The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-04-12 00:00:00

THE EASTER RECESS.

Bont Houses of Parliament have adjourned for
the Easter holidays ; and, looking back over the
nine weeks of the session, the retrospect can
scarcely be called a satisfactory one so far as the
progress of public business is concerned. The
terms of the Royal proclamation summoning the
Legislature to mret at Westminster tell both
peers and commoners that the cbject of their
assembling is "for the despatch of urgent and
important affairs," but this has ceased to be a
reality in modern times. Parliament no longer
comes together to work, but to talk. So far as
the House of Lords is concerned, there is not
much fault to find. Thet assemnly has disposed
of the bills which have been brought before them,
and has sent them down to the Commons. One
of these measures so dealt with by the Lords
affects a matter of great public importance. It
is a bill for preventing the spread of cetle
disease, and was introduced by the Lord Presi
dent of the Council into the House of Peers
because of the presence of legislation in the
Lower House. An amendment to the Address
in answer to the speech from the Throne was
moved by afr. Chaplin, claiming precedence for
the Cattle Diseases Bill over all other Govern-
ment legislation. This was rejected by the
House of Commons by a majority of 51 ; but
this was several weeks ago, and the question was
of sufficient urgency to have been taken up as
soon as possible after the appearance of the bill
upon the order book of the House of Commons,
which was more than a month ago. But the
Commons have not yet found time to deal with a
subject which the Lords despatched with praise-
worthy promptituee. Nolloubt there a el t rests
to be considered in connection with this bill
antagonistic in their character. The shires find
themselves unable to agree with the towns as to
the course to be pursued in reference to the
prevention of cattle disease. The represents'.
tive of the great cities declare that the policy
advocated by the members for the counties
would augment the prices of animal food, and
that at this time of day a return to protection
in any shape or form ie, out of the qnestior. But
these contentions have thus far been urged out-
side the walls of Parliament, at the Westminster
Palace Hotel, the Society of Arts, and other
places at which public meetings have been held
to discuss the subject.
The Commons separate for the recess with the
reflection that the nine weeks of legislative time
have been devoted to discussing Ministerial
policy in the Soudan and the propriety of ex-
tending the franchise to householders in
counties. The former has, however, claimed
the lion's share of attention. No doubt some
years bad elapsed since any considerable pro-
portion of the time of Parliament was taken up
in a debate upon foreign affairs. We all re-
member the session of 1878, the contentions
over the Treaty of San Stefano, and the negotia-
tions which led up to the Treaty of Berlin. In
the following year also the compaigns in
Afghanistan and Zululand afforded ample
material for controversy in Parliament. But-so
far as the present House of Commons was con-
cerned, no session had dealt to any great ex-
tent with foreign topics. That of 1880 was a
short one, and was occupied almost exclusively
with matters of domestic legislation. Those of
1881 and 1882 dealt principally with Irish affairs.
Last year was chiefly occupied with the Bank-
ruptcy Bill, the Patents Bill, the Corrupt
Practices Bill, and other measures of domestic
reform. Therefore, looking at the condition of
things in Egypt, it seems to have been thought
by a large section of the collective wisdom of
the nation that the time bad arrived for debat-
ing at some length the Ministerial policy as ap-
plied to Egypt Made the expedition of July,
1882. Mr. Gladstone has stated that this matter
has been discussed at seventeen sittings of the
House of Commons since Parliament assembled
on the 6th February. He denounces these in.
cessant Egyptian debates as dictated solely by a
desire to obstruct public business, ',bile the con-
tention of the Opposition is that in the course
which they have taken they have been animated
by the most purely patriotic motives. Between
them public opinion must decide. At the seine
time it may not be amiss to remind Parliament
that the interests of a vast empire are com-
mitted to its care, and that its notice before
Faster having Leen directed alainly to Egypt,
the widely-spread dominions of the Queen in all
parts of the world will expect a little atten'ion
daring the remain-tor of the session. To say
nothing of the multifarious matters of home
legislation, our colonies and dependencies in atl
parts of the globe demand the watchful care of
the Imperial Parliament.

THE IRON TRADE.
WOLVERHAMPTON, Wednesday
The quarterly meeting of the iron trade was held
to-day, and was numerously attended by manu-
facturers and merchants and buyers from different
parts of the country. The tone of the market was
a. little more lively than had been anticipated, and
numerous inquiries were made by merchants, who
have brought very little roiled iron or raw materials
of We. It was generally underst( od that the regu-
lating price of £7 lOs for marked bars, with 12s 6d
extra for Lord Dudley's Round Oak iron, would not
be disturbed for the present, and current sales were
made under that impression. There were some
fair offers for best brand,-d bars recorded by ex-
porters, and a small variety of second-class bits
changed hands at £6 10a. The sheet makers are
t lerably busy, and prices are steacier than they
have been for the lest few weeks. In no instance
could anything b, bought for less than .27 lOs fcr
singles, while lattens ranged from £9 10s, according
to quality. Manufacturers of best stamping sheets
reported an active trade, and full time is being
made in their mills. In boiler and girder plates
the demand is dropping off, and there is only a
moderate amount of work being done in hoops and
strips. The pig makeis sold some good parcels,
particulaily ol qualities which fetched from 40s to
50s per ton. 1,11.e5h,(11 and other high class iron
was unchanged in price, and there seems to be no
pro-pect of any al eration taking place yet awhile.
Hematites averaged about 57s 61, and Tredegar a
shilling more. In minerals there were sales of
large parcels of puddled ore and Northampton atone,
but for cokcs and coal the trade was of a very
meagre cnara • cter and prices di,played much
fluctuation.

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