The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-03-09 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MARCH 9, I 8 7 8,,

•
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
o In the HOUSE OF LORDS, March 4, in reply to Lord St.
onards the Earl of Beaconstield said: My lords, when
the contingency arises to which my noble friend has re-
ferred—nsunely, the necessity of appealing to the patriotism
et our Volunteers in respect of foreign service, I have no
doubt the appeal will be answered; but the Government
have not considered the question, nor will they consider it
Instil the contingency arises which my noble friend seems
!0 anticipate a contingency which we must all deprecate.
Wear, hear.)
Earl Granville: My lords, I beg to ask the noble earl the
secretary for Foreign Affairs whether the announcement
Made in the papers to-day that the Treaty of Peace has been
signed between Russia and Turkey is a true one, and also
Whether he can state to your lordships the probable time at
s Which he will be able to inform your lordships of the terms
of the treaty.
, The Earl of Derby: My lords, I have received both from
'Constantinople and St. Petersburg official confirmation of
:the signatures having been attached to the Treaty of Peace
between Russia and Turkey. The terms of that treaty are
not yet in my hands, but I may take this opportunity of
iltating that I am able now to confirm the announcement .
siade by me with some hesitation on Friday last—namely,
- that the cession of the Turkish fleet is not included in the
conditions of peace. lam also able to state that the
Pecuniary indemnity, of which we heard a great deal in an
4ns °Metal manner, has been reduced from the original sum
01440,000,000 to £12,000,000, and that the Egyptian revenue
' will not be in any manner affected by it. (Hear) It is
L'artUr necessary to add that we shall do what we can to ob-
sun the terms of the treaty at the earliest possible date and
that when we have obtained them we shall communicate
them ito the House. (Hear, hear.)
, Some discussion then ensued on a proposal made by Lord
alidleton that the sittings for public business in the House
ef Lords should commence at four o'clock p.m. instead of
rfive P.m. Great advantage, Lord Midleton contended,
ould arise from his proposed change, winch would be con-
venient to the Lord Chancellor, and advantageous to the
Members of the House of Lords who might desire to
Part in the discussions of the House.
, Lord Selborne supported the resolution, and pointed out
coat under the existing practice certain classes of business
o'vere net discussed with that fullness of debate which they
""erved.
The Lord Chancellor opposed the motion denying that
: theer the present practice there was any real curtailment of
% oPPortunity of debate, or any disinclination to adjourn
debate when any number of Peers appeared desirous of
;41)eaking; and pointing out that when a prolonged debate
4sas expected, there was nothing to prevent those who had
r'.e conduct of business from proposing that the House
'tonld inset an hour earlier than usual.
Lord Granville thought that the present practice did not
tit encouragement to the younger members of the House
is_take part in the debates, and, on the whole, he believed
'4'4 the proposed change would be beneficial.
taiL°, rd Beaconsfield expressed his concurrence in what had
sh'ea from the Lord Chancellor, and said at any time if it
beolild seem desirable that the time for discussions should
so,!tliorged, it would always be in the power of the House to
a change for that particular purpose.
aslis debate was continued by Lord Stanhope, Lord Morley,
other Peers, Lord Redesdale observing that it was im-
''''rtant for the whole conduct of private business that the
tflopoted
change should not be made, and in the end Lord
,_dletea withdrew his resolution.
l'he Public Parks (Scotland) Bill was read a third time and
tailed with amendments.
Lordships then adjourned.
us the HousE OV COMMONS, the Chancellor of the Excha-
kear stated, in reply to Lord R. Churchill, that the Govern-
could not consent to postpone taking the next stage of
peolt;0, tuaty Government Bill until after the Easter Quarter
He hoped, however, that the county magistrates
Fotild have ample opportunities for considering the Bill and
lia3tpcxminunicating their views of it to their representatives
ornament
lite Norwood asked the Secretary of State for War whether
were being taken to arm the batteries on the Humber
t
i heavy guns of approved modern pattern.
Hardy said he was sorry to say they were not in a posi-
to arm the batteries with heavy guns at present, but
halirotection of the Humber and of other commercial ports
eoheing considered carefully at the present time.
A. Gordon asked the Under-Secretary of State for
40'cign Affairs whether he would lay upon the table of the
tiatr° copy of any report of the operations of the Inter-
_ los °nal Commission appointed under the Treaties of 1856
