The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENTS

In the HOUSE CF LORDS, March 5, the Braithwaite and
Buttermere Railway Bill was opposed by Lord Mount
Temple, on the around that it would create an eyesore in
one of the most beautiful parts of the Lake District and was
not required by the inhabitants; but, on a division, the Bill
Was read a second time by forty-six to eleven.
PEASANT PROPRIETARY IN LUELAND.

Lord Lansdowne moved an address to the Crown for a
'loyal Commission to report as to the most effective means
giving a larger portion of the people of Ireland a per-
manent proprietary interest in the soil by purchase of
their holdings. He told their lordships that he hoped
Her Majesty's Government would themselves have taken
PP the , subject in consequence of statements made
cY Min'sters last session. At the same time, he
did not blame the Government for not having in the
Present session again embarked on the stormy
Waters of Irish legislation. He held it to be admitted on
both tides that an increase in the number of proprietors was
desirable in Ireland, and he believed it was generally
allovstd that the present facilities for bringing about that
result were not sufficient. This being so, he thought that
an investigation as to the way in which those facilities
Should be ncreased would be highly useful. He feared that
the elements of danger in Ireland had been intensified by
the events of the last year. That country was still
Without manufactures, and there never bad been a
period in which capital had been more frightened away from
iteland than it was at present. He expressea his opinion
that relief by emigration must be a slow process, and
Pointed out that in the prospect of a gradual amelioration
in the condition of the peasants of the west, and of amend-
'tents in local government which must be made, it would be
Well to establish a large body of men who would be cultiva-
....ticg their farms with a sense of proprietorial responsibility.
;tte argued that proper facilities for this change ought to
_ce found in justice to the Irish landlords as well as in
the interests of the State, because the effect of recent
legislation had bean to depreciate the value of land in Ireland
and prevent persons from lending money on the security of
real property in that country; while practically no persons
but Irish tenants would buy the land. Having replied to
the objections urged against a peasant proprietary, the noble
lord concluded by admitting that the creation of a peasant
Proprietary by law, instead of by natural process, was arti-
flcial legislation, but justifying such legislation in this case
by the plea that it was necessary with the view of meeting
an artificial state of things
After some remarks from the tarl o Dunraven in support
St the motion
Lord Carlingford explained that the desire of the
Government to give a larger portion of the Irish people
Permanent proprietary interest in the soil had in no
!cute changed, but they believed that they would ere long
co; in a far better position to decide what course to take
With regard to the purchase clauses than they could
be by going into the matter now. They had already in-
quiries by commissions and committees to refer to, and
likewise the experience of the Land Court, and they were
convinced that further investiganon would be more suitably
left to the Government than remitted to a commission, and
Se giving rise to a renewed unsettlement of the public mind
hi Ireland.
The Marquis of Waterford, Earl Cowper, and Lord
Waveney concurred in regretting the refusal of Ministers to
accept the motion.
*Ultimately the motion was withdrawn, and their lordships
rOle shortly before eight o'clock.
the HOUSE OF COMMONS there was a very crowded

Rouse to welcome the Prime Minister, who made his

aPpearance during question time, and was received with
loud and protracted cheers, which were not confined to the
Ifinisterial benches, but shared in by a considerable number
of the Opposition. A similar compliment was paid to the
Postmaster-General, in which every section of the House
heartily joined.
THE CHANNEL TUNNEL.

Mr. James asked the President of the Board o Trade
Mutt operations in connection with the Channel Tunnel were
la progress at Sangatte ; and if any commencement of a sub-
tharine draftway from the French coast had been coin.
raenced ; and, if so, to what extent it had been carried.
Mr. Chamberlain, in reply, said—The Board of Trade
have received information that, at the end of January, the
length of the gallery, or heading at Sangatte was some
~1,365 metres, but that owing to its following the coast
'Obliquely, the head of the working was only some 350 metres
trom the shore. These works are, of course, only prelimi-
InarY, and by the terms of the concepion granted in 1875 by
the French Government, the preliminary works were to be
templeted in five years, but provision was made for this
Dericd to be extended to eight years, and this was done in
1250. I understand that unless by the 2nd of August next,
the French Company not only presents final plans, but also
Droves that it has come to an art angement with an English
,company furnished with the requisite authority to construct
and work a submarine railway, starting from the English
abore, the present concession will lapse, and can only be
revived by an Act of the French Legislature.
BER MAJESTY'S REPLY TO THE ADDRESS.

