The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-03-20 00:00:00

RECRUITING FOR THE BRITISH
ARMY,

The annual report of the Inspector-General of
Recruiting, which was published on Saturday, states
that on Jan. 1, 1885, the strength of the army was
181,008, and on Jan. 1, 1880, the strength stood at
192,929, showing a net increase during the year of
11,921 men. This increase includes 2107 men who
were allowed to rejoin from the Army Reserve, thus
reducing the net increase I.sy recruiting alone to 9814
During the year 1884 the net increase by recruiting
was 0064. Therefore in the two years from
January 1, 1884, there has been an increase to
the army by recruiting alone of 15,878 men.
During the past year the total number of deser-
tions was 5147, of whom 1885 rejoined, and 287,
who were proved to have fraudulently enlisted, were
retained in the corps in which they fraudulently en-
listed, making the net loss by desertion during the
year to be 2975. On the question of safeguards against
fraudulent enlistment the Inspector-General records
his opinion in favour of some distinctive mark, which
should be entirely voluntary, and should be looked
upon as a mark of !honour. In accounting for the
increase in recruits raised during the last three years
the Inspector-General puts first and foremost the
acknowledged depression in trade. The other tribu-
tory causes he enumerates are freer and fuller advor-
tisement of the service, and the improvement in the
prizes in the shape of promotion and appointments.

ABBREVIATED TELEGR All ADDRESSES.
Lord Wolverton, the Postmaster-General, has been
memorialised from Yorkshire to reduce the amount
charged for the registration of telegraphic addresses
from .E 1 is. to ss. His lordship has replied that the
actual cost the department inctirs in respect of each
registration considerably exceeds the siim of 55., and
that any balance that may remain out of the charga
of one guinea is far from being sufficient to meet the
loss of revenue arising out of the reduction in the
number of words in telegrams which is brought about
by the use of an abbreviated address. Apart from the
question of expense, the letter states further that the
use of abbreviated aldresses causes delay, owing to
the additional processes having to be gone through in
discovering the proper place to which to send the
message. If the fee for registration were
reduced, the department would be taking a step which
would lead the public to believe that the registration
of abbreviated addresses was desirable, and a large
increase in the number of registrations would prob-
ably take place. Lord Wolverton does not think that
the department would be acting rightly in taking such
a step. In former years abbreviated addresses were
used almost solely for foreign telegrams, and the
number of registrations was extremely limited; but
the system is one which the department could never
recommend to the public, and his lordship considers
that it would be contrary to his duty to do anything
which which would encourage any great extension of
the system.

It is said that a young lady can never whistle in the
presence of her lover. The reason is obvious. H. e
doesn't give her a chance. When she gets her lips in
a proper position for whistling something else always
occurs.

At the court of Louis XIV. there were two fat
noblemen—cousins. The King rallied one of them
on his corpulency, and added, "I suppose you take
little or no exercise?' "Your Majesty will pardon
me," said the duke, "for I generally walk two or
three times around my cousin every morning." 1

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

THE OPENING OF NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
_ _ _

In the ROUSE OF LORDS, March 12, Lord Harrowby
moved an address to the Crown in favour of opening
the National Gallery, the British Museum, and the
National History Museum to the public on three week.
day evenings until ten o'clock.—Lord Sudeley objected
to the proposal on the ground of the expense which it
would involve, and the danger to the buildings from
fire. He thought also that it was highly probable
the institutions might be made the resort of bad cha-
racters. The Government would, however, give the
matter their careful consideration.—After some discus-
sion, in which Lords Norton, Northbourne, and North-
esk, and Earls Cowper. Granville, and Spencer took
part, the motion was agreed to.
The lordships adjourned at ten minutes to seven
o'clock.

QUESTIONS.
In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, Mr. Childers informed
Sir Joseph Pease that it was the intention of the
Government to put down the Sunday Closing Bill as
second order on some day on which Supply was the
first order, and to close Supply at eleven o'clock. He
declined, however, to give facilities for the further
stages of the bill. Sir U. Kay-Shuttleworth, replying
to Sir Roper Lethbridge, stated that a representation
had been received from certain associations in India
praying that a Royal Commission, containing English
statesmen of front rank and competent Indians, not
Anglo-Indian officials, should be appointed to take
evidence in India on the subject of Indian administra-
tion. They had been informed that it had been de-
cided, according to precedent, to propose a Parlia-
mentary Committee, and that it was not the intention
of the Government to institute an independent inquiry
in India.—Sir Roper Lethbridge gave notice that when
the Committee on ladia was proposed he would move,
"That no inquiry would fulfil the just expectations of
the people of India, or be satisfactory to the House,
which did not provide for a local investigation inde-
pendent of the Indian Government."

