The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-03-24 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS on March 19th, the Duke
of Rutland (Lord John Manners) took the oath and
subscribed the roll on his succession to the peerage.

THE CONSTITUTION OF TIM HOUSE OF LORDS.

The Earl of Rosebery, in calling attention to the
constitution of their lordships' House and moving for
a committee to inquire into the subject, alleged that
the present state of the House was a danger to the
Constitution, looking atthe development of democratic
ideas in the country, and particularly in the House of
Commons. The weakness of the Upper House lay in
the indiscriminate application of the hereditary prin-
ciple, which brought into the House unwilling or unfit
legislators. He advocated the principle of delegation
and selection, under which peers who had proved them-
selves unfit or unworthy to be legislators would be ex-
cluded. None but peers of the blood Royal should sit
in the House by the mere fact of hereditary descent.
Peers should be delegated from Scotland and Ireland,
the principle of minority being recognised ; there
should be a large infusion of elected peers, chosen
either by county boards, large municipalities, and the
House of Commons, or by all three; and lastly the
Agents-General of the larger self-governing colonies
should be admitted, at least for a certain length of
time. As to the peers who would be excluded from the
House of Lords, any peer not receiving a writ or sum-
mons should be at liberty to stand for election to the
House of Commons.

The Earl of Wemyss moved an amendment, declar-
ing it to be not a safe thing to place the constitution of
the House in the power of a committee, nor consistent
with its dignity to discuss before a committee the
reasons for its existence, and that if any changes in the
constitution of the House were wanted they should be
debated and made by the House itself on the motion of
the responsible Ministers of the Crown.
The Earl of Dunraven, while sympathising with the
Earl of Rosebery's views, contended that the right way
to deal with the subject was to produce a distinct plan
which Parliament could examine carefully before com-
mitting itself to an abstract proposition as to the neces-
sity for reform.
The Earl of Kimberley, in view of the great changes
that had occurred since 1884, intended to vote for the
resolution, notwithstanding that he had formerly held
that this subject should be dealt with by a bill brought
forward by the Government of the day.
The Marquis of Salisb'ury opposed the proposal to
refer what he characterised a vast, shadowy, and
wholly indefinite scheme to a Select Committee, but
promised to consider any bill on the subject, and ex-
pressed himself in favour of an addition of life peers to
the House.

Earl Granville and the Earl of Morley spoke in sup-
port of the motion, which, on a division, was negatived
by 97 to 50.
The amendment was not put, the Marquis of Salis-
bury moving the "previous question,' which was
carried without a division.

Their lordships rose at a quarter to nine o'clock.

GLEBE LANDS.

In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, Mr. E. Stanhope brought
in a bill to facilitate the sale of glebe lands, which was
read a first time.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.-THE MINISTERIAL MEASURE.

