The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-07-09 00:00:00

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1881.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, July 4, the Marquis of Salisbury
said---I beg to abk the noble earl the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether he has any information that he can
communicate ti your lordships respecting the dastardly at-
tempt on the life of the President of the United States.

Lad GrAnville in reply said—l am anxious to convey to
Your lordships all the intelligenee in my p.iwer whh regard
to this sad event, as to which the symp,thy of this country
with the people of the United Status is hourly increasing in
intensity. (Cheers.) I have been in communictaion with
the American Minister litre, who hies not appear to Pave
any later infornlation than that dated Sunday midnight, to
the effect th,:t the " President is a little better, and resting
quietly." There is a later private telegram, not of quite so
satiefantory a character, but I cannot, of course, vouch for its
accu:kacY.
Lord De La Warr 'asked for information as to whether
there would be any interference on the part of this country
in respect of the proceedings against Midhat Pasha.

Lord Granville said he had been in communication with
Lord Dufferin on the subject. He had not received any
report of the proceedings at the trial, and he could not give
any official opinion on it. He was not at the present
Moment prepared to afford the 'noble earl any further in-
formation.
Lord Harlech called attention to the fact that the practice
now followed in most of the Irish counties of substituting
other modes of service for personal service of processes was
not adopted in Leitram and Cavan.
Lord Carlingford said Her Majesty's Government had
already communicated with the Lord Chancellor of Ireland
With the view 41 bringing aboat a uniformity of practice in
the matter;
Lor'a Carlingford, in reply to an inquiry by Lord Emly,
"2.cl it would be his duty before long to introduce a short
Sill to charge on the Irish Church Fund such a sum as would
enable the Royal University of Ireland to commence its
Work.

Le-id Galloway, again returning to the subject of desertion,
Called attention to the statement reported to have been
made by the Secretary for War on the 24th of June—" that
desertion in the Army has been greatly reduced within the
last ten years." He ask ,d how that statement could be
reconciled with the figures given in the War Office returns,
Which showed an average increase of over 60 per cent, in
desertions during the years referred to by the right hon.
gentleman over previous years.
Lord Morley contended that the net waste of the Army had
'been diminishing, while the number of desertions tad been
about constant.
Lord Hertford thought that fraudulent enlistment would
go on till they tattooed each deserter with a "D."

, Lord Chelmsford said that, whatever might be the gross or
the net waste of the Army, desertions had increased during
the last ten years.
Lord Fortescue supported some petitions praying that the
Unlit of age for compulsory education might be lowered
below 14, and that passing the third standard only, instead
of the fourth, might be required of children as a condition
5 their being allowed to work for their i ving. The noble
Cord criticized adversely the plan of carrying out the national
education of the country under the Committee of Council
O n Education.
The Duke of Richmond and Gordon defended the Educa-
tion Department against the strictures of the noble lord.

Lord Spencer concy—l 'I the noble duke, and said
that, as Lord President, he had received a large number of
petitions such as those which Lorl Fortescue had supported.
Standard 4 was not a &Mena, . Last year thousands of
Children aged only ten passed it, and he thought no case
Was made out for the change prayed for by the petitioners.
A number of Bills having been advanced a stage, their
lordships adjourned at ten minutes past seven o'clock.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, Sir S. Northcote, in inquiring
Whether the Government had any later information as to the
attempted assassination of President Garfield, took the
oPportilnity of expressing the general feeling of anxiety with
the President's condition was watched and the horror
%ad indignation excited by the event.
Gladstone,-who fully concurred in these sentiments,
rePlied that the Government had nothing substantial to add
to the information supplied by the Press, the latest indica-
tions of which, he said, were of a nature to damp the hope-
tul expectations of Sunday. Subsequently lie said that a
telegram had just been received, dated 8.15 a.m., from
Which it appeared that there had been no material change
iC the President's condition.