THE UNEMPLOYED.
On the motion for going into Committee of Supply,
Mr. Dawson, in a speech which elicited frequent cheers
from both sides of the House, called attention to the
question of starting public works, and moved—" That,
in view of the depression of trade and the large number
of persons out of employment, the House was of
opinion that the present was a favourable time for the
Government to carry out certain valuable and necessary
public works, more especially the formation of harbours
of refuge at various points Upon the coast." Mr. Borlase
seconded the motion, but admitted that be was unable
to see how the construction of harbours of rafuge would
reduce the present distress in the metropolis. Mr.
Chamberlain eated that the results of inquiries into
the existing distress undertaken since the present
Government assumed office showed that pauperism
was a little under 5 per cent. in exnes of what
it was 12 months ago, and the distress was
peculiar to certain localities, and had un-
doubtedly been intensified by the severity of the
weather. Inquiries made from sources of information
other than the poor-law authorities showed, however,
that there was a great deal of distress among the better
class of artisans; and he remarked that nothing was
more admirable than the way in which the better
class of working men shrank from resorting to the poor
law. The distress of this class had been increasing for
some time past, and if it did not decrease it would be
a matter for serious consideration as to what must he
done. Ho was unable to see, however, how the present
proposal would affect this class. These works would
alwa-ys be uneconomical, and they would afford very
limited relief. The nature of the work was also such
as would be most unsuitable to the largest portion of
working men now suffering, because their business
depended upon the delicacy of their fingers, and if they
undertook such work as this they would be unfitted to
resume their own work when trade revived. Another
important objection to undertaking these works was
that they stopped private enterprise. His hope and
belief was that the remedy for the present
distress was to be found in the increased activity of
local authorities, which had already been much stimu-
lated. As to the question of constructing harbours of
refuge, apart from the present distress, he had always
found that every member required the harbour to be
constructed in his own constituency. They could only
be justified from a commercial view, and the Imperial
Government ought not to go further than guarantee
the cost of the work which should be undertaken by
local authorities. If the resolution was passed and
carried out on any large scale, the result would be that
within 12 months more people would be thrown out of
work now undertaken by private enterprise than any
number employed in the works thus undertaken. Mr.
A. J. Balfour agreed that the proposal would not relieve
the distress except in the !ocalities in which the works
w?,re undertaken, and therefore it would not do good
where it was most wanted. At the same time it was
a matter for serious consideration whether it would not
be a wise course on the part of the Government
to undertake the construction of harbours of refuge,
which had been recommended by more than one Royal
Commission, at a time when labour was cheap. Mr.
Bradlaugh, Mr. Conybeare, and Mr. Cossham opposed
the motion, which was supported by Mr. E. Denison,
Mr. Giles, Mr. P. J. Power, Dr. Clark, Colonel Nolan,
Dr. Tanner, and Mr. Yeo. Mr. Mundella contended
that the result of the Government undertaking the
construction of harbours would be to put a total stop
to private enterprise, while the relief afforded would
be a mere drop in the ocean. Moreover, the time re-
quired for the acquisition of land and preparation of
plans would delay the works at least a year and a half,
by which time it was hoped the distress would be at an
end. Reminding the House of the disastrous effects of
the system of State works inaugurated under the
Second French Empire, he warned it against any
attempt to relieve distress by the provision of State
employment.—The motion was then withdrawn.

PROCEDURE.

A motion submitted by Sir H. Selwin•lbbetion
directing that, pending the report of any Committee on
Procedure, it should be an order of the House that
notices of -questions be given by members in writing,
without reading thorn "viva voce" in the House,
unless the consent of the Speaker to any particular
question had been previously obtained, was assented
to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Sir M.
Hicks-Beach, opposed by Irish members, and ultimately
agreed to.
The House adjourned at twenty minutes to two
o'clock.