The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-08-27 00:00:00

IMP ir • A L

In the HOD'SE OF 1.• I,l,ust 22, at a quarter past
three o'clock, the Royal Assent iv as given, by coninaiien,
to the Land Law (Ireland) Act. •
Royal Assent was also given to the Metropolitan Board of
Works (Money) Bill, Corrupt Practices (Suspension of Elec-
tions) Bill, Patriotic Fund Bill, National Debt Bill, and other
Acts, a number of which were private measures.
On the motion for the first reading of the Regulation of
the Forces Bill, which had just been brought up from the
Commons, Lord Longford protested against this measure
being brought up at a time when there was no time to dis-
cuss it. The Bill was read a first time.

On the motion for the first reading of the Law of Libel Bill,
Lord Redesdale hoped it was not seriously intended to go on
with this Bill at a time when there was not a single lawyer
present, except the noble and learned lord on the wooLsack.

The Lord Chancellor said the Bill had been fully considered
by the law officers of the Crown.
The Bill was read a first time, and their Lordships ad-
journed at five minutes to four o'clock.
In the HOUSE OF CommoNS, in answer to a question, Mr.
Chamberlain said the negoltations respecting the French
Treaty had been suspended, not without hope that they
might be resumed under more favourable auspices.
The Report of Supply having been azreed to, the Appro-
priation Bill was brought in and read a first time.

On moving the House into Committee on the East Indian
accounts,
Lord Hartington madehis annual statement on the Indian
finances. Dealing in the first place, according to custom,
with the year 1879-80, for which the closed accounts have
been received, he stated that these showed a revenue of
£68,484,666 and an expenditure of £69,667,615, or a
deficit of £1,182,949, as against a Budget Estimate de-
ficiency of £1,355,000. The revenue had increased
by £3,922,000 over the Budget estimate, and the
expenditure by £3,750,000, the chief improvement being in
opium to the amount of £1,900,000, and productive works;
While there had been an increase in war charges and frontier
railways of £.2,532,000. The regular estimate for 1880-1 gives
a revenue of £70.783,615 and an expenditure of £77003,382,
showing a deficit of £6,219,767. But the revenue includes
two out of the five millions granted from the British Ex-
chequer towards the cost of the Afghan war, the other
three millions being credited to the revenue of 1881-82,
and there is also an increase of no leas than
£1,218,000 on the opium revenue, £309,000 in excise,
and £351,000 in customs. On the other hand, there is a
deficiency in the land revenue of £295,000, and there is also
: charge of £5,132,000 for war expenditure. Passing to the
year 1881-82, he stated the Budget estimate of revenue at
£70,981,000 and the expenditure at £70,126,000, showing a
surplus of £855,000. As compared with the regular estimate
for the previous year, there is a diminution in the charges
for the war and frontier railways of £11,295,000, and, allow-
ing for thisrelief, the ordinary Budget is worse by £4,221,000.
Of this an estimated falling off of the opium revenue accounts
for £2,000,000, the provision for famine insurance, inserted
as expenditure, accounts for £1,450,000, and £860,000
occurs under other heads. Deficiencies are expected under
the heads of customs, telegraphs, exchange, etc., but there
will be an Improvement of £687,000 on the land revenue and
£789,000 on provincial balances. On this last point Lord
Hartington went into much detail, illustrating the working
Of the provincial accounts system, and next proceeded to
Five the latest ascertained facts as to the war expenditure.
The total coat estimated last year, including frontier
railways, at £18,184,000, had now, he showed, risen
actually to £20,316,000, including £4,455,000 for the
Frontier and Punjab Railways, and in addition to
this there was an estimated cost for 1881-82 of
£2,208,000 for war charges, and £BBO,OOO for railways,
bringing up the total cost of the war to £23,412,000.
11
.there had been no war, and if a million-and-a-half had
been devoted annually to famine insurance, there would
have been a surplus in each of the four last years amounting
in the aggregate to £9,523,574. The war therefore has been
Paid for thu5—£9,523,574, by surplus revenue; famine re-
ceipts appropriated, £4,035,309; taken from cash balances,
£4,513,470; and contribution from British Treasury,
£5,000,000. This, he said, on the whole, did not indicate a
very unsatisfactory state of general finance, and, as a
further proof of this, he mentioned that the last three
loans—of June, 1880, January, 1881, and June, 1881—had
been raised at £lO3 3-16, £lO3 Vs 6.1 . ••••• illO5 3-16. After
explaining the details of the . , ion of a million-
and-a-half each year in the accounts ic, ~mine provision,
he touched next on the public works expenditure, showing
that during the last three years £10,306,273 had been ex-
Pended on productive public works, and during the last four
Years the total revenue on productive public works has been
£27,626,341, and the expenditure Z 26,853,722. In connexion
With this branch of the subject, he put the House in posses-
sion' of the latest information as to the progress of
the railways, and explained the recent arrangement
between the Government and the Punjab Railway
Company, by whickonly 4 per cent, is guaranteed during
the period of construction, and the permanent stock is to be-
come the property of the Government at the end of 99 years.
Next, he touched on the effect of the reduction of cotton
duties, which in 1879 80 was a loss of £170,000, and in 1880-
E 1 of £120,000; while the loss on gray goods was £210,000,
and in leBo-81, £320,000; and the estimated income from
gray goods did not exceed £lOO,OOO a year. The inconve-
niences arising from the present state of things was so
Rreat that he intended to urge the Indian Govern-
ment to take the earliest opportunity of getting
rid of them. Next, he touched on the loss by exchange,
Which, reckoning the rupee at 25., had amounted to
£8,500,000 in the last three years, and taking it at Is.
to £6,000,000. Passing from financial topics, he said it had
been impossible to give effect as yet to the recommendations
Of the Army Commission or of the Famine Commission, and
lie eimcluded by repeating a general feeling of confidence in
the Indian finances, though, he protested, he took a con-
servative view of them, and could not see a wide field either
for large reductions of expenditure or readjustments of
taxation.

