The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-02-12 00:00:00

SAVING lIIE- PUBLIC -2020 Y.

• According to his latest report, the Controller of her
Majesty's Stationery Office, Mr. Digby Pigott, when
lae entered upon the office six years ago, found it a
nest of costly monopolies. He has cleansed it, and
has substituted the system of putting up contracts for
public competition. On the book-printing account
alone he has saved £16,000 a year upon the cost of
1880. By purchasing Riper in the open market, too, ,
he has effectel a saving of nearly £6OOO a year; and

by a proper selling of the waste Paper that used to
be a" perquisite he has saved £ll,OOO a year.

The inner wall on the north side of the floating dock
at Limerick subsided on Saturday, the debris falling
into the basin, and causing such commotion as to give
rise to a scere of the utmost confusion. Some 6001 t.
gave way, the shipping moored within having a narrow
escape from damage.
Several meetings of Socialists took place in London
on Sunday, and in one or two instances parties of men
proceeded to church, but in no case was there any dis-
turbance.

A young man named Michael Howe has been arrested
at Armagh on the sworn information of his mothe ,
who alleged that the prisoner assaulted her and
attempted to place her on the fire to roast her alive.
Fines of £lO were imposed on Saturday on the
directors of the Albert Palace Association for infringe-
ment of the Companies Act in failing to keep the
register in proper legal form.
Count di Robilant, Italian Minister for Foreign
Affairs, has tendered his resignation.
A British cable across the Straits of Gibraltar,
openedon Saturday, brought to the Spaniards the news
that the French representatives in Morocco had ob-
tained from the Sultan the concession of a fertile strip
of *erritory adjoining the Algerian province of Oran.
An ironclad of 9000 tons, and engines of 6800 horse
power, capable of being increased to 8000, built by a
French company for the Spanish Government was
launched at Toulon on Saturday. The cost is 040,000,
exclusive of the hydraulic apparatus and artillery.
A report has reached Calcutta that a band of
Ghilzais have made a raid in the Thuh Valley, and
killed 70 of the villagers.
General Sir Donald Stewart, G,C.B. late Com-
mander-in• Chief in India, on Monday distributed the
prizes to the medical officers of the Royal Victoria
Hospital at Netley, Southampton.
Lir. Edward Joseph Kennedy was nominated in the
Parnellite interest for South Sligo, and there being no
other candidate he was declared duly elected. The
vacancy was caused by Mr. Thomas Sexton, FaroeHite,
who was also returned for West Belfast,
choosirg to
sit for the latter constituency.
At an early hour on Monday morning a locomotive
which was standing without anyone in charge
in
siding at Summerseat. in the Rossendala Vslif,
suddenly dashed off. Colliding with another engine
Dit
caused that to start also, the driver and stoker lepg
oi
to the ground. The pair then ran on to Rarrts_bogtstthm
ett
where they collided with a coal train, k"
n Xln
stoker on his face, and causing considerablewrockaae.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1887.