aitoa..llB7l for the improvement of the navigation of the
tile"'his of the Danube which may have been received at
ilioir°reign Office since the receipt of Lieutenant-Colonel
report which was presented to Parliament in 1872.
air so.
tionotamrke said there was no report at the Foreign Office
ar to that which was made in 1872 by Colonel Stokes
the the subject of the Danube Commission. Despatches on
aollbject had been received, but he did not think they
teiuci give his hon. and gallant friend the information he
oretrdred. It was the intention of the Government, how-
, 4100 obtain a report with a view to its being laid before
The tiltlelorquis of Hartington : I wish to ask the right lion.
Oalosoms,an, oPposite whether the Government have received
atiss;-°t.on that a treaty of peace between Turkey and
lias been signed.
loWe Chancellor of the Exchequer: Yes, the Government
botielreceived information in the course of this afternoon,
'k rfrom our Ambassador at St Petersburg and also from
irat strabassador at Constantinople, that a treaty of peace
geed yesterday. (Hear.)
What W. Fraser: Can the Government inform the House
are the conditions of peace?
. heel° Chancellor of the Exchequer: The messages we have
it vsd are Lot in a state in which we could communicate
t
eat to
th he House. They are not in a perfect state at all.
',races op motion for going into Committee of Supply on the
tiniates, Mr. Knight moved that the consideration
rei.tank and retiring allowances of adjutants of volunteers
▪ red to a Select Committee.
tei3Ltt_ ardy said a Select Committee was hardly the proper
511 to to deal with such a question. It was only as an in-
that the advantages referred to in the motion
solo:fit:Jo asked for, but be was disposed to take away the
Litle totT's of age and infirmity, so that there would be a
t an allowance after thirty years service. The motion
• is l'egatived without a division.
Reilly called attention to the question of the organi-
tlee, ic,'t the regimental ranks of the line. A discussion en-
o'sneei-o,whieh Colonel Mure, General Shute, Mr. Campbell
ail• Sir G. Balfour, Major O'Beirne, Major Nolan,
t
Osa tcue Wilmot took part
ue
„tie to subject of Enlistment for India, Sir G. Campbell
ose aveall attention to the great diffieultits resulting from
%ad tstelaPt to supply both the Reserves in this country
seoliate7 Military service in India by a uniform system of
taot Zseeat‘for six years, and to urge (though he could
&etre ) that the necessities of home defence and
tot Service in this Empire require that there should
satiels a short-service enlistment with a view to passing
Lisette s into the Reserve without liability to service in
%'4`sl.beee eheiPt_ in. case of extreme urgency, and a long
qierst Ismeut to supply seasoned and experienced
had OA' Indian service. He said that for three years
-toalser )7balled attention to the subject, and could get no
8e t 0 gotd the statement that no decision had been
tW4 3Vlng got the short-service system for. this country
leoe talr.to act on the maxim, “Beati pospdentes,' and
a'r the „India without consideration. Slaking, allowance
s'4,C tactl,?essary year's training in this country ad for
isuat a certain proportion of men must be in-
titt nee I„'o.ril after reaching India, the maximum length of
sLditek ;India would be two years and a half, and the
tieses: and bringing home of men every two or three
as ettier " an enormous expense on India. He doubted
osqlber aeY dependence could be placed on an adequate
11(1 of m
/hoer ths en volunteering to remain longer in India.
seas& joar short-service system men returned home from
441.stlig 4 they had become acclimatized and were be-
tolto soso-7,tels Therefore soldiers who i
were to be sent to
spZoce 's.d either enlist for long service in the first n-
t% ot o..4fter a short period of probation. Nothing so much
-14• stlii'&l for civil employment in England RS soldiering
h.! necause in that country he was waited upon at
Ott de"tiou a turn by Indian servants, and was consequently
iti`ts esoOrralized and rendered unfit for energetic work in
sZtt se;ttry on his return. It was said that we had adopted
tralre,''Ve in this country in imitation of the continental
74/41,14 under the continental system a small Army
Ler "soused, coupled with a large reserve, whereas
10,1 aZPresent system we maintained a colaParaiivelY
ic,rlo 1317 Y, coupled with a Reserve of only some
• io thli• True it was that we had a nominal
lain° Vol, 3 country of some 400,010 men, but halt of them
Leger „Vateers and half of the remainder were Militia,
itterith,"' Whom could be termed seasoned soldiers. Nosy,
ttp,jttela,' a trade which once learnt, a man never for-
grrtisia 'lrefore, our aim should be to enlist a large
ett
ttelpitioa 4°. the population for short service, without any
ie
is to India, and so permit them to return to
koacocalions for which they would be then well
'r the Indian service, on the contrary, we should
st3lOteaztettor long service, say for 12 years, and should