In the desultory commentary on the Financial Statement
Which followed, Mr. Stauhope expressed his regret that no
proraise of reduction in the Civil Service expenditure was
held out, and that there was no trace of giving effect to any
cf the recommendations of the Army and Debt Commissions.
Re also expressed a desire for an inquiry into the best
mode of making remittances from India, and with regard to
the war charges, he showed that some items had been in-
cluded in them which did not properly belong to them.
Alderman Fowler moved, Sir G. Balfour seconded, and
Sir D. Wedderburn supported an amendment for the
appointment of a Select Committee to enquire into the
nnancial and general administration of the affairs of India.
Mr. A. Arnold, Mr. O'Donnell, (who for a few minutes after
the speaker's return had no other member to addrEss,) %Ir.
W. Fowler, Mr. A. Balfour and Mr. Hopwood also spoke.

After this Lord Hartington replied, and the amendment
Raving been withdrawn, the House went into Committee, and
the usual resolutions were agreed to.

The Irish Church Act Amendment Bill was read a third
time, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Statutes
kill was considered in Committee.
Several other Bills were forwarded a stage and the House
adjourned at one o'clock.

in the EfousE OF LORDS, August 23, the Clerk of the
n
"'Damper in Ireland attended at the bar, and handed in the
return of the election of Lord Milltown as a representative
Deer of Ireland, in the room of Lord Wicklow, deceased,

Lord Waveney, in moving the second reading of the News-
Dora (Law of Libel) Bill, said it was based on the re-
ports of two select committees, had been fully discussed, and
virtually passed unanimously in another place. The noble
lord proceeded briefly to explain the existing law withregard
to libels in newspapers, and the manner in which it was pro-
Piled to remedy the detects therein. The Bill was Intro-
duced at a very early period of the Session, but the delay
arose in consequence of the known inability of private mem-
ers in the other House to press forward measures they had
brought in. He hoped it would receive a second reading at
their lordships' hands,
Lord Denman said that the Bill made a great change in the
law of libel, but whatever objection might be urged to some
Of its provisions it would be idle within a day or two of the
close of the Session to seek to amend it.
The Earl of Redesdale hoped their lordships would not
w the Bill to pass without knowing what they were
doing,; He came down to the House at three o'clock for
Purpose of examining the measure, but it was not till a
poalter to five o'clock that copies of it were distributed, and
, had not, therefore, had time to go through it. He saw,
"01vever, that the second clause would make one man
r for the act of another. The editor of a news-
• In which a libel appeared would be irresponsible pro-
...'Lued the report of the speech containing the libel was
ye-rate and was published without malice; but the person
Who made the speech was made liable to an action for da-
218C, es, and there might be other objectionable provisions in
Bill. He admitted that there had been an unfortunate
▪ Lerruption of business in another place, but their lordships
Were responsible for what they did, and they were now com-
pelled to take up this question at a time when it was im-
tc'eeible for them to form a proper judgment upon it. He
11111ted that the Government would not give their support
.0 the Bill.
„The Earl of Northbrook observed that the only objection
i".`,." the Bill pointed out by the noble earl was unfounded, as
clause made no alteration as, to the liability of persons
till?uttered libels. The Bill had received the approval of
law officers of the Crown, of at least one of the law
hfilleers of the party to which the noble earl belonged, and of
a noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor, who was
.+et then present.
The Bill was then read a second time.
Lard Aberdare moved the second reading of the Sale of
tfiltoxicating Liquors on Sunday (Wales)Bill. He said it was
e late of Bills of,this character to appear in their lordship's
''•it,:uise at a late period of the Session. The Irish Sunday
A (ling Bill did not reach this House until the 12th of
uguat. The Welsh Bill was introduced into the House of
tiO-unaons on the 7th of January and it was read a second
e on the sth of May. but its subsequent progress was fora
;44 time hindered by the half-past twelve rule. The people
Wales had a feeling of reverence for the Sabbath, and the
geling was all but unanimous that the sale of intoxicating
'Mors on Sunday should be prohibited, with certain ex-
L:Ptions as to travellers, as it was in Scotland and in Ire-
! ntl• A canvass in North Wales gave 75,510 householders
.11 favour of the measure and 989 against, and at Aberdare
'‘,l_l_ere were 1,976 colliers for it to 91 against. He did not
'4l,Ce in support of the measure that there was more imtem-
erance in Wales on Sundays than on other days, but he
i.,_"lieved there was so much on the Saturday that it would
r, a boon to diminish the facilities for drinking between
.10 day and Monday.