Lord Kensington, Controller of the Household, appeared
at the Bar, and read her majesty's gracious reply to the
Address. The reply was as follows :

"I have received with satisfaction your loyal and dutiful
ldress. You may rely on my heartfelt desire to co-operate
Irith you in the promotion of all measures for the well being
'and contentment of my people."
THE MILITARY OPERATIONS IN EGYPT.

The Uouse went into Committee of Supply on the Supple.
Mentor, Estimates for the Egyptain Expedition, and in the
Elmo of the .discussion Sir W. Barttelot addressed an
`acluiry to the Premier as to the situation of affairs in Egypt
ot the present moment.
To this Mr. Gladstone replied that circumstances precluded
e 1 from giving anything but a general answer. In the
frst place, the Government had an important purpose
'0 accomplish in Egypt, and next, when that was
accomplished they would be seriously desirous to
'Withdraw ; but as to defining the time of withdrawal
it was impossible for him to do more than express
a hope on the subject, because the purpose in view
tclist necessarily regulate the time. The objects for which
were in Egypt had been explained on many occa.ions.
:Ye were there for the establishment of order and stability,
'or the improvement of the institutions of the country, to
r4c,are, as far as depended upon us, the fulfilment of Inter-
.,,,ional engagements, and undoubtedly in a principal degree
Le reference to the freedom and security of the greatpassage
a the Suez Canal. We were there, however, not as masters,
Ll,es friends and advisers, in the first instance, of the
5,7/Inian Government; and with respect to any other pur-
se for which' we were there, other nations had interesti
,a,114 rights just as definite end undeniable as our osvn. :Nor
waB he aware of any separate or selfish interest cu,the pr.rt
Of thil country, which was severed frona the general in-
terest of the world and civilised nations, which we ought
to prosecute in a selfish or narrow spirit. Ile believed that
'reasonable progress had been made, and everything up to
the present time had been done which could possibly be
expected; but the Government would not be accelerating
Inrogreas were they to undertake to make communications of
a Premature character to the

Mr. Ritchie regarded the statement of the Prime Minister
Da on the whole satisfactory; but Sir Wilfrid Lawson pro-
claimed his disappointment, and was at a loss to know what
our troops were kept in Egypt for.
After some further discussion the Supplementary Naval
Estimates and the supplementary estimate for the civil
41arges of the Egyptian Expedition were agreed to.
*Subsequently a supplementary estimate of £14,000 for the
Trausvaal was agreed to after some discussion with respect
to the Alleged ill treatment of natives by the Boers.

_The coomittee then took up the ordinary Supplementary
Servios Estimates of the year, and was occupied with
tllem to a late hour.
Some other business was disposed of, and the House ad-
/ourned at five minutes to two o'clock.

I'AYMENT OF WAGES IN PUBLIC-HOUSES PROHIBI-

TION BILL.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, March 6, Earl Stanhope, in
Pl:wing the second reading of the Payment of Wages in
üblic-housets Prohibition Bill, said it was a custom among
persons engaged in brickyards, dockyards, and dustyards
to have their wages paid in public-houses. This was a most
'Pernicious custom, and one that ought to be prohibited. It
teemed very natural that if paid over a bar counter the men
otild spend the money they received in drink. They were
',..,.._tiduced to do so in treating their companions; and they
tl,7ere driven to do so, as it was called, for the good of the
Zl'ase. One drink led to another, and health and wages were
&tittered away, and no money was taken home to their wives
'itnd families. In the poorer parts of London women are
ecluently seen waiting outside the gin palaces to take
their husbands home, and to get them away with sufficient
r°la€l to keep a roof over their heads, and to save their
_arailies from starvation. Yet it was said, that this Bill
Znia not based upon the observation of facts, and that the
rerent liberty of the subject was interfered with by
1‘ Compulsory vaccination, which prevented the spread
Of lartallpox, and the compulsory registration of births
841,1 ,ifaths, which was highly conducive to the pre,
!ervatio .of infant life, were in one sense an inter-
iereecewtU the liberty of the F übje ct. Again, the more re-
oently sanctoned Education Act for the purpose of providing
:._ducation for .the children of the poor in England in order
JuLt this country might not be behind Germany and other
14tates, was in the Min3B sense an interference with personal
b4ertY• Besides the temptation offered to drink by the
tittYrnent of wages in publichouses many instances had
n brought to his notice of the quantity of money
actually thrown away on such occasions in publichouses.
Much as £7 or £8 was frequently piaecl up on the
tia°Blg of a publichouse, the men having become unable
rough drink to discriminate between gold and copper.
'eany of the poor people also got so intoxicated on the
turday night that they were unable to leave the public-
en,e, and remained shut up there during the whole of
~I_l,nsday. Another argument raised against the proposal of
'4l Bill was that since the power of combination existed
strongly among the working classes they coald, if they
~elsined it, prevent the payment of wages in this moiler.
the multiplicity of employments and trades rendered
nat impossible ; he would venture to say, however, that if a
r.eite of the wives of the working classes could be taken
:VET would all vote against the payment of wages in public-
.l4.olmses, and a great many men would do the same. The
and learned lord who had given notice of opposition
Ip...the Bill made an amusing speech at the Westminster
Elute° Hotel on the 29th of November last at a meeting
'0 the Liberty and Property Defence League, Ile used these
words:—