Itlet°46. 4t theta to volunteer to re-enlist for ' a further
ten-t I r„. e * end of that term The plan he would.
Sty bitiTit44.7•, adoption was this :—He would try to
(irtilo general population of the country to learn
Its hY teaching it in our schools and by giving the
ttors. satiate facilitlea and enzouragement to the Voisin-.
leryet w°llld further permit all soldiers to enlist .for
losol r
sen ce, Without the obligation of going to India, and.
th to es.tlire then' on the expiration of their term of ser-
. ister
4e-tZioreea e Militia or the Volunteers, so as to leaven
l)4,sasthes' 50d give them a real military character. Then
poregested that either in the first instance or after
, eo, attain
men should be allowed to enlist for long
ots -
/Ph:- kirnY' rePiting at some length, said a difficulty had
ttioo tiley`Lin getting men for twelve years service, but
,atie.*ere re"tig served six years, there were always many
ileY to go on, and Indian service was a favourite
ieaat al over wag a supposition that our Army was Ma-
tla -°Lneered in comparison with other nations.
tlott"
et:spe°ettlhe,..case to any extravagant ratio, though in
sptthu4kra to .t was true. He found the number
oare,Outteos'uen In the English Army on the peace
Itteestabiwas wars at the rate of one to 26, and on the
oathoeotabli4ielat one officer to 55 men. In France, on the
satit'aent ° 'latent it was one to 24, and on the war esta-
ti it he to
vsas o GC In Germany, on the peace establish-
-151 Aa%tooe to IS, and on the war establishment one to
551
the on the peace establishment it was one to 27,
o
Ito4l` establishment it was one to 52. In Italy,
;•esthqitheoe'n,,
?tablishmeut it was one to 20, and on the war
Ike Arni wars one to 32—more officers than in the
America, on the peace establishment it was
cp,,.Eeee that (:)'
thttPirrel),,,aro the war establishisieut it was one to 28. If
ed into these figures, he thought they
teti4 Nut o_tne numbers bad a great deal to do with
tZst I,sceentecinustances as they had arisen in the dif-
kta,',l the AB. • . • . It was a most remarkable thing
%)..tteTthissio'crtnan army there wire 11 97 per cent.
- pfin)Ziglish nA" officers as compared with 7 per cent.
oiat tVIa,Y• That was a curious thing. Ile would
ottl 0 pest° sin the foreign army civilians were ern-
sp't cees certaiu duties which were discharged by
hlalistl°ll.la Aord when they went fully into the matter
et4tloaq trithh that the difference in the number of officers
t4rlttlnatter fl• The German model had been put forward
ttlshael ntibt because of the great success which
sue4tr__Ci, and it had been supposed, no doubt,
rtlsia'4l nke-itttsa Lo
due to the company system adopted.
tthe who asu gve the opinion of rd Napier of
iendied the German manceuvres of 1876.
qei'4(tioo` .;,..r,rnothing to lead me to believe that the
ett_beeer 0-nor 'floe German company Ilea any advan-
st-t7ge ilvee that out.‘"l ; on the contrary, I cannot
to. Pato front _ company would extend, diminish, or
ts:sd te at tta quicker and more easily than the German.
Nth ea4a.t,,the
ofit %sent war strength of 250 men, pro-
ISZss:.th The Gem:nil men were equally efficient in
aann adrmy was formed by conscription;
towcttliclq!eo,7tYh n of all classes, and they had mess
er 0114_ 'ants of a class not to be found in the
spoe% t 4ho„Men of much greater intelligence, greater
-tOtterr_orri a"`t.tu_g for themselves. Our soldiers were
Qgs, ohs) i'tta'ls without much experience, and they
th:l oera especially ; and it would be found that,
hett'4o.lvdters would go anywhere, they would
t
,r„to ca4,..ieni through the dangers which warlB, than their own and different from
iasotiDo4tnerefores
to oast, a this Ole), aught not to place too much reli-
Ilitkot• °face "raPorison with Germany. He knew many
te4%t-.tatir•_the'teastign7ocin
k:Nol°11 w•ta °f great
distinction
deal
l who thought that their
as.too unwieldly ; and they had,
cheatstjecethoped he 5 Sir Garnet Wolseley on the same
u Would be excused going further into
kittl.o:httoi t 0..? Ptresetot • 0
was not neglecting it. (Cheers.)
at all events, he hoped he had said
r silo
tlitteh the oshir R. Havelock made some observations,
rtir
i i
n se went nto Committee of Supply.
~Itthsreovlngthe Aeo
ty Estimates, remarked at
he a •
te_ th
refer.. were Pearcen.Lstimatesnsio which mi up
hate
not a , drawn up with-
ccroZts°o to t
of
ns e —zed
c and l? ji
on
a acharacter which would gool'etr_Y to carry War. At the same time
10 the o..drisiderable sums which appeared for the
' first timates ; and, plunging at once into de-
the .I„Payoroln.t
_one which he touched was the reorganize-
hs
thachate ra Department, theviutiet of,altdalch
~oged by combatant officers 'He de-
ses see litssal, changes in the Military La'w, Divine
aS_<
yoi t,f`steal Service Votes ; and, explaining the
-,,tikloi7aa:onaL:htaotretsheVote, he mentioned that £307,000
aeet for naval stores, guns, torpedoes, gun.
• ^lOl4/1 re are 141 land guns to be mann-
-9 Yes; altd 68 sea guns, including 2 81-ton