THE ET. STEPHEN'S DISCUSSION

TUX prolongation of the debate in the House
of Commons with regard to the reply to the
Queen's Speech has given rise to a good deal
• growliee on all sides. It has been urged,
and not a ithou. reason, that the:Lower
House of the Legislature is developing an
iecreasing tendency towards comparatively
inconsequential talk. Some months ago,
whenever there was a halt in the progress of
Parliamentary work, it was customary to
charge the blame to the debit of the Irish
Nationalist memtors. Doubtless, when put
on their 'nettle in this respect the fol-
lowers of M. Parnell could still show them-
selves adepts at obstruction. But though
the Irish element has had due share in the
Address debate which has occupied attention
since the opening day of the session, it can-
not be said that the Nationalist M.P.'s are
anythino• like wholly responsible for the
protracted, ani, at times, desultory discus-
eon. Supporters of every soft of specialism
in politics now seize the opportunity of
arguing at length that promises of attention
to their own particular " fads" ought to
have had a place in the Speech from the
Throne. Ultra-party men break a lance
with each other. The Opposition attacks
the Government all along the line of its
policy, and Ministers have, perforce, to reply.;
Then there are all sorts of personal explana-
tions to be made whenever a prominent
ruatnber findg himself unable to loier act
with his ~-olleagmea because of cliff, :ences
which have arisen upon some mere or less
burning point. So it is that the debate up-
on the Address has developed into a sort of
Parliamentary discussion society which, in
an informal and chiefly conversational man-
ner, considers almot every question under
the eun without any possibility of actual
le zislation therea.nent. time wasting
way of dealing .with Parliaraclit's precious
hours is being universally condemned. An
Address debate which drags wearily on
through half a session has its uses, to be
um', but they are of a nature which the
nation can scarcely appreciate. Every
hitherto unknown member may use in his
seat and make a maiden speech upon some
Amendment which ought never to have been
proposed. Thus the recruits at St. Stephen's
gain an opportunity of fleshing their orator-
ical swords, and the gentlemen in the Press
gallery hear anew all the old platitudes and
stock-arguments of the different political
schools. Now and again a new member
makes a mark by wit, by eloquence, or by
originality; but the stream of talk progresses,
u a rule slowly and uninteresting along. It
is an institution of days and days of dulna-s
which, like some strong rank weed, has
gradually grown up until the path of Par-
liamentary progress is thereby almost
choked across at its very gateway. Tne
chain of solemn chatter has links here and
there of a slightly different sort when some
political chief of remarkable power holds the
floor of the House, but even the most bril-
liant speeches delivered from the front
la.nches, both Ministerial and Opposition,
might well be dispensed with, or given to
the world from some public platform. Here
lies the evil of the matter; the party war-
fare is being conducted at Westminster in-
stead of among the Constituencies, to the
exclusion of red.! legislative work. Her
Majesty's faithful Commons are especial
sinners in this reipect. :If they would curb
their failing for expressing their views upon
things in general, and everything in par-
ticular, and exhaust their energy on the
business ;or which they were sent to St.
Stephen's, law making, law administration,
and the management of tlio coantry's con-
cerns, the Kingdom would thereby be vastly
benefited. Controversies about party politics
might easily be thrashed out upon public
platforms, or through the public press, very
much more than they are, without interfer-
ing in any way with legislative labours, As
things are, the whole ground is traversed as
isapects each questiou, at oily when it
comes legitimately before membecs, bat also
durinq the Address debate. :inch Trodigality
golden hours wonld be inexcusable even
with legislation well forward, instead of
sadly in arrear There is little enough of
time in which affairs of State have to be
dealt with and ciisposed of, certain' y. Four
days a week for half the year enough hon-
ourable mambers to make a House go down
.13 Westminster at four o'clock in the after-
aoon, and they, or others to the number of
forty, remein in the Chamber to keep up the
quorum until the Speaker leaves the chair
at an hour in the vicinity of midnight, home.
times later and on occasion ear.ier. On
Wednesdays members go in f r an early
closing day, and the House assembles at
soon and disperses again in ample time for
honourable gentlemen to join their lady
friends, if so disposed, at five o'clock tea.
11 legislation has got very, very backward,
or to save themselves from the disagreeable
,irban bondage of an autumn sefiers, our
:epreseatatives will sometimes assent to a
:4aturday sitting; I:ut on the whole the busi-
ness of an M.P. is one in which those en-
raged have fairly few hours of labour, and
Jrtainly a very liberal allowance of holidays.
..•.; is highly essential, therefore, that the
-.,.05t should be made of every moment of the
911111 ions of Parliament, and with that object
a, view it may be hoped that some method
v-ln be hit upon e heeeby the Address debate
. sy either wiped out of actual Parliament-
ry procedure altrgetber or else made bean-
;nlls less in its duration. The long period
ied under plea of dacussing the clausal
cob w. ih M lc hi?
it I.L. L. 44- ‘1.4.64.41

