The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-11-07 00:00:00

brat eon* exprtss.

DORCHESTER, NOVENIBER 7th, 1882.

The 'villa of vagrants is • matter which must
naturally interest our county economists. Last week
• deputation from immoral West of England counties
waited up..n Mr. Hibbert, at the 14 Val Government
Board, f r the purples of urgin,t the Government to
enforce generally the Berkshire system of administer-
ing relief to vagrants. The system I. worked by
tickets which are given to vagrants, go that the
guardians are enabled to dietingulah between the
regular tramps and honest men who are temporarily
in search of employment. The deputation wanted the
whams ensele uniform throughout the country, because
the present effect of the system warn that It decreased
the mendicancy in the counties in which it was adopted.
and drove the tramps tot parts where it was not in
1,04110. Mr. Ilibbert, in reply, while a Imittiog that
the general tmour of the szhane was go al, said that
he did not think that the Board would be able to
recommend the adoption of the scheme throughout the
country, for it required the assistance of the meals.
trate; to carry out Nuocessfully such a scheme, and
they ha I nm lower in the Local Governtuent Depart-
ment over the county justices.

After " shooting Niagara" with the R form Bill of
1866, end not feeling itself mush the worse Cr the
experiment denounced by the late Choi:es Philes pher,
the Horse of Commons has decided, by a majority of
81, in • full aasembly, to toile another leap. In other
words, it has accepted the principle of the Oltlfure by
"a bare maj rity." At sllevents, it has decided against
• two-thirds majority, which was the only Bub tat's'
alternative proposal; an I it seemed • mere waste of
time and eueray for Mr. Ramon-Vs emetnlment of •
five-eighths tosj nity to be discussed on Friday evening,
At ter this, tomebody might as well have proposed •
seven-twelfths majority, and someone a's* an eleven-
twentiest. ono. antii every proffered rag of covering
bad been removed from the nudity of the majority,
or every particle of ci.implesity trom Ile simplicity.
Of course, though the first resolution still remains to
be put as • main gumption, there can be little doubt
regarding It. fate. The only difference we may
expect in the voting is that the Home-Rulers, who
voted for the Ministerial proposal to defeat the Con.
*myelitis amendment, will now impartially, and from
ibek point of view, join the Conservatives against the
GOTOLTIMODt in trying to reject the Cldiurc altogether.

The Government slim to be chary In giving inform*"
tion respecting our Egyptian enterprise—for the very
good reason perhaps that they have not much to give
beyond that which appears in the newspapers. Mr.
Gladstone has, however, now given no inconsiderable
reeseuranoe to the British taxpayer by stating, firstly,
that our military expenditure in marl to Egypt came
to an end with the close of the war, It being the
Intention to charge the cost of the array of occupation
on the Egyptian revenues ; and, secondly, that though
• supplementary vote for the expenses of the expedi-
tion will he proposed before the close of the Session,
as might have been expected, yet it is hoped that the
amount required will not be thought great in nropor-
don to the objects gained. Perhaps, by the time the
vote is proposed, we may know what objects really
have been secured, and then we can compare oast and
gain. Meanwhile, al to the capacity of Egypt to bear
the charge of the occupying army, we have obtained
some reassurance from the statement of the TIIII4II
oorrespondent, that the financial result of the military
revolt will cnly be to tura an estimated surplus of
£200,000 into • deficit of a like amount. Egyptians
make war rather more cheaply than we do; but then
they had the fioanolal advantage of doing it on their
own premises.