t

‘,„

guns and 22 28-ton guns. The Militia establishment for the
year is 126,778, and during the last twelve months 40,000
men have been enlisted. In every part of the country,
Mr. Hardy said, a desire had been expressed by the Militia
that their services should be made use of in an emergency,
and some of the finest regiments had placed them-
selves entirely at the disposal of the Government.
Although there had been a slight falling off in the
Militia Reserves, and the Army Reserve was not alto-
gether satisfactory, there was a first-class Reserve amount-
ing to 50,000 men in round numbers, and a second class Re-
serve available for home service only. With rev,ard to the
Army Reserve, he mentioned that Lord Cardwell's calcula-
tions had proved fallacious, and that the maximum number
of men ever to be got out of the scheme would be 60,000.
There is a steady and growing increase in the number of
Volunteer efficients, who now amount to 183,078, besides
10,216 non-eilicients. There are 5,105 officers and over 11,000
sergeants who have received certificates of proficiency; and
with regard to the Volunteer service generally, Mr.
Hardy expressed an opinion that the time had
come when full consideration ought to be given to the
claims of the Volunteers, although he was not at present
prepared with any plan; and he mentioned also that the
Government had received offers of service from many
Volunteer officers and men who were willing to join the Re-
gular Army if needed. This year it is intended to have
Autumn Mancouvres on a large scale, and a whole Army
'Corps all ready for foreign service is to be assembled some-
where in the neighbourhood of Salisbury at a cost of some
£BO,OOO. Fossil).*' is the Regular Forces he explained that there
is an increase of 1,732 due to the Cape War—and on this point
he maintained that the Colony ought to pay some por-
tion of the expense. Recruiting all through the year had
been most satisfactory although the standard had been
raised, and the difficulty had been to keep the numbers down
to its establishment. The quality of the men, too, was ex-
cellent, and although undoubtedly there were too many
youths they were fine young fellows who would make good
soldiers and in a short time Mr. Hardy concluded by
expressing a confident belief that if the Army were called
on for service both officers and men would maintain the
honour of the country as efiLliently as any of their pre-
decessors. .