very strong in the direction of desiring that \
Parliantentnry procedure shoal I be reformed
.without delay; and thereby the Government
plans for economising time, which stand in
the forefront of the programme of the Ses-
sion, obtain an especial interest. All the
details of the apportionment of the time of
Parliament are to be overhauled with the
view of making the most of the hours de-
voted to business, atd there is to be a bold
attempt to expedite business by rescuing the
Wednesdays of the Session from the reproach
of being in a measure wasted. Of course
the whole matter requires the serious con-
sideration of the House collectively; but it
seems to us that this question of the (Lira ion
of the Address debate is one of paramount
importance. We are glad to note, there-
fore, that one honourable member at least is
stirring to action hereanent. When the new
rules come under discussion, Mr. S,Llt is to
propose a soluiion of the difficulty, sdpulat-
ing that the debate upon the address shah.
never, iN.ithont the Speaker's express sanc-
tion, exceed three clays. Mr, Salt would
make an amendment, the only one he woukt
permit, a matter of life and death for the
Government in power, and this may be ob-
jected to, perhaps, as too drastic a thing to
lie down as an unalterable rule; but the
principle of a debate of not more titin the C:
days will bc regarded as generally g, od,
03peci0l1y if it were understood that tin
power left to the ..peaker of prolongatin
,hould not be exerted unless under most ex-
eptiona,l circumstances. In any case this
iratter of talk 'V C7' US work in Parliament
one which the country has a right to set;
dealt with, and that practically, in the im-
u,ediate future.

COMMENTS ON CURRENT NEWF..

BY the death of Mr. Peter Rylands a gocd
man is lost to the service of his country.
Always a thorough-going Radical, he was
deservedly esteemed', even on the Conserva-
tive side of the House, for his fearless in.
tegrity and unflinching championship of
thrift in the finance of the nation. Person-
ally he was most popular; and when the
Irish question made a new rift in party poli-
tics, and he found himself in disagreement
with his ipcl.leader "Peter," as he was familis
any styled, still held the high opinion of
politi ;ians of all sA.ts and eonlitions. He
was a terrible bugbear to Chancellors of the
Excheqner on Budget nights, and flourished
the motto to which he was ever faithful,
"economy" befoce :he face of the Minister of
Finance for the tie being, whether he were
Liberal or Consetv ttive with equal firmness
and indefatigability. But, kindly of heat--.
and generous to a fault though he was, Mr.
Rylands practised always what he preached,
and lio:)t c!ireful and perennial gu ,rd over
his own individual expenditure. He was a
very faithful steward of the goods which
Heaven gave him, and a plain, honest public
man, wb:) will be much missed for mans. a
day.

THE junior member for Northampton, not
such a long time ago, was one of tue best
advertised mee in tl-e land. He defied Con-
ventionality—always a glaring sin in an
Englishman's eyes—and trod on the corns
of at adherents to the orthodox faitn. lie
Ld made himself by -force of individuality
4Ln. objeeticna'ole personage, and he had in
ciequerace-rt., pay the penalty which s-ciety
al wn.vs impost s noon those -.‘1.t0 dare to set
it. to kick liugagainst the pricks of
prejudice. Since he has been allowed t,
take a sA:at at St. Stephen's, however, M• .
tiradlaugh has devoted himself to sharing ie
the transaction of the business of the Legis.
latnre with mnch industry; and it is an
deniable that a long study of public question.-
-though the N iew he has had may have
been from a circumscribed platform—has at
times made his eounsel well worth weighing.
That he has lived down so much of the op-
position tlatt loeg interposed between him
and a comfortable seat within the precincts
of the House must be admitted when we
find the once fiercely-denounced Mr. Charles
Bradlaugh sitting side by side with membera
of the most orhodox type and distinguished
character on a committee of the House of
Commons, called into existence to discuss
such a matter as the rights and privileges of
peers and pi-elates with regard to elections.
This is certainly a triumph for the great
Radical M.P., who may well smile now at
the memories of the struggles he had to get
into the Legislative chaamber, of his sojourn
in the Clock Tower. and of the prol,nged
fight he had to sustain with members of
every shade of political belief, who tried to
thrust out of Parliament the repeatedly-
chosen avowed irreligionist representative of
the shoe metropolis. Mr. Bradlangh bowed
his head; W8III: through the requirements of
the House, and Parliament, officially speak-
ing, forget bin former defiant demeanour.
' When the political v hirligig brings the Rad-
ical party into predominant power, Mr.
Bradlaugh nifty poNs:bly even get Ministeria:
rank along with his very original colleague
in the membership for Northampton. Who
knows? Both are undeniably able, if they
do say strong thing;, without considering
other peoples prejudices, and make use of
arguments which often outrage the ideals of
the orthodox in political matters.

