The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-02-27 00:00:00

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27th, 1886.

THE official sun of Col. Sir Edmund Hen-
derson, who :just seventeen years ago suc-
ceeded Sir Richard Mayne as Chief Com-
missioner of the Metropolitan Police, has set
all ingloriously His resignation was the
only proper outcome of the inquiry into the
failure of the force to cope with the riotous
demonstration of February Bth. Events
have shown conelusively, as the report of
the Commission puts it. that there is "a
defective chain of responsibility in the force
and the distribution of duties and responsi-
bilities among the superior officers leaves
much to be desired." In order to facilitate
re-organisation, the Chief Commissioner
took the practical step of placing his resig-
nation in the hands of the Home Secretary,
and was immediately accepted. We are to
have now a full official inquiry into the
make-up of the force, and the public look to
see that the eonsequent arrangements shall
be of such a satisfactory sort as to render
impossible the recurrence of riotous proceed-
ings similar to those which so recently
shocked the country. Not only have the
beads of the police failed to use the means
at the'r command on emergency in the
proper manner, but the permanent Home
officials seem to have lost sight of their func-
tions—the control and direction of the force.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Childers,
and Under - Secretary, Mr. Broadhurst,
having scarcely got into position in their de-
partnymtB at the time of the riots, ;may be
excused from grave responsibility, but the
exception cannot extend to experienced
permanent Home Office men. What a con-
emsioe for Mr. Chillers to make, that the
first news of the disgraceful disturbance
reached him in a private domestic message!
As to the police themselves, the men were
ready, waiting for orders, and these never
came, or came blunderingly. Who were to
blame for the fiasco the official investigation,
if properly carried out, will show, and pub-
lic opinion will demand the removal of every
officer who was at fault. Such a failure
obscures the record of previous good work
done. If the police cannot secure and merit
public confidence their chief value is gone.

RELIEF works for the unemployed can
only he of real and permanent value if the
work done is really wanted, or in other
words if the labour is not artificial rather
than useful. It would be worse than wast-
ing money to set men building dwelling
houses, for instance, of a character not likely
to find occupants, in avneighbourbood already
greatly overbuilt, as is certainly the case in
moat of the suburban localities of London.
The plan would lock up a lot of capital in
unprocluctiveneas. It would damage adja-
cent property materially by overstocking
the market and so deteriorating rentals. It
would attract labour, and with that the
families of the labourers, into districts where
there is no real demand for the labour, and
consequently nothing like a permanent liveli-
hood for the labourers' families ; thus, in
the end, conducing only to enhanced wafer-
inz. If public works we must have, let
them be of a legitimate character, such as
harbor r construction or other undertakings
in actual request. And let the remunera-
tion at present be regulated by the state of
the market. The wages may be fixed on
such a scale as to furnish acceptable employ-
ment to those in distress, and yet not so :at-
tractive as to draw away labour from present
occnpaticn. When the labour market as-
sumes its normal state, and the wave of
depression has passed, then Government
works might be suspended where deterior-
ation would not ensile, or be continued
under the law of supply and demand as to
. ...
wage matters where advisable,
• •
Mn. NORWOOD'S remarks at the annual
meeting of the Associated Chambers of
Commerce are worthy of the attention of all
interested in mercantile matters. Ho
strongly objected to grandmotherly legisla-
tion which had for its object simply to re-
lieve traders from exercising the necessary
and old-fashioned prudence and caution, and
advised his hearers to put little trust in Acts
of Parliament, aud rely little upon extrane-
ous help They shrlli look matters full in
the face, rind koep c antidence within them-
selves. These principles, put into practice,
were what placed England at the head of
shopkeeping nations. The struggle to ob-
tain and maintain the mastery in business
by unfair advantage, or by evoking the aid
ef an unevenly working law, and, we fear
also, the deterioration of the sturdy spirit of
ntegrity which has been the backbone of
ritish trade, have had something to ;do in
deereming the solidity, volume, and worth
of our insular commerce. The Chambers of
Commerce, if they take up the matter with
thoroughness and earnest honesty, may yet
stem the tide of depression, and throw over-
board the Jonahs whose presence threatens
the safety of our mercantile system.

Taaoront AIIIITIALIS OS WHIIIRLS..--Sirl. 3. C. Cop•
end. mehohnr of Sarre), Bicycle Club, England; of the
kiciney Ateyele Club; Executive. New South Wales
Cfeliat Union, writes: I feel sonvineed I should never
hay.., bean airie te is.ve successfully eornpleted my tri-
(13.'414 journey of nearly twelve hundred miles, from
Bydr,ey to ittlbource and back without -t. Jscobs
and it gas& me greet pleasure to express in, tlienkful-
ne•s for the wonderfal benefit I received trona it. At
the end of cash day's j -urn"). I ennointel myself all
• ever with this restoring htlue, awl hat
strengtheried and refreshed. I eta ray
si•un
I .ed with re.
and a, d as a ewed appetite, siert healtfuliy
Once. aty sable w-,tkeural and gave way, but
see arl cation of this lovers go ca-e Jet it right and it
I d net again trouble me.
Jacobs 0 1 is sold by Chemists at 2e. B,ly
a bottle
t past 2.4. 9,1. from the Charle, A. Yogeiler Com-
er r
patty, sole Proprietors, 45, Fa:ringdon,Read, London.
. hogowvs,, _1110;10 good see.th is, preferable
. to hiO howler, how regarl'ess people often era of the
1 'r 1 Many suffer their
1-ntevr-.410w covetous of t • .110:,,
s cached, though
,
itren,gth t , drain away ere siattirit • i rehe
iinioreace ef the fa-ti,:y etnr,led by t ee*incomparable
Fills 0: eboaking tSs Iret u, toward symptoms of da-
mns:m.lkt, as rOustatin; oleier wi•boat interfering in
the
I'll! with their Ple&h,t e or ?arenas. To the young
especut,.y it to IniOstairt the high it ei•
gestive efficiency, withcrit 4,:i.eb the growth is stunted,
the Zia cies Lecolue lax. tL flame feeble, and the mind
sletbfal. I 1,, removal t,f iestiou by tieise Phi is
so 'allY that no" say. Ch,. must thoughtless would per-
alit tto Sap the Sininitswi,i,..
• c. ID Idrtr A LUIVRY." sled the PLsise,2 /COAL A
ittlwards' Oripu,al ••.enzli promotes

-

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