In the customary discursive discussion which followed,
Mr. Holma repeated his criticisms on the mode of raising
and the organization of the British Army. Sir W. Bartte-
lot, Mr. Campbell-Banrferman, Sir A. Gordon, Colonel
Alexander, Sir T. Acland, General Shute, Sir H. Havelock,
and others also spoke; after which the 'Votes for Pay and
Allowances, for Divine Worship, and Administration of
Military Law were agreed to.
The Weights and Measures Bill was read a second time
and referred to a Select Committee.

Some other business was disposed of, and the House ad-
journed at a quarter to one o'clock.

In the Housr or LORDS, March 6, the Duke of Richmond
and Gordon moved the second reading of the Contagious
Diseases (Animals) Bill.
The Marquis of Ripon thonght the Duke of Richmond and
Gordon was right in taking on himself the powers possessed
by local authorities, but he disagreed from the further
restrictions imposed on the cattle trade, as such restric-
tions were in themselves objectionable unless they could be
proved to be necessary and effectual for their purpose. He
doubted whether the restrictions proposed in the Bill
would be efficient for,the purpose of stamping out
pleuro-pneumonia while they would at the same time,
very much interfere with the cattle trade. With regard to
the provisions for slaughtering cattle at the port of debarca-
tion, he also expressed his opinion that it would be in-
applicable in dealing with the cattle plague' and he pre-
ferred the system established in 1849 for the foreign trade.
In the course of his speech the noble Marquis said :
"To his mind a great objection against this Bill was
that it took away the elastic powers conferred on the
Privy Council by the Act of 1869 and substituted for
them the iron rule of a legislative enactment. There was
no doubt that the Act of 1869 conferred on the Privy
Council immense powers which nothing but great necessity
could justify; and when he first heard the argument
that, having regard to the effect on trade, it was better to
lay down a fixed rule than to trust to the discretion of
the Privy Council, he was much struck with the ol.jection ;
but he found that the trade did not share in it. The trade
greatly preferred to trust to the discretion of the Privy
Council ; and, on consideration, he concurred with the
trade after a long personal knowledge of his noble friend
the Lord President and a considerable official ac-
quaintance with the Privy Council Office. He re-
gretted, therefore that this Bill was not framed on the
hues of the Act of 1869 in respect of the action of the
Privy Council. He regretted also that in reference to
Imported cattle his noble friend had thought it necessary
to go beyond the recommendations of the Committee of 1877.
There was satisfactory evidence to show that a trade in the
shipping of cattle from the United States aid from Canada
to this country had been growing up lately. It appeared
that cattle shipped in the United States arrived at Liver-
pool in excellent condition, good arrangements having been
made for them on hoard ship. He had been speaking on the
subject to a gentleman from Canada, who told him that his
noble friend would be overwhelmed with remonstrances
from the colony against the prohibition for the compul-
sory slaughter of imported cattle at the ports of debarca-
tion. Ships were being fitted up specially for the Trans-
atlantic cattle trade, and much disappointment would be
felt at the proposed restriction. On the select committee
of 1877 the Government were represented by Sir Selwin-
Ibbetson, and that hon.. baronet was a party to a recom-
mendation that there should be scheduled countries, and
that the compulsory slaughter at the port of landing should
not apply to all imported cattle indiscriminately. As he
himself felt strongly on the point, he intended, when their
lordships went into committee on the Bill, to move an
amendment to give effect to that recommendation. He
thought, too, that the Bill should be only a temporary one.
(Hear, hear.) He was for having the operation of its pro-
visions limited to a certain number of years." (Hear, hear.)
In Committee on the Bill he (the noble Marquis) would
propose aq amendment to render the measure temporary
in its operation. If the restrictions proposed by the Bill
should in practice become relaxed nothing would then re-
miss under it but a pure system of Protection, and he
suggested that the measure should be referred to a select
cammittee.
Leen ininsany thought the Bill contained provisions which
were of great importance, but he argued that the proposed
restrictions were very severe, contending that the loss from
foot and mouth disease in Ireland was very slight. Refer-
ring to one of the clauses in the Bill, he said it appeared that
hum, nse power was given for the punishment of offences
referred to by the Bill.
Lord Spencer said that considering the alterations in the
law which had been made in regard to the internal and
foreign cattle trade, it seemed not to be necessary to limit
the importation of foreign cattle to a port where they must
be slaughtered on landing, and experience showed that
rinderpest could be checked with great promptitude and
certainty. He approved the proposal that the Privy Council
should have the authority to deal with cases of rinderpest,
but he doubted whether the application of very stringent
measures in this country would be prudent, as they had a
tendency to create very great irritation, and in committee
he would move that the operation of the Bill should be
'jointed to three years. The cattle trade was most important
to Ireland, but at the same time he admitted that there
should be the same regulations both for Ireland and
England.
Lord Fortescue expressed his approval of the provision for
the slaughter of animals at the port of debarcation, and
thought it would be far better to have a supply of dead meat
brought to the country from abroad than to depend on the
importation of live animals.
Lord Belmore was of opinion that no distinction should be
made in this matter between Ireland and England, and Lord
Ernly suggested that, so far as the objects of the Bill were
concerned, its whole operation should be placed under the
administration of the President of Council in England, so
that the measure should be under the direction of one
mind. _ . _

