The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-07-06 00:00:00

Etc 3tourbage Crstratr.

ATU RI) VI. JULY 6, 1878,

THE REVENUE ANT) THE FOOD

SUPPLY.

The It:venue Returns for the first quarter of
the financial year, although showing a decrease
of nearly £50,000 upon the receipts in the cor-
responding period of 1877, are not unsatisfac-
tory, considering the disadvantages under
which many industries continue to labour. A
falling off to the extent of fifty thousand pounds
on a sum of nineteen millions is, as the pre-
sent Prime Minister once described the National
Debt, a mere flea-bite; and besides, only one
quarter out of flour has yet expired. There are
yet nine months for the tide to tarn, and to
show a balance at the right side of the national
accounts. It has been flowing a long time in
the direction of dulness and depression, and it
is not unreasonable to assume that a change
will come soon. No doubt one cause for the
clouds which have hung so heavily over us,
may be traced to the long-darkened horizon of
foreign politics. Nearly three years have now
elapsed since the disintegration of the Tnrki3h
Eiripire began by th.l insurrection in the
Herzegovina. and the nations of Europe were
or ce more face to face with the re-opening of
that terrible Eastern Question. Only twenty
years before the outbreak in the summer of
1875 there had been a great European war over
this very question' and fears were not un-
naturally expressed that this would lead to
another. How these have been realised we all
know. One of the first fruits of this insurrec-
tion was the great collapse of Turkish credit
upon the Stock Exchange of Europe when in
September. 1875, the Ottoman Government
announced that it could no longer meet its
liabilities. In this country Turkish securities
had been largely held as an investment; they
paid ten per cent., and those who had taken
them up had the greatest faith in the intention
of the European Governments to keep tho
Porte alive as a barrier against Russia. They
had done so before, and the bondholders
believed that this would be done again. The
inability of the Sublime Porte to meet its
engagements made its securities nearly wort: -
less; the investors, losing their dividends, bad
les.. money t.) spend; trade suffered accord-
ingly; and unfortunately there were no counter-
uctintr influences which worked in favonr of a
revival. In this way, indeed, matters have
gone from hut to worse; and when the Russian
victories of 'qv autumn laid Turkey prostrate,
there was a demand upon the Ministry by a
numerous and influential party in this country
for armed intervenion. Without going so far
as that, a war vote of six millions was taken
and our dockyards and arsenals resounded with
the clang of military and naval preparations.
It is impossible for industrial enterprise to
flourish in the face of a threatened war; but at
length there is a rift in the commercial gloom
which has so long been suspended over the
people. Should the Congress at Berlin settle
the Eastern Question, which it ought to be able
to do, it may be cleared out of the way for
another twenty years ; there will be no further
apprehension of war; trade may naturally be
expected to revive; and even at the expiration
of the very next quarter we may fairly hope for
no falling off in the Exchequer receipts,
although even now it is but a small sum like
£50,000. . .
"- • _

meat would he- augmented infinitely mo-re than
_ _ _ _ _ _

,
Concurrently with the pribication of the
Revenne Returns the House of Commons wee
engaged in a debate whici must have its
interest for all cl•sses Time was wit n bread-
staffs and vegetables were the staple support
of a large proportion of the population, but
that is so no longer. Through the additional
income earned by the working classes of late
years, they have been enabled to have more
animal food than was formerly the case, and
from more than one cause its price has steadily
risen. The first great moving cause was doubt-
less the Cattle Plague, which desolated our
flocks and herds some years ago. It broke out
in the summer of 1865, and carried on its
devastating work for about twelve mouths,
daring whieh time it inflicted a loss of severll
millions sterling upon the country. With such
a serious diminution in the supply, and an
increasing demand o-ving to the prosperity
i
which just then set n for the workers in onr I
,
hives of industry, a co,nalleratilm allg.ijntaton
in price was the result, and the purchasing
power of the sovereign, so far as animal food
was concernmateriallywasmaterially lessened. Three
have been some alarms
.eince tat sweeping
viaitrstion, but the •• statnyir, out process has
proveeff.ctnal in restricitig the 2-i rf`:f. affected
by the eattl.o dist39ae. A- Conanittt-:f:
House .of Commons,' after :in ing.wiy. in ttt
S'!3ginn oi 1477, came to the umealsion tu-.t
litenro poeuinonia *as imported froth abro.al,
and recommended the slaughter of all foretn
beasts at the port of hairline. The Royal
Agricultural Society
,of England endorse this
opinion, and concur in the recommendation.
Thn great towni, through their representatives,
step in and a y that the proposed measure, by
restricting tOe supply, will increase the already
high rate charged for meat. The agriculturists,
through their members, reply, tht even sup-
peeing this to be true, which they do not admit
Lila augmented rate would be ouh• of a
temporary character, and that whilst it isstvd it
would be williegly paid in the face of the fa t
that plearolneumount and foot-aud-niou.l2

