The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-07 00:00:00

similaz to Unit introchne,d upon

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earth or

the estate .... Anthony Rothschild, would have to
be depended on. With respect to water sewage he
said the Local Government Board had recently
decided, he thought, unwisely, that house slops did
not come under the head of sewage, and could there-
fore be discharged into rivers and streams; but there
was no doubt that the public would take a different
view of the matter. (Hear, hear.) He hoped to see
speedy legislation upon the pollution of rivers. But
for the length of time taken by the commissioners in
completing their report he knew that the late govern-
ment were prepared to deal with the subject. Now
that we bad a government whose policy was en-
dorsed as a "sewage policy," there ought not to be
a doubt that it would be effectually and quickly dealt
with (hear, hear). One of thetdifliculties of carrying
the present sanitary laws into effect was the perplexity
arising from the number of acts f parliament partly in
existence and partly repealed, and also from the mix-
tut e in the acts of urban and rural provisions in such
a way as to render it a matter of considerable doubt
what the law really was, and causing much trouble
even to experts. The only remedy was a consolidation
of the acts, or the framing of a new general act repeal-
ing all others (hear). After enumerating a number of
defects in the provisions of the rural sanitary laws 88
to sewerage, overcrowding, and infectious diseases,
Mr. Howard called attention to the fact that where
well-considered sanitary measures had been adopted in
town and cities the advantages to the inhabitants had
been so marked that the circumstances should act as
a powerful stimulus to exertion in carrying the same
benefits to our villages (cheers).

A discussion followed the reading of the paper.—
Mr. Hope, of the Sewage Farm, Barking, observed
that there was a possibility of open reservoirs becom-
ing fouled by fallen leaves, and other decaying vege-
table matter, and on that account the plan was not
frit, from objection.—Dr. Voeleker held a contrary
opinion, thinking that the exposure to the air would
oxydise everything obnoxious in the water. —Mr. H.
K. Fowler opined that the earth closet system would
not succeed unless the cottagers were well looked
after. (Hear, hear.) He believed in " educating "
the people into sanitary improvements, and that
farmers as a rule were reluctant to spend money upon
such schemes. —Mr. Treadwell also believed in lead-
ing the people rather than driving them. Mr. Pell,
M.P.' said that, however desirable it might be to
adopt the earth system, it was impossible to do
without the other, which must be connected with
it. The local authority could scarcely undertake the
water supply in rural districts, because it would not
pay to do so. It was more a matter for private enter-
prise. He was inclined to doubt the value of the
services rendered by medical officers of health to local
authorities. The causes of disease were well known,
and they did not need a doctor with £BOO a year to
tell them. What was wanted was the steady appli-
cation of sound, practical men, who would proceed at
once to do good sanitary work. (Hear, hear).—Mr.
Nield, Mr. H. Tritheny, Mr. Horley, jun., and other
members also took part in the discussion, which was
brought to a close with a reply from the author of the
paper, to whom the thanks of the club were voted.

settlers are
e that there
waS
of 'railway east of
Omaha still unoccupied. At Council Bluffs, which
is a station half a mile to the east of the Misaiasippi,
the few lines of railway from the east meet in a
common station. Here they unload their passengers
and luggage, and these are put into a train of the
Union Pacific Railway, are taken across the bridge
over the Mississipi to Omaha, and are there transferred
into another train. The amount of unnecessary trouble
caused by this double change is very great, as is a!so
the damage to the baggage. All the luggage is not
only shifted twice at Omaha, but it is taken into a shed
where everyone has to claim his own property, and
1 see that the checks or brass labels fixed on at Chicago
I are all taken off and teplaced by new numbers for San
Francisco. Why one should not be able to bookone's
luggage through no one can explain.
1 At Conacil Bluffs I saw my first Red Indian. I
have seen many more since, and I confess that I wish
that I had not seen them. I know, of course, that these
men and women are the mere outcasts of various tribes,
and are not to be taken as fair samples of Indians. I
know that an Indian brava would look down upon
them with far greater contempt than I can do, Still I
wish that I had not seen them. All my specimens—and
I suppose that I have seen a hundred at least—are
undersized, puny, degradedlooking wretches. A few
of them had tomahawks and bows and arrows, but these
were evidently mere theatrical properties. Their heads
' were covered with a growth of long, black, coarse hair,
falling down to their shoulders. Their favourite
bead-gear was a black wideawake, but otherwise they
were clad in blankets and sundry articles of red cloth
meant to represent Indian clothing. The women were
as revolting in appearance as the men. The only re
presentatives of the race who at all answered to my
ideas were the papooses, funny little things, swathed
up and fastened on the shoe-shaped cradles in which
they are carried on their mother's backs. Seriously, it
was a melancholy sight tc see these miserable rem-
nants of the race who once owned the Continent hang-
ing about the railway stations to show off their rags
and their paint to excite compassion on the part of the
pwe:ge who have elbowed them from the face of the

habitation is to be ism from that train, but
feat coming west, and I ahould imagine
. .

but tle brnl

the line

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