. .....
The Duke of Richmond and Gordon replied to some of the
criticisms which had been made upon the Bill, and denied
that it was a measure of Protection, for he believed it would
operate to the benefit of the whole community, permitting
as-much free trade as possible. He justified the provision
for empowering the slaughter of imported animals at the
place of landing, and likewise defended the restriction which
would be established under the Bill, declaring that in his
opinion the measure was popular in the country, because it
was regarded as being likely to check cattle diseases. In the
course of his speech the noble Duke said :
Under the provisions of the Bill the country would be
divided into districts, and only in the affected districts
would the restrictions be enforced. The witness was in
favour of the importation of foreign cattle under Inspection.
The Government, on the other hand, was convinced it was
necessary to the keeping out of disease that the animals should
be slaughtered at the port of landing. They did not propose a
general order stopping all fairs and markets in the country.
What was provided was, that where a shed or a stable on a,
farm was found to be affected the Privy Council should be in-
formed of it, that they might take steps to form the neces-
sary circle round the affected place' thus constituting it a
district ; but a district might consist of a field merely. Ms
noble friend objected to the slaughter of foreign animals at
the port of landing, but if they wished to stamp out foot-
and-mouth disease such a measure was necessary, it would
be worse than useless, because it would be annoying, to im-
pose restrictions in this country and at the same time to
allow the disease to be brought to England from
abroad. (Hear, hear.) In 1875 no less than 20,288 im-
ported animals were found to be diseased, and of these .
19,913 were affected with foot-and-mouth disease. As long
as they allowed free importation, so long would disease be
rife. Wherever restriction was carried out disease was got
rid of. What was the effect on pleuro-pneumonia of re-
strictions in the Netherlands, where a system of compulsory
slaughter existed? In 1871 there were 6,078 cases ; in 1872,
4.009 ; in 1873, 2,479 ; In 1874, 2,414 ; in 1875, 2,227 ; and in
1876 only 1,723. (Hear, hear.) That diminution was in
consequence, no doubt, of the animals having been
slaughtered. As to the suggestion that the Bill should have
a temporary operation, he confessed he looked with every
considerable distrust on such a proposal. By un-
settling everything and settling nothing the trade would
be kept in ignorance, and the very essence of the
measure was that there should be certain regulations made,
in accordance with which the disease might be put a
stop to. A fear had been expressed that the Bill would
Interfere with the food of the people; but there need be no
apprehensions on that score. Ile ventured to assert that
what had peen done in the way of carrying dead meat be-
ween Aberdeen and London might also be effected between
London and other parts of the country. Ile found that in
1873 5,316 tons of dead meat had been carried from Aberdeen
to Denim' by the Caledonian Raiiway Company, and 242
tons by the Aberdeen Steam Navigatiou Ceno,auy ; the num-
ber of live. cattle conveyed by the railway company having
been 1,400, and by the Steam Navigation 1872, making to-
gether 5,558 tons of dead meat and 3,272 live cattle. in 1874
the total ugmber of tons of dead meat conveyed was 6,328,
the total number of live cattle being 6,371. In 1875 the
figures were 6,425 tons of dead meat and 4,030 live animals ;
in 1876, 6,529 tons and 6,612 live animals; and in 1877. 6,811
tons ef dead meat and 4,466 live animals, making a total for
the live years of 31,651 tons of dead meat and 1-5,591 live
animals. Now, taking the average weight of the cattle sent
up in the form of dead meat at 6icwt., the number of cattle
sent up by the two methods which he had just mentioned
respectively would be 90,383 in the shape of dead meat as
against 25,591 carried alive, or in the proportion of four to
one. Those figures showed in his opinion very conclusively that
the dead meat trade could be very successfully carried on.
Moreover the cost of carrying dead meat from Aberdeen to
London—only id. per lb.— was rraztically so small as to make
no appreciable increase in the price, ancl, as he had said, what
had been done between Aberdeen and London coule be done
elsewhere. He could not, he might add, agree with his
noble friend behind him in the opinion that the operation
of the Bill would be to increase the price of food in Ireland,
while it certainly could not with justice be described as a
landlord's Bill or as designed for the purpose of raising
rents. He must also deny that it was a measure which was
not popular in the country. On the contrary, ho could,
from information which he had received, assert that it was
most popular, and that it was looked upon as calculated to
get rid of the disease against which it was directed." . . .
- -

