The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-02 00:00:00

AMENDMENT OF THE ADULTERATION
ACT.

Houses win' be closed at the same time, but there -- -
will be no alteration ,Las regards the Beerhouses. Any pub. Mr. Posttest°, of Birmingham, as the author of the Arbil-
Bean who chooses martake on, an " Early Closing Licence," teration Act, has addressed a letter to the Local Government
enabling him to clo,e an hour earlier than the statutory board containing the following suggestions for amending the
hour, and receiving a proportionate deduction from Au
the cost of his licence, as in the case of Sunday 1. As regards imported commodities, any sne who
closing licences. Mr. Cross also explained various minor shall import or order the importation of adulterated
provisions, chiefly intended to mitigate Sie penal por. food, drinks, or drugs, shall be guilty of a ruisile-
tions ot the present Act. For instance, the Magistrates „,eaaam., mail
i imprisoned for six months with hard
will not be hound to endorse the licence nor to inflict the '-
minimum penalty for a first offence, nor to order police labour. 2. Before payment if duty on teas, wines,
supervision : the Adulterationaiusesof the Act ate repealed, spirits, Government shall require proof of the
and the police powersof entry arerestrlcted hi the old powers purity of the articles from the importers thereof, who
of entry for the enforcement of order. Places under "OCCS shall produce certificates of analysis from samples
sional licencee are subjected to all the requirements id taken from the articles in bond. Such analysis to be
the Act, and the Licensing Authorities are empowered
to son
amide by the public analyst under the Adulteration
to
.give provisional licences pers contemptating the
1
building of a puldtchouse. lie claimed for the 101 l that its Act, 18 9. 3. Public analysts before signing
first object was to supply the real wants of the public, and, the certificates under the Act of 1872 may in
when these were ascertained, to do it in a manner which case of doubt or difficulty respecting the analyses
would induce the largest number of respectable persons to have other analyses, made by other public
enter the Trade. analysts, who shall, if verifying their anallNtS, siu,in the
In the short conversation which followed, Mr. Melly and certificates and be required to give evidence at the
Mr. Pease disapproved the prolongation of the hours of
ing Rathhone ne th hearing of the cases. 4. The public analysts to be re-
clos ; Mr. and Sir H. Johnsto regarded e .
bill as retrograde; Sir William Harcourt objected to the quireo by law to give evidence as to the matters
different treatment meted out to publichouses auil beer. certified in the certificates of the analysis. 5. A copy
houses and Mr. .f. G. Talbot, who, with Mr. Goldney, of the certificate of the analysis shall be left with the
generally approved the bill. urged that for towns under summons. 6. Local authorities charged with execution
2,000 the hour of closing should be 10 p in of the Adulteration Act, 1872, shall be empowered to
Sir W. Lawson warmly denounced the bill, which he de- take proceedings against importers of adulterated food,
dared proved thease e Conservative reaction to be nothing more drinks, and drugs under proposal 1. 7. Manures and
than an incr of half an hour's drinking a day. Mr.
Fothergill and Mr. Locke approved the bill. After some seeds to be examined and analyzed by the public
further conversation, leave u-as gives to bring in Gr hill, analyst under the Act of 1879 extended and the
and it was read a first time; and the House adjourned at Adulteration of Seeds Act to be incorporated. 8.
half-past one o'clock. Mixed cotton, woollen, and silk goods to be declared
so such at the sale thereof under heavy penalty. 9.
THE ASHANTEE EXPEDITION. I he analysts may examine and analyze articles of
In the HOUSE or Logos. April 28, Lord Lauderdale, el”thiing, cotton, woollen, and silk goods for the
voting to the admirable manlier in which /ler Male.' , fees payable under the Adulteration Act, 1872,
forces employed in the late war against the Ashantees r- I and issue certificates of the results of the exainination
formed their duty, inquired whether the Governnient in- I and analysis. 10. The Board of Trade or the
tended LO recommend that a grant of money should he given j Local Government Board shall issue directions to
to them. J local authorities for the carrying out of the Act,
The Dttke of Richmond replied that the conelusion the I aryl state what constitutes adulteration in imported
Government had come to was that the property handtil over •
to Sir Garnet Wolseley before the Treaty was signed should, articles, coil what may be regarded 88 a natural im-
as between Her Majesty and the troops, be considarea purity in articles of vegetable origin imported. 11.
prize. The Local Government Board niay order an investiga-
Lord Carnarvon observed that as Captain Glover and the thin of any difficult matter in the analysis of any
officers who volunteered to act miler hiss, and win, contri- article I,y referring the matter to three eminent analytical
buted in no slight degree to the success of the campaign, had chemists appoints-11-chemical referees to the Board. 12.
suffered considerable loss both in property and health, he 'lle ',with of the reference to be published for the in-
considered it desirable that the funds of the colon) simuld formation and guidance of the public analysts. It is
contribute a moderate sum as a on to and
he added that Her Majesty had beencompensati pleased to signifthem,y her desirable, also, to empower the magistracy to order an
approval of the bestowal of various honours on them, inspection if any manufactory known to be producing
adulterated f: od, drinks, or drugs, for the seizure of
Lord Kimberley was glad that Lord Carnarvon had seen his
way to the grant of sonic money to Captain Glover and those all noxious, poisonous. arc., materials used in adulterai.
acting under him and lie observed that though some of the tion.
Illative forces hail behaved badly, the Houssas proved a trust-
worthy and valuable corps.
Lord Sidnionth asked whether the Government would take
into consideration the existing regulations of the Elementary
Education A-t. ho ith with a view to facilitate a return to a
voluntary system in rural districts which had tried the School
Board system RIIII found It fail, as well as for the purpose Of
modifying the requireinents in respect to school fte(10111111(44.
tion In &strict* where it could be shown that the population
had diminished since the last Census.
The Duke of Richmond replied, in reference to the first
part of the question, that the Government as at present
advised were not prepared hi recommend any alteration of
the Education Act in the iminner suggested and, with re-
gard to the second part of the guestion, he Mated that the
practice WSW at present to modify the rrations to meet
altered circumstances. In reply to Lord alibis, who asked
when the return of the owners of land in England, similar
to one. already made with regard to Scotland, was likely to
be presented, the Duke of Richmond stated that every effort
was being node to obtain the return for England within as
short a period as possible.
Their Lordahips then adjourned.
THE Licrcsixo BILL.
In the fintßE OF C,.MMON4, air W. Lawson presented a
petition, which was read at the table, from representatives
of the United Kingdom Alliance, assembled in London to-
day, praying the House to reject the Licensing Bill of the
Oovernmeut

ChltCHAtit OF THE IBlslf RAILWAYS BY THE STATE.
Mr.lllennerhassett moved a Resolution in favour of the
purchase of the Irish Railways by the State. and prefaced it
by an interesting diesertation on the general subject of the
acquisition and control of Railways by the State. It WY
inaposaible, he argued, to protect the public by competition—
for amalgaseation would always take the place of competi-
Con whenever the Companies found It most profitable—
joint management by the State and the Companies was out
of the quesatm, and Government control was the only cer-
tain and re_ ;table 111,1 e •pf securing safe. iheap, and equitable
working. The romparlies, he showed, were now in the habit
of diverting trent, from its 'natural course for their
own advantage, and obstructed the creation of new
and he Kiva varicose statar
col the. (low',
%eh Sm. ‘YitteerCrtpa t 3; I esPtiMalieb4nia if lely'lwmeere fairly