The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-30 00:00:00

ellr Y. 011.0011 Corasponknt.
two deem it right to gate that we do not at at timea
identify ourstAvve with our correq,ondent'; oidniona.l

When the Session opened there was a promise of
ach abundant legislation that the position of affairs
at the close of the Easter recess is rather discouraging.
Neither of the more important bills which Government
Introduced has yet passed the Commons, and, sup-
posing that they all pans the Lower House—or rather
that the House pas the bills—they cannot be pre-
sented to the Upper House till rather late in the
Session. Up to the present time their lordships have
had very little to do, and ere long they will have so
much work thrust upon them that it is doubtful
whether they will be able to get through it. The
moral is obvious. Next,Session (what a many improve.
meats we are always going to have "next Session")
some of the Government measures must first be
introduced into the House of L irds, and then the
work of legislation will be easier. Meanwhile the im-
pression is gaining ground that the massacre of the
innocents this Session will be unusually severe.

Numerous facts have recently been stated which
show that emigration from this country is now going
on to a large extent. By the aid of Government, by
the help of the National Emigration Aid Society, and
of other associations, through the agency of Emigration
Clubs, and by individual exerUons, there is no doubt
that during the whole of the spring and summer of this
year there will have been a constant outflow of emi-
grants. On the whole this fact is certainly advantage-
ous to the mother country; but there is one class that
we cannot get rid of, and that is the pauper class. A
good deal has been said fr and against pauper emi•
gration, but the balance 4,f argument appears to have
been on the side of the objrctora. But now a very in.'.
portant statement, to which too much publicity cannot
be given, has been made by the Sent Zcalcmd Examiner.
Commenting on the pauperisrnof England, this journal
alludes to the " better class" of pauper families, and
says, "They are the very class that would be
welcome in the colonies. At home they have
little that is desirable to look forward to ; in New
Zealand there is no position which is beyond the
reach of a man of ability and integrity.... Would not
any board of guardians gladly be relieved of a thousand
paupers of this class at the cost of a year's main-
tenance? Yet this sum, it has been calculated, would
land them in New Zealand." That is the question. An
affirmative answer cannot readily be given by any one
who has studied the matter ; but it is certain that if
boards of guardians could be induced to do this, either'
with the aid of Government or private loans, the
burden of pauperism at home would be lessened, and
the poor emigrants would have a new and hopeful
career before them. This phase of the emigration
question is certainly deserving of more consideration
than it has yet received

It is said that a number of Fenians have arrived in
London from America, and that they contemplate
doing damage to some of our public establishments. It
is probable enough that there may be exaggerated fears
on this head, but it is certain that the chief of the City
police sent to the proprietors of The Times a warning
that there was some danger of an attack on their
office, and that due precautions were taken. The
police are now at work endeavouring, by enquiries at
lodging•houses and other means, to circumvent the
Fenians, and it is to be hoped the guardians of the
public safety will have all the success theycould desire.

The General Post Office authorities have officially
stated that it is proposed to commence the new rate of
postage on newspapers and printed matter on the lot
of October next, by which time the halfpenny stamp
will be issued. It is a pity that the reform is to be
so long delayed, but it is a greater pity if it is intended,
as is stated, that the halfpenny stamp is only to carry
one newspaper under six ounces, and not packets of
the same newspapers under that weight. This is not
what the advocates of postal reform intended.
The Workmen's International Exhibition, which
will be opened on the 7th of July at the Agricultural
Hall, Islington, is likely to be very attractive, and of a
genuine character. It is a pity, perhaps, that it should
be inaugurated so late in the season, when so many
people will have left town ; but then it is not intended
to be a fashionable lounge, but rather an exhibition of
deep interest to manufacturers, traders, and mechanics.
The time for receiving applications for space has now
expired, and all articles must be sent in between the
20th of May and the 27iffi of June. The place has already
been proved to be admirably adapted for such an exhi-
bition, and we may fairly hope that the forthcoming
show will be largely attended.