THE so-called London S'ocialists—an ill-
conditioned mob, officered by the professional
agitators who herd in republican clubs
projected for last Tuesday a field night and
a torchlight procession to celebrate the rict-
ing and shop-looting which their rascally
conf( derates perpetrated a year back. Sir
Charles Warren—not Sir Edmund Hender-
son—is now, however, the Commissioner of
Police in the metropolis, and instead of the
velvet glove the ie "wonldbe demonstrators"
found the iron-hand interposed against them.
As it was, with the procession proclaimed,
there was violence as well as theft by thosewho
congregated at the spot to which the flam-
beau bearers were summoned. But admin-
istrative firmness made this doubtless deter-
mined attempt to set the law at naught
little better than a miserable fiasco. The
demonstrators were able to lament the fate
of one of. their noble selves, who had to
same day been sent for 21 days' to the
Queen a keeping for disturbing the devotions
of decent folk, and to steal en route a few
pieces of meat from the shop-boards of little
tradespeople who are having a hard fight for
livelihood, but the Social revolution-mongers
achieved nothing more heroic The only
proper sequel to such law-breaking is an
appearance in the felon's dock, and an ex-
perience in prison of that to which most
Socialists are remarkaole strangerb outside
—labcur

THE reported soluii-n of "the Chisw'nl.
mystely" is one that tea '.ly• us a le-son. Th.-
poisoning CI a taunly, it i., now stated, mos.;
from tho intiudui:tion of no 'irritant" to the
bodies of those who suffered and died, bu,,
wal the result of breathing vitiated air.
Seven people slept at once in one little ap-.
partment, a boxro(ln less than three yards
square ; and burnt also an unwliole:;on.e oi
Limp to trfrilq them i.lisume the vita..
Ox g n %hi air space lit to.
From this "room,' • we are told, they..
with that honor pec9liar to tie very pc or,
of ventilation, excluded .;v(ry "dratiOit" oi
tit elenif.tit /nos.. the ust, n-
atce of hun.wo. L ai oNer(..4oLe

444i.14#‘1..4eu1ti0 1144,41,. 161.6r00 IsAAA

trathl:ul statement of tile cause of the u.
timely "takiug off- of tne poor b tirns V 1 o
succdul')ed i7l this lon4 puzzling poisoning,
case. How many deatlls arise from. the &an::
cause; iuiproper housing of the poor and th 3
ignorant barrirr4 out of cold air from sm,ll
roohls Co-oners can tell of in.Lny
suen cas::s, and rn:A!Lal nitla of more.

WHAT an appalling occurrence that was the
other day on an. American railroad, w herby
a large number of poor passengers were
partly mangled, partly frozen to death on an
ice-frozen river! A broken axle or a broken
rail might by ill-fortune c;,nse -t British rail-
wty train and those therein t) be precipi-
ilted over some steep bnk r high bridge
.vit:l disastrous consequences ; but we are
lere happk frei from liability to death by
aurning when travelling hehini the "iron-
an upsetting of oil-stoves.
('he foot warmer in use in this country is
'fflprac, icable on the American lines where
miles intervene between stations ; hui,
• he stean radiator heating apparatus applitd
to some continental railway carriages ‘sould
..-)e a good and safe substitute or burning
petroleum or other highly inflammable min-
erals oils.