di,eage had been totlilly extirpated in these fer a great benefit on seciety if they did. -
libind=. Let the cattle pl 'gue again rave as it MR. Spooner has "put his foot in it" pretty
did in 1866, argue the farmers, and the price of considerably.

by the proposed le-gislation. The debate has THE REGISTRARSHIP.—The Registrar-General
been conducted with vigonr and abili:y on has confirmed the appointment of Mr. James
both sides, and has brought out a re:evrkable Barratt as reiStrar ot births and deaths for the
conflict of opinion among-t (xpertg. Some Stourbridge sub-regi,tration district. An effort
skilled authorities believed that by probibi-ieg had been made by some of the residents at the
the import of live cattle, the diseases which are Lye to get the district divided, but this has been
now prevalent among English stock might be unsnecessful.
immediately stamped out. Others hold that the SUICIDE AT WOLLASTON.—On Monday morning
it was discovered that William Riley, manager of
time necessary for the accomplishment cf this a
grocer's shop at Wollaston, had committed
object would have to be reckoned by years. suicide. rite housekeeper, Niss Standish,"left
Others again contend that importation has no the house on Sunday morning, Riley being then in
connection at all with the prevalence of pleuro- it, and when she returned in the evening she
pneumonia and the foot-and-mouth disease, and could not gain admission. Attributing this to
that these maladies are and have been domesti- the absence of deceased, she obtained shelter else-
cated amongst us Again it is urged that, where, and no steps were taken till Monday morn-
assuming the diseases in question to be intro- ing when an entrance was effected. Some little
duced by importation, there is the grave doubt time after Miss Standish went down into the
whether the slaughter of cattle at thelport of cellar, and there found Riley hanging stiff and
disembarkation is an adequate prevention cold. He had stood on a cheese box to effect his
against the dissemination of contagion. It is purpose; but after he was suspended it is believed
contended that in order to effect the object in be made some effort to release himself again.
view, it would not be sufficient to prevent live
The affair caused great emcitement in the neigh-
foreig cattle from mixing our own ; and bourhood. Deceased was about twenty-five years
that hides, offtl, and dead meat hould also
Of age, and the business he managed belonged to
F
Mr. Corvesor, of Dudley. An inquest was held
he excluded, nor is it impossible that the germs
on Tuesday, and resulted Ii a verdict of " Suicide
of disease Might be introduced in other and in a state of temporary insanity." Deceased, it
still more insidi appears,
eus ways. The whole question ane
ein rre
n nicatueof nt a
29 to the olgin arid dis3eminatien of these c erepaos nertsohaeve b, as
ding l A.h i m s
scourges is exceedingly obscure, hut the debates tai w
his employer wished it to be stated that his
have been the means of making public some accounts were perfectly correct.
useful information which will, it is hoped, be of No Linde—At the Worcestershire Midsummer
value in the future efforts that may be made to Quarter Sessions, on Tuesday, the Grand Jury
preserve the food of the people, an object ignored the bill against William Childs, charged
essential to both town and country alike, wint- with towl stealieg at Chaddesley CorbJtt
ever may be their divergence of view on the FALSE PRETENCES AT CRADLEY.—At the Wor-
means by which it is to be effected. cestershire Midsummer Quarter Sessions, on Tues-
day, before Sir R. Harington, Bart., Lucy Brooks
(on bail), was indicted for obtaining a jacket, on
the 30th April, the property of Joseph Derby.—
Mr. Amphlett prosecuted.—Prisoner was found
guilty, and sentenced to two months' hard
labour.
STEALING A PONY AT CHADDhSLBY CORBETT.—
At the Worcestershire Midsummer Quarter Ses-
sions, on Tuenday, before Mr. G. W. Hastings,