The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-05-05 00:00:00

LORDS ALCESTER AND WOLSELEY.

Mr. P. Macliver asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether it was intended to maintain in their present shape
the Annuity Bills relating to Lords Alcester and Wolseley ;
or whether the proposed payment of sums representing the
actuarial value of the two beneficiaries' lives could not be
adopted.
Mr. Gladstone in reply said—The Government, having con-
sidered all the circumstances of the case with as much care
as they can give to any question, propose to altee the basis of
the Bills that they have introduced with respect to Lord
Alcester and Lord Wolseley. (Hear, hear.) Their plan will
be based upon what has been termed the principle of the
lump sum. I hope to explain the particulars on a very early
day. (Hear, hear.)
THE AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS BILL.

Mr. Heneage asked the Prime Minister whether he could
give the House any further information with regard to the
Agricultural Holdings Bill.
Mr. Gladstone said that, viewing the nature of the Bill, he
thought it would not be in the power of the Government.to
make arrangements for introducing the Bill this week, but
they hoped to have it in circulation and laid on the table
before Whitsuntide.

ACCIDENT ON BOARD H.M.S. DARING.
In reply to Mr. W. H. Smith, Mr. Campbell-Bannerman said
he was sorry to say that it was true that an accident had
occurred on the 23rd of February at Yokohama, on board
H.M.S. Daring. During target practise, a 64-pounder gun
with the full charge of 101bs, of powder broke up into two
pieces, the whole of the rear part from the vent being blown
overboard through the opposite port, killing two men, and
slightly wounding three others, who, by latest accounts,
were doing well. The gun was a muzzle-loader of an early
pattern of Woolwich manufacture, the tube being of wrought
iron. A full inquiry would be made by competent authori-
ties into the causes of that failure, and, in the meantime,
orders had been issued that all guns of the same pattern
should be used with a reduced charge. Guns of this calibre
of more modern design had an improved tube of steel instead
of wrought iron.

A motion made by Mr. Gladstone to postpone the other
business on the paper in order to bring on the debate on
the Affirmation Bill led to a long and animated conversation.

In the first place, Mr. Hopwood, whose motion on Com-
pulsory Vaccination stood first on the paper having ex-
pressed his willingness to give way under the circumstances,
Mr. Chaplain said that as this amicable arrangement had
been arrived at, he would not persevere with his intention to
divide the House.

—••
Mr. Taylor, however, protested against the postponement
of a motion of deep interest to thousands and ten of thou-
sands of homes, and 81r W. Barttelot asked the Government
to state their views on this vaccination question, to which
Sir C. Dilke replied that this would be altogether out of
order.
- -

After some further discussion the motion wiks agreed .to
by 157 to 105.
THE AFFIRMATION BILL.

The debate on the Affirmation Bill was resumed by Mr.
Beresford-Hope, and after a lengthy debate, in which variois
hon. members took part, was again adjourned.
The House adjourned at two o'clock.

ASCENSION DAY.

In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 2, Mr. Gladstone moved
that "The Committees do not sit tomorrow, being Ascension
Day, until two o'clock, and have leave to sit until six, not-
withstanding the sitting ,of the House."
After a short discussion, the House divided :—For the
Motion, 69 ; against, 20 ; majority tor, 49.
The Motion was then agreed to.

LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS BILL.
Mr. Mork, in moving the second reading of this Bill, said
it was part of a much larger measure which was prepared
some years ago by the Associated Chambers of Commerce,
and had been introduced in that House by Mr. Sampson
Lloyd, but which had never been passed into law. The
object of the Bill was to extend the general
principle of limited liability, which waz adopted
in this country more than a quarter of a century ago,
and so apply it to private partnerships in a fuller and
more complete manner than was done by the Act of 1806. The
Bill °palled a firm to take any one or more partners whose
liability in the case of bankruptcy.was limited to the amount '
contributed by them; but, in order to ensure this privilege
and immunity, certain conditions must first be complied
with. The contract must be in writing. It must contain
the nature of the business, and the name or names of the
general or managing partner, or partners. It must also
contain the amount contributed by the limited partners,
and the dates of the commencement and termination of the
partnerships. The partnership must be registered, and the
Bill also provided for the registration of any renewal or
alteration of the partnership. This Bill provided that
every limited partnership must be regarded as such,
or in default thereof, should be deemed as a
general partnership, and every limited partnership
should be considered a general partnership. The limited
Partners' share was not to be paid out during the
registered term under this Bill, and limited partner-
nips should not receive profits or interest if at
any time during the partnership the capital should be
diminishaL In the case of a general partner becoming
bankrupt, the limited partner should not be entitled to re-
cover any portion of the capital contributed to the firm by
him or any profit or interest therefrom until the claims of
creditors should be entirely satisfied. Every safeguard was
therefore granted to shareholders under this Bill, and he
appealed to the House to grant the measure a second reading.
(Hear, hear).
Mr. Rylands moved as an amendment that the Bill be
read that day six months.
A discussion ensued in which numerous hon. members
took part: and on a division being taken the numbers
were—Tor the second reading, 49; against, 159; majority
against, 110. The second reading was therefore negatived.
• The House afterwards adjourned.

A man named James Sutton, sixty years of age, a
gatekeeper on the Eastern and Midland Railway near
Ormesby, was killed on Saturday night. A special
goods train was running to Yarmouth, of which Sutton
seemed unaware, and on hearing it he ran out to open
the gate, but was too late. The train carried away
the gate and the scattered fragments struck Sutton
and so severely injured him that he soon afterwards
died.

The Bishop of Manchester, preaching at Accrington
on Sunday, saki he thought this the darkest and most
anxious day of the present generatioa. They were
told that the onward march of demccraey would make
a clean sweep of all they held most dear, but he had
uoilear of a democracy as such. Power, in the hands
Of the people, if the people were intelligent, moral,
Patriotic, and religious was not a thing to be dreaded.