_
-
The Bill was read a second time.
The other orders having been disposed of, their lordships
adjourned at live minutes past six till three o'clock on the
lollowing day.

In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, Mr. Gladstone, answering a
potion from Mr. J. Howard, said the Government were
°ePly Impressed with the necessity of measures upon
12'atters affecting land, but this was not the time when it
,Za4 possible to consider the order of proceedings for neit

it Mr. Hopwood asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether
Was true, as stated in the Standard newspaper of the 17th
4.t., that another expedition of Her Majesty's ships had
, en lent against the Solomon Islands to inflict forcible re-
-4tibution on the natives.
Trevelyan replied: Commander Bruce went in the
re•Morant to Gaieta Bay ta the village of the tribe which
;,tad murdered Lieutenant Bower and his boat's crew.
there Bishop Selwyn was waiting, having persuaded
AAlikona, the chief of the tribe, to surrender the actual
blarderers, among whom was the chief's own son. The
lingleader of the massacre was delivered up first, and
executed . Then the Bishop came on board, bringing with
the chief and his son, and bringing, likewise, the watch
"nil compass of Lieutenant Bower and the weapons of his
crew, as well as the skull of the poor officer, which had
,156611 Nat as a trophy. The son, who was only 16 years of
4f
e, wtts spared, but has been i'etained as a hostage for the
wrrender of the rest of the attirderers, one of whom, the
Lllan whe actually shot Lieutenant Bower in the tree, as I
~4ve learnt from a private letter of the Bishop's, has
roes been captured. " I have, writes Commander Bruce
n
hi. official report, " the honour to bring most
F;urninently before your notice the assistance I received
ti QM Bishop Selwyn, without whose great influence over
ale natives, energy and courage in landing unarmed on
talikona's beach when that chief was surrounded by armed
t°l,lo,wers, whom no force could have brought from his lair
bush, and without whose assistance it would have
,„e,n. I believe, impossible to have achieved the result, and
ilf,tanly without great destruction of life and property."
people of that region have been much impressed by
all judicial character of the proceeding, as compared with
111,,l'hat has gone before it. (Hear.) "Certainly," the
1011 writes, in a hasty and familiar letter, which I shall,
wever, take the liberty to quote, "if all these men are
a'arendered without the Cormorant landing a man or firing
his:, (it in anger, it will be very much better than the usual
10,4,ericainate blazing, and the moral effect will be very
""-- Is very great, in fact. The people all say they will
h!ver cut another ship out again." I believe this to have
nen the first instance in which one of these eases has been
,!salt with in a manner that can give any hope for the
nution of violence and outrage in the future, and I
_ k that much credit is due to Commander Bruce, and
nothing short of gratitude to Bishop Selwyn. (Hear.)
_uTie Attorney-General, in moving the second reading of the
6prime
Court of Judicature Bill, explained that the clausas
relating to the grouping of circuits and re-arrangement of
Patronage
would not be pressed, and that the important
Common Law
Points of would not
be the consolidation of the three
D
of the Rolls to the A
ens and the transference of the Master
PPeal Court as President. He also an-
lioul2ced that a
"'luso would be introduced in the Bill pro-
i.
upel4

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