Mr. Ritchie, in introducing the Local Government
Bill, explained its provisions. He said the government
of the counties by quarter Sessions had been well per-
formed, and if it had not been from a desire to enlarge
the powers of the county authorities there would not
have been any desire for a change. But there was a
real demand in the country for a system of decentralisa-
tion by which many of the duties now performed
by Government Departments and by Parlia-
ment itself should be discharged by county
authorities if these authorities could be made
to adequately represent the people. There could not be
decentral'sation without reform, and therefore both the
powers and the composition of the central governing
body in the county and the powers and composition of
the local bodies in the local areas of counties would be
dealt with by the bill. The organisation for county
work would consist first of the magistrates for judicial
work; secondly, a county council for county adminis-
trative work; and thirdly, district councils for all
the subordinate areas to condnct the government
•of their areas. To the proposed county councils
the bill proposed to transfer all the administra-
tive duties of the justices in respect of county
rates and financial business, county buildings, county
bridges, county lunatic asylums, the maintenance of
reformatory and industrial schools, the granting of
licenses for music and dancing, the granting of licenses
for the sale of intoxicating liquors, the division of the
county into polling districts for Parliamentary elections,
the executing of the Acts relating to explosives and of
Acts relating to contagious diseases of animals, the
adulteration of food and drugs, the Acts relating to
weights and measures, the registration of the rules
of societies, certain duties with reference to main
roads, and other matters. As to the police, the
bill proposed that their management should
be in the hands of a joint committee of
the county council and the quarter sessions.
The appointment and control of the chief constable
would remain as at present. The council would have
power to enforce the Rivers Pollution Act, of making
provisional orders, of sanctioning market tolls, water
charges, and the fixing of boundaries under the Public
Health Act. It had been urged that the contribution
to the indoor poor fell unfairly upon real property, and
the county council would, therefore, contribute four.
pence per head per day for the maintenance of indoor
poor. It would also have power to advance
money to promote the emigration of fitting
persons, without bringing them under the Poor
Law, and powers would be given to it to borrow
money for its own purposes, and in aid of the
small local authorities in the county. At the first elec-
tion the county area would be geographically the county
as at present constituted. The county council would
be entirely elective, three-fourths being elected for
three years by the ratepayers, and the remaining fourth
to be selected by the councillors either from within or
without their body. The selected members would hold
office for six years. A certain proportion of each class
would retire annually sifter three and six years. Nine
of the largest municipal boroughs would be
created counties under the bill, and the Poor-
law Guardians would not be interfered with
by it. As regards London, it would be created
a county of itself, and a council elected by
the ratepayers would be created on the same princi-
ple 3 as in the counties and boroughs, which would take
over the granting of licenses and all the duties of the
Metropolitan Board of Works, which would cease to
exist. The police would remain under the control of
the Home Office, and the Middlesex magistrates, as
regards London, would retain their functions. The
City would be in the position of a quarter sessions
borough, and would continue to exercise the functions
which it now exercised. To the county councils would be
transferred the duty of granting licenses for the sale
of intoxicating liquor. They would divide their area
into licensing divisions, with a licensing Committee for
each division, consisting of the members elected for
that division, together with an added proportion of the
selected members of the council. An appeal would lie
to the county council. In cases where the renewal of
a license was refused compensation must be paid, as
the Government would not be a party to the confisca-
tion of existing property. The compensation would be
paid out of a charge on the district in which the license
was refused, and out of a fund to be created by an in-
crease of 20 per cent. on the license duty, which
would yield £300,000. In reference to the financial
bearings of the scheme, he said that in the financial
year 1889-90 various grants in aid, amounting to
£2,600,000 would disappear from the Estimates. On
the other hand, it was proposed to hand over to the
counties, in substitution of these grants, publicans'
licenses and other duties, amounting to three millions a
year. The Chancellor of the Exchequer would also pro-
pose new license duties to the amount of 1,826,000,
and he would also make a contribution of £1,800,000
from personalty, thus giving the new county autho-
rities a revenue of £5,600,000 a year. He stated
that the elections to the county councils would take
place in January next, and the new bodies would take
over their functirons on the 25th of March thereafter.
The district councils would be elected in November
following, but afterwards all the elections would take
place in November.
Mr. Gladstone complimented Mr. Ritchie and the
Government on the large, bold, and trustful measure
which had been introduced, and which constituted an
important fact in Parliamentary legislation.
A short desultory discussion followed, after which
the bill was read a first time, and the second reading
was fixed for the 12th of April.
A bill in reference to the qualification and registra-
tion of electors for the purposes of Local Government
was also introduced and read a first time.
THE IRISH UNDER-SECRETARY.
subsequenlly the zelect Committee on the Irish
, Sunday Closing Acts was nominated, and along and
acrimonious discussion took place in committee upon
, the resolution for providing a salary for the Parlia-
mentary Under-Secretary to the Chief Secretary for
Ireland, which was carried by 159 to 103. On the quas-
. tion that the resolution be reported, Mr. Healy con-
tinued the discussion, and the closure having been
; carried by 146 to 86, the question was agreed to by 144

The House adjourned at half-past twelve o'clock.

LAND TRANSFER BILL.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS on March 20 the Lord
Chancellor moved the second reading of the Land
Transfer Bill, and stated that the only substantial
difference between it and the bill of last year was that
whereas the latter altered and amended Lord Cairns's
Act, the present measure repealed it and embodied the
whole subject in one code. Its object was to bring
about a gradual and compulsory registration of titles to
land, and the assimilation of thel legal status of real and
personal property, and the noble and learned lord
intimated his intention to refer it to a Select Com-
mittee.
Lord Arundell of Wardour objected to the bill, that
it would bring about the abolition of the law of primo-
geniture, and he therefore moved its rejection.
After some discussion, in the course of which Lord
Ilerschell took exception to several of the provisions of
the measure, the amendment was withdrawn and the
second reading agreed to.

STATUTE LAWS.
The Statute Laws Revision Bill was read a third
time and passed.

EMIGRATION OF PENSIONERS.

Lord Harris informed Lord Sandhurst that the ques-
tion of the emigration of pensioners to New Zealand
would be referred for consideration to a Departmental
Committee.
Their lordships rose at 20 minutes past seven
o'clock.
NEW M.P.

In the HousE OF CoumoNs, at a morning sitting, Mr.
D. A. Thomas took the oath and his seat for Merthyr
Tydvil, in the room of Mr. C. H. James, resigned.

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

Mr. W. H. Smith informed Mr. Firth that a Royal
Commission to inquire into the alleged irregularities of
the Metropolitan Board of Works would certainly be
issued in accordance with the Address presented to her
Majesty.