Mr. Pugh asked the Postmaster-General whether it was
the fact that the Post Office Department used foreign timber
Only for telegraph posts, whereas many railway companies
bled home-grown timber for that purpose; and, if so,
Whether he would cause inquiry to be made as to the rela-
tlye price and value of home-grown and foreign timber in
Iflorent portions of the United Kingdom, with a view to
etirecting the use of home-grown timber where such a course
could be adopted with advantage or without prejudice to
the Public service.
Mr. Fawcett said that it was the case, as stated by his hon
friend, that the telegraph poles used by the Post Office were
,Made of foreign timber. He had ascertained that foreim
slither was also used for the same purpose by all the leading
railway companies in consequence of its superior durability,
°Wing to the ease with which it was treated with the creosote
Process.
Mr. Gond asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether the
terms of peace with the Transvaal Boers were published
,",_hy authority" in Natal, and confirmed a statement that
'ne Royal Commissioners "would take into consideration
Ineasures for the protection of native interests ; " whether
the terms of peace were also published for general informa-
tion in the Transvaal Gazette Extraordinary of March 29,
laal, but this latter version was wholly silent as to native inte-
rests, which were not even mentioned; and what was the
t'euson for this discrepancy between the two versions of
he terms of peace so published, and which of the two was
°nrrect.
Mr. Gladstone said that was the first time his notice had
11,een called to the subject. There was, no doubt, a variance
estween the statements, but the whole statements were only
nnPerfect summaries. He would remind the hon. member
that there was on the table of the House a letter from Sir E.
Wood which contained a distinct setting forth of the heads
cf the terms of peace offered to the Boers. Another despatch
cia the same subject would be shortly in the hands of hon.
Members.
„In Pursuance of the promise given last week, Mr. Glad-
"one now stated in detail the intentions of the Govern-
;cent with regard to the remainder of the Session. In
he first place, the Corrupt Practices Bill and the Ballot
Act Amendment Bill would be abandoned, the Ballot
fict being put into a Continuance Bill, and he went on
`n state, amid loud cheers from the Opposition, that the
?_overnment had no intention to proceed further with
ne Parliamentary Oaths Bill. Though the point was
still undetermined, he still clung to the hope of proceeding
With the Bankruptcy Bill if sufficient margin were left by
the the
Land Bill. The Alkali Works Bill, the Constr-
iV„ancY of Rivers Bill, and the Educational Endowments
k'eotland) Bill he hoped would be passed, and it would be
?I.eocessary to pass the Naval Discipline Bill and the Regula-
n of Forces Bill, as well as a provisional measure suspend-
InFC the writs of the corrupt boroughs, and a Judicature Act
Amendment Bill, disposing of the patronage of the two
Chief Judges recently abolished. There would also be
Irish University Bill and a Local Loans Bill, but the
uoutity Government (Ireland) Bill would not be pressed,
and the Thames Conservancy Bill and the Merchant Ship-
Di„
.ng Bill would be withdrawn. In the brief conversation
Z'o(eh followed, Sir S. Northcote expressed the opinion
at, looking to the large amount of Supply which remained
to be voted, it would be wiser to abandon the Bankruptcy Bill
St once, and Mr. Gladstone repeated that the present decision
was open to reconsideration. In answer to Mr. J. G. Talbot, he
said the Corn Returns Bill would also be withdrawn, and the
Attorney-General for Ireland said the Local Courts of Bank-
ruptcy Bill would also be withdrawn. Mr. Labouchere urged
that the Bankruptcy Bill should be laid aside for the Oaths
Bill,
and was proceeding to dilate on this theme when he
Was stopped by the Speaker, and Ur. Rathbone was also cut
Short in some remarks which he endeavoured to make on
the subject of the Bankruptcy Bill.
The House again went into Committee on the Land Bill,
and spent th.: evening in discussing the sub-sections of
Clause 7 and Amendments thereto, and the House adjourned
At one o'clock.