Lord Granville observed that a strong wish had been ex-
pressed that the Bill should be referred to a select commit-
tee, and he thought there would be some advantage in that
course.

The Bill was then read a second time, and their Lordships
adjourned.

In the IfousE OF COMMONS, Lord E. Fitzmanrice asked
the President of the Loc,al Government Board whether the
return laid upon the table of the House on July 27, 1877,
showing the contributions made by municipal boroughs in
England and Wales towards any county rate or county ex-
penditure, would be distributed to members before going
into committee on the County Government Bill.

Mr. Sclater-Booth said that the return had been for some
time in type, but it was found on examination that much of
the information furnished was inaccurate and incomplete
Further inquiries had been made of many of the municipal
and parochial office-Ts, and most of the Irk quired information
had been received. He could not say that it would be possinle
to produce the return before Thursday, but hoped it would
be ready before many days.

Colonel Blackburne asked the President of the Local Go-
vt..rnment Board when the report of the Loyal Commission
on Noxious Vapours might be expected to be laid before the
House.

Mr. Sebiter-Booth said: In reply to my hon. and gallant
friend's renewed question, I have to inform him that I have
had a letter from Lord Aberdare, the chairman of the nom-
ads:doll, explaiping,the,circumstances -which have delayed
the co pletion of the report. I should hope, from the
Information given, that it may be laid on the table before
Easter.

In answer to A question from Mr. Sullivan, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer said that the Government would abide hy
the declarations of Sir M. Hicks-Beach with reference to the
Irish Sunday Closing Bill and to carry them out, U the

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