do much to remove the evils at
present existing.
Mr. Bromley-Davenport opposed the bill.
Mr. Carnegie would not vote for the bill, but he considered
it to be preferable either to the measure if the Government
or that of the bon member for Bury St. Edmunds.
Mr. C. g Read call what was required 1.43 not the alndi.
Mon of game laws, but to restrict over preservation The
right to kill gr.,and game ought to be Inseparable from all
agricultural tenancies.

Mr. D. Ddrymple desired to see the game lawn greatly
altered, but he could not vote for their abdition, no it would
result in the extinction of game. He wished to see tho rilut
to let shooting more freely be given to the !mond, aud he
believed that without interfering with the liberty ot contract
between landlord and tenant game preservation might be
greatly diminished.

_
Sr H. Hoare would support the second re: ding only of the
Slit as a protest against tile grievance that existed. The
only way to meet the present cite was to omit hares and
rabbits from the list of game, and until the G ivertiment
brought forward a measure to carry that out, he should sup-
port Vie hon. member for Leiceitcr.
Mr. enrrance expressed his approval of the bill Introduced
by the hon member for Bury Si. Edmunds.

• •
Mr. Winterhotham said that the quf stion was not merely
one between landlord and tenant, for the present state of the
game laws was a fruitful source of crime in this country. Ile
believed that it was Imperative upon the Government to give
the greatest consideration to the question.
The House divided, for the second reading, 411; against
172 ; majority, in.
-

The at I ..urninoht of the del.-ate on the nee irl reading of
the nJot:h (tome Lsws Iflhl was voted on a dtvlelou.