The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-12-21 00:00:00

VLscoaateas
died 011
the bed bix
succumbed.

Om Aranbon Cortisponbent.

VG seem et right to state that we do not at all times
itself ounishwe with our Corseeponeenve opinions.;
it is earnestly to be hoped that the news from
France will now be of a leas exciting character than
we have bad from thence during the last few weeks.
The Government having gained so decisive a victory
as that represented by a vote of 490 votes to 201 we
may reasonably look for a 11l in the storm of politics,
while the defestof the Left, and the extreme Left, gives
ground for the hope that the cause of public order has
now been materially strengthened.
The movement against the Income-tax lute received a
great impetus from the large public meeting that has
son held in the Guildhall, with the Lord Mayor in the
chair, the general interest in the subject having been
manifested by the representatives from numerous pro-
ncial towns being present. The resolutions arrived
at are, I believe, In accordance with the opinion of
the community generally. The tax ought to be re-
sqrved for extraordinary emergencies and ought not to
be • permanent Impost; it is inquisitorial in its charac-
ter, unfair and unequal in its incidence, harassing and
vexatious in its assessment, and positively conducive
to immorality. The fornestion of a National Anti-
Income tax League is a significant fact. These are the
days of leagues and confederations, but this new league
will be comp *eel mainly of the large and influential
middle class. This claim is not much given to the
formation of such associations, but 'when they ilo
agree their unanimity is wonderful," and their action
will be powerful. The Government must be prepared
for a determined onslaught upon this tax next session
Though the Viscountess Beaconsfield was not much
known to the palls-, the name of the deceased lady
has of late &Ora, ted considerable attention under cir-
cumstances which excited a feeling of sleep sorrow
throughout the country. We now learn that it was from
painful reasons thati.Mr. Disraeli hiol to decline his vi-it
to Glasgow to receive honours which he well merited.
The death of the Viscountess rouses the sympathy of
all parties towards Mr. 1 lisraeli, and it brings to mind
that chivalrous self -abnegation which he manifested
when he declined the peerage offered to bin+, and
finally accepted the offer of a peerage for his wife.
One element in Lord Palmerston's popularity was a
somewhat eioilar refusal of a peerage, and Mr. Die-
rsellre conduct in this respect has certainly tended to
male him popular even among his political opponents.
The sum and substance of a valuable contribution to
The Times by a legal reporter may be put in a Wet
space. lie shows that there are now 172 costa before
the Queen's Beneh, 58 of which are remav eta—
"brought forward' sea book-keeper would say; 202
In the Common Pleas, of whi Is 93 are retnnuets ; and
"a groat, though un isceitaineil number" before the
Court of Exchequer, 20 of which are remanets. lie adds
that cases are fre.pumtly two, three, or four years before
the Courts, and that of the number LOW to be tried,
scarcely one will be finiahed within the year.
The conclusion that I draw from this, and which
no one can consider Use subject without waiving
at, one would think, is that our legal terms
are not lor g enough for the juilii ial bud' ors of
the country. We have been learning this less is rather
painfully of late years. The truth is, that our legal
terms, or term-times, were established centuri s ago,
when there was comparatively little business, but that
with the advance of civilization the legal business; of
the country has been developed immensely out of pro-
portion with the machinery for dealing with it.
My own odinion is—and I am quite prepared
to be told, by lawyers, that I know nothing about
it-- that the Law Courts should sit all the
)ear round, and that legal business should go on
as consecutively as business at the Treasury, or the
Custom House, or the Board of Trade, or the House
Office, or a hundred other public departments.
The decided collapse of the strike on the part of the
Gas Stokers has been followed by circumstances which
form perhaps the most interesting topic of conveisation
with which Working Men can deal. Several men have
been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for
leaving their work without notice, and others are com-
mitted for trial on the charge of conspiracy. This is
what might fairly have been anticipated; impartial
observers of the dispute between the Gas Companies
and the men must on the whole agree as to the justice
of this punishment; and I believe that the Gas-Stokers
now generally admit that they pursued altogether a
wrong course. I think the bosoms of the strike
ought not, however, to be lost either noon eenployers
or employed. There ought to be in all brarehes of
employment fair notice to quit on either oil', and, be-
yond this there ought to lot notice on either side as to
the alteration of terms of contract. The latter consid-
eration is of vast importance in respict to the trade
and niaunfaetures of the country, I believe that if
such notice were legally compulsory, many of the
strikes that have during tho past few moths dis-
turbed the labour market would have been prevented,
and certainly such a notice would not be at all unjust
to the men.
At a time when the demand for animal food is so
exacting it is gratifying to find that the Christmas
Cattle Showof this year has been superi me to any of its
predecessors, both with respect to the character of the
Mock exhibited and the number of vimitors. The at-
tendance would have been still larger Lot for the
miserable weather which lasted almost these ighout the
exhibition. The way in which her Majest2 and some
members of the Royal family have patre ois-el this
great annual Show, must be very nleasi.ig to the
country at large. It is not difficult, by ti e way, to
keen the influence of the late Prince Consort upon these
exhibitions', though his temente-I death too't place so
long since, and it is a gratifying fact that his eldest
Ron continues to manifest so healthy an interest in the
improvement of the bree 1 of cattle and sheep. Britain
still stands pre eminent for her live stock, and if ever
we have an International Cattle Show, as perhaps we
may have some day, we need nit fear that we shall
not only be able to hold our own, but hie facile
prineeps. The weenelers of the Agricultural Hall will
now be to a considerable extent broken up into minor
exhibitions throwbout London, arid the butchers'
shops will passes° peculiar an -I seasonable attractions.
Wandering about 'to see the shops" is tether a
favourite lutetium of Londoners just now, "westher
permitting" of course, and their country cousins are
by no means diiinclined to join the little knots of
sightseers.
The appetite for holidays sit Christma-s time is time-
what rapacious, and this is curiously illustrated by a
propisal made by " a City warehouseman." Al-
luding to there being only two days this year—Christ-
mas-day and boxing-day —for countrymen in London to
visit their friends, he suggests that each employer should
clivl'ehis staff intotwo el mal boll's, giving the one half,
besides these two days, the Monday and Tuesday, and
to the ithee half the Ft i lay and Satiate lay in Christmas
week. Of course this would result, whatever may be
the theory on the subject, in the ern j loyere losing the
services of their entire staff for the whole week. It
may be very well to deny this, and to point to the
terms of the proposal, but practically there would be,
I think, very, very little business dime by those firms
that adopted it.
The rain, ireget to say, Mlle pitilessly as I write
this, and sad narratives of storm and thee 1, wrecks
and inundations, come from various+ parts of the Con-
tinent, and indeed from our own coasts and inland
districts. It would seem only too probable that the
year which is approaching its end will prove a memor-
able year for disaster by sea and land, in a great
measure owing to the enormous and continuous rainfall.
At any rate the long continuance of wet weather is
now tending considerably to depress business, and it
Is to be feared will have a serious effect upon the next
harvest.

I'sell,
day.,
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