?It ths HOUSE OF LORDS, July 5, the Earl of Morley, reply-
t to the Earl of Camperdown confirmed the statement that
tnllntber linen who took part in the Aldershot Review of
__onday ha been admitted to the hospital suffering from the
"recta ot the extreme heat, and that four of them had since
died.
The Dal: . Cambridge was at Aldershot for the field-day,
and
he c assure their lordships that when he first
heard ofth gtu
iEI he could not believe the sad circu-
laancesmet, te.by his noble friend the Under-Secretary.
he he cam N 4 ciao London everybody he met said to him,
What a WA* day you must have had at Alder-
!not." But he h t not experienced any unpleasant heat
there, and on asking nStaff he found that they agreed with
anti as to the temperiStide atAldershot. It was only as he
• He had
near London o felt the weather unpleasantly warm.
had been at field exercises,fifty times on hotter days. He
raPPened to remark on this occasion that he never saw so
lesv Men fall out. It was a simple field-day, it was very
shert, and there was no review.
.Lord De La Warr asked for authentic information as to the
,alleged statement of M. Tissot, the French Ambassador at
'onstantinople, to the effect that instructions had been given
to the genera in command of the French troops to cross the
Tunisian frontier into Tripoli, if necessary, for the preserva-
tion of order. Ile also asked as to the reported military
'gkanization in Tripoli under the Turkish governor. He
nought that the proceedings in respect of Tripoli raised a
very serious question, anti one in which the interests of this
cauntrY were dteply involved. He concluded by moving for
Dapers.
Lord Stanley of Alderley said it was impossible that any
krovocation could have been given for a French invasion of
!riPOli. He asked whether the Secretary for Foreign
lefairs could give their lordships any information as to a
Morocco
between France and Spain for the partition of
'llorocco.
Lord Granville said that the Government, like, he be
lieved, all their lordships, regarded the cases of Tunis and
Tripoli as of a different character, and thought that the
circumstances of Tunis were not applicable to Tripoli. There
was, however, no obligation on alinisters of the Crown to
give information which they had not received. He had no
information of the treaty referred to by Lord Stanley of
Alderley, and did not believe in its existence. He had never
heard of the alleged statement of M. Tissot. Pe had heard
that a Turkish General of Division and two battalions were
landed in Tripoli on the 2Sth ult. If Lord De La Warr wished
for the official papers containing that intelligence, there was
no objection to its production.
The motion was agreed to.
The Lord Chancellor laid on the table, and Lord Cairns
expressed his approval of, a Bill constituting the Master of
the Rolls for the time being a Judge of Appeal, and not of
kirst Instance.
The Bill was read a first time.
Lord Granville, amid cheers, announced that the most
recent accounts of the condition of the President of the
United States were slightly more favourable.
Their lordships adjourned at a quarter to seven o'clock.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, at the Morning Sitting, Mr.
Maclver said he had been entrusted with a petition from
Bradford of a sothowhat remarkable character. It was
In the main a workman's petition, but it represented
alike the demand of the employer and of those who wished
for work and wages, but were denied their daily bread by
the Pressure of unfair foreign competition with those
industries on which the prosperity of Yorkshire depended.
a,Was told that this petition was nearly 250 yards long.
bore about 21,000 signatures, and that it had been
sighed in the streets of Bradford by persons of every shade
°I Political opinion. He trusted this House would not
turn a deaf ear to the cry for justice which those who sent
We petition asked him to raise humbly and respectfully on
their behalf. They saw no reason why French looms should
be at work while theirs stood idle, and they asked this
honourable House to renew no treaty with France which
allowed France to tax our manufactures while we re-
ceived theirs duty free to the displacement of our own
industries.
The Speaker said the hon. member was not entitled to de-
flate the question.
Mr. Mac Iver said he did not wish to debate anything, but
nlerely to state the prayer of this petition. The petitioners
- asked for equal treatment—for fair play; they saw no reason
Why the working men of France should receive the wages
ou2ht to be spent in this country. They asked,
therefore, that no treaty should be made with France with-
out the previous approval and consent of Parliament ; and
tbat no engagement should be entered into from which we
could not withdraw on twelve months' notice if we found it
a _nix' not suit us. ("Order.") There was much he should wish
say. (Renewed cries of 'Order.")
,The Speaker said he must call on the hon. member to con-
nue himself to the prayer of the petition.
i Ms.. Maclver said he most heartily and cordially concurred
l the prayer of this petition. The day had come when this
House could no longer turn a deaf ear to the working popu-
lation of these lands or look on coldly while each industry
was in turn destroyed. Why had not the people of Bradford
entrusted this petition to the hon. member opposite (Mr.
“lingworth)? Because they wished to protest emphatically
Rmat a such views as his; and because they no longer be-
li m eved that a system ot free imports and of restricted exports
Was
entitled to be called free trade.
Mr. Childers said petitioners could not protest.
The Sp,
member toako
errdreermtawrikceed. that he had already called the hon.
Mr. au.,
petition b Iver said he begged respectfully to ask that the
e read by the Clerk at the table.
The Clerk then road the petition.

In answer to a question from Mr. W. H. Smith, Mr.
Trevelyan said the Admiralty had received a telegram from
Lord Clanwilliam which stated that there was no foundation

for the rumour of an accident to one of the Royal sailor
Princes.

Colonel Makins having asked whether the report was true
that Mr. Bradlaugh had written a letter to the Chair,
. The Speaker said he was about to read it when the question
was given to him, hut before he began Lord R. Churchill
asked whether it would be competent to any member to
object to the letter being printed in the journals, and to
move that no notice need be taken of it.

The Speaker said that when the letter had been read it
would be printed with the Votes in the usual way. He then
read the letter, which was as follows
"To the night Honourable the Speaker of the House of