" The next thing—and upon my word they ought to be
hauled to bring this forward—is that wages are not to be
P_4l4 in publichouses. I felt inclined to propose if there are
_
small boys who receive wages as an additional provision
'&at they shall not be paid in cakeshops because, I suppose,
'l% object of this provision is that the men would be tempted
to 'Pend their wages in a publichouse, and similar reasoning
Vlll apply to the small boys."
'That, no doubt, was a very convenient analogy, but there
‘l`v‘4,la% no practical analogy, as the result of the two practices
so different. Having once eaten as much as they
small boys were not likely to make themselves ill a
sieta time; but it was well known that the app€tite for
_ grew until it became an intolerable evil that could
Ait' be repreaad. The Committee of their lordships'
e 'Ale on Intemperance in 1878 and 1879 reported that,
itnost all the witneeses concurred in expressing their
rs" Ze„ that by far the greatest amount of drinking occurrEd
Saturday nights, that being the day on which wages are
ally paid," An argument used against the Bill was
nat it was a new proposal; but, In fact, it was only an
1111,argement of the existing law. The elines Regulation
h„" Prohibited the payment of miners' wages in public-
and in Ireland nobody could by statute be paid isa
Publichouse. That was a most beneficial provision.
vtir„Majesty's Government had recently sanctioned the same
al by prohibiting the payment of army pensioners in
_Oblichouses. It was also contrary to the Militia Acts to
CY militiamen in publichouses. The noble lord who repre-
te,,llteti,, the Home Office had expressed his concurrence with
but he hoped that his noble friend would go further
re• ":,Btve it his support. He concluded by moving tile second
ft'doie of the Bill.
%Lot.
d Bramwell, in moving that the Bill be read a second
,a that day six months, said that their lordships might
Zaider that he ought to kuow something of law, and
a 03, therefore, be dispozed to listen to his remarks on
p:al matters ; but he was afraid there was a disposition to
tne_it that he who was acquainted with one subject ought
_1• )8 ailent on all others. (A laugh.) He wiehed not-
ing to express his opinion that this was a moat
W 013.11 proposal, and to ask the House to consider its
.4t, 're. No matter how convenient it might be to the man
,zat% Paid a
Puband the men who received that wages should be
int ill lichouso, and no matter how inconvenient it
Oht be that wages should be paid elsewhere their lord-
were called upon to enact under a penalty that they
tan▪ ild not be paid there. There was no appeal and no
eezil.of getting out of the Act of Parliament. He would
cleua,the House had before it the materials on which it
Ire,A6 leer in the way proposed. If the laws were
ered
n-epee-Rion to inform their lordships very
triae!tatil inconvenience would mini. ;,It4lirould in.:e4xitneY-
Aun'w ces have t.o stand outside small huts in the ram and
Ate waiting, perhape for hours, for their turn to be paid.
ktoloesent they and the persons who paid them could go
queathe Publichouse, which was convenient to all. If the
v,ll_„on before the House were, as the noble lord put it,
u`''r the practice of paying wages in publio.l:loltgeP was