The London season would not be itself without the
"Picture Exhibitions." The Society of Painters in
Water Colours has opened their gallery, and a charm-
ing exhibition it is. Other exhibitions will follow, and
the Royal Academy will ere long have its daily crowds
of loungers and connoisseurs, who will go, not because
they are particularly fond of paintings, but to see who
else goes, and because it is the thing to do. Now
when the fashionable dilettanti have lounged and
chatted, and ogled the paintings and one another,
would it not be well to open these exhibiti,ins at six.
pence instead of a shilling, so as to Ova the working
classes a chance of improving their minds by the con.
temptation of works of art?
The Crystal Palace programme for the year corn.
mencing with "the merry month of May" is a seduc-
tive one. On the 7th there is to be a grand opening
musical festival. The summer concerts will commence
on the 14th, and among the succeeding entertainments
will be several flower shows, a Queen's Birthday file
and a Coronation day fête, special amusements for
Whitsuntide, a monster Tonic Sol•fa Concert, an
exhibition of Church decoration and primitive firework
displays, and shows of dogs, birds and pigeons. The
public are really much indebted to the directors for
providing such unexceptionable entertainments.
It is pleasing to find that the new Columbia Fish.
market is having a very beneficial influence on the fish

trade of very distant parts. A letter from Kinsale
says that the market has been an inestimable boon to
the fishermen there--that vessels come there from
Lowestoft, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Boulogne,
Havre, etc., and that efforts are being made to erect
a quay to cure fish on, to dry nets, land fish, etc. A
very large proportion of the fish coming to this Irish
port is sent ha Columbia Market. The establishment
of this new market has already somewhat cheapened
fish, and has certainly benefited the eastern fisheries.
In fact, to all parties concerned, except a few would-
be monopolists, Miss Burdett Coutts's philanthropic
scheme has proved a great boon. The new market,
moreover, has done very little, if any, injury to Bil-
lingsgate. There is ample room for the two.
Is it not very strange that nothing has ever been
heard to clear up that mysterious robbery of nearly
£lO,OOO in bank-notes? The robbery took place so
long ago as the sth of February last, and though a re-
ward of £l,OOO was offered for the apprehension of the
thief, and though the numbers of the notes were flashed
all over the world by telegraph, nothing has transpired
to indicate who stole them, where they were taken to
at first, or what has become of any of them. Have
they been destroyed Are they or any of them still
wandering about the world? Their non-discovery
as mysterious as their disappearance.
Are bicycles a nuisance? That is a matter of opinion
but sometimes they undoubtedly are, and it is well
at all events, that velocipedists should know where they
may and where they may not ride. They may not
ride on the pavement—that his just been settled by a
lad being fined half-a-crown for d iing so. But may
they may ride in the road. Well, ce'a d."pend. If a man
can't ride he musn't ride—which seems droll, but is a
more sensible rule than it appears. And if a man can
ride and rides not wisely, but too well, he certainly
ought to be kept within bounds. One of our magis-
trates now has under consideration a case of this kind.
A " youth " was showing off his skill in the public
road. Perhaps it is not too much to say that there
WM "youth at the helm and pleasure at the prow,"
supposing a velocipede has a prow; but he this as it
may, he was treating the public roadway as though it
had been a circus for bicyclical (how many new
words this mechanical horse is giving us perfor-
mances. "He confined himself strictly to the roadway,
but circled about and rode round at a great pace—
eight or nine miles an hour." The magistrate said this
was the first case of the kind—" furiously riding a
bicycle "—that had come under his notice, and he woul.l
take time to consider. Perhaps a little magisterial
severity in such cases would do good.
It has been officially decided to do in New York
what might very well be done all over the United
Kingdom. The Legislature has decreed that every re-
sidence in that city shall have its fire.escape. No such
change could be produced here but by Act of Parlia-
ment, for all the writing and talking in the world would
not iaduce people to have tire-escapes. And yet there
is no difficulty. Either a rope-ladder or a slight iron
chain-ladder would answer the purpose, and they might
be kept in a box affixed to the outside of a house, say
near one of the top windows. The fire-escape arrange-
ments onthe whole inthiscountry are bad, and to a great
extent they are necessarily bad; but surely it would be
possible to leave fire-escapes at each house so that a
person being burned to death should be a very rare
exception to the general rule. As a somewhat kindred
subject let me say a word about the laxity in enforcing
the present law with regard to the storage of gun-
powder. A tradesman has just been fined I:20 for
storing 2,200 pounds of gunpowder on his premises, the
law allowing him to store only 200 pounds. The fine
I. so • ao.su f eesve 3, dsroyer of a/1,h,,

Worn Ulm imakity was imposed as eiplosioa took

place on the premises next but one to where this
powder was stored. And I wonder at how many places
at this moment in more gunpowder stored than the
law allows.