The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-21 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVE.R. ,

Legislature to tax poaterity : and it Is quite possiblethat all
over Europe you may have schemes of partial repudiation dis
cussed, and It will be held out to the people suffering under
the prtssure of taxation that they may redeye themselves
from a good deal by reducing the Interest on debt. Ido not
.ay I am seriously afraid of that feeling arising here, partly
because I think we have more sense than our neighbours
(laughter), sod partly because our burdens are comparatively
iltlo felt, but It questions of that kind were generally raised
thr-eighout Europe, I do not know that it would be an ad.
vantagefto us in discussing them, to have to deal with a debt
which wou;d Dot be as it la vow, excluding terminable
anonities, little more than £7OOOOOOO, but would be
£1,200,00,f Oi or A 1,400,00,000. Whatever risk there may
he, that risk would be lolly hely greater if we lord to pay the
lintiOnfil credit, £lO 000,100 of Interest instead of having
only to pay 025 0(0,000 of interest.

- _
"But parsing from that part of the subj.nt, and looking
at it as concerns the relations between the State and
labour, I co not exactly know whether it has been
calculated bow many persons would be direct'y em-
ployed by the State, supposing the State to take over
the railways, but the number would be undoubtedly so-
rt rat lumina thousands, and the general result of it
would be this—that the state would be by far the largest
employer of lab inr in the country. Now, as we all know,
qui stions between capital and labour have never been more
keenly discussed than within the last few year., and
hitherto it has always been the object of the State (and I
think the State has succeeded pretty well in accomplishing
its object) to keep itself absolutely neutral and impartial
as between employer and employed. Well, is it altogether
a prudent thing, at a time when these questions are more
likely to he raised than ever before, that the State should
abandon that position of neutrality, and become Itself a
deeply interested party on the side of the employer ?
(Cheers.) You won', have the railway servants constituting
an exceedingly powerful body, and you would have, pro-
bably, demands on their part for higher pay and for shorter
hours, and if those demands were resisted there would be
great unpopularity and endless talk about the State, whose
duty It WM to set an example to other capitalists, setting •
had example instead of a good one, and if those demands
were complied with—and I think the tendency would be in
that direction—then you would find a large hole made in those
profits which are so confidently expected. (Cheers ) But that Is
not, to my mind, theegravestepart of the question. The really
serious part of it is—how would it be possible for the State,
under the eystern proposed. to avoid exercising an enormous
local patronage, which would affect every district and every
town throughout the whole country (Cheers ) lam not
talking now of the altogether minor question of the appoint-
ment of railway servants. Of course there would bee great deal
of small patronage in that way, and, with great respect to
some who think otherwise, I do not imagine that with regard
to a large portion of that patronage it weld be possible to
dispose of It by the favourite theory of competitive examina-
tion. (Bear, henr.) I don't think you could quite carry teat
out in employments which require little more than mechani-
cal or mar ual labour, and f you do not the patronage of the
Government, or of the Railway Board, will ant be without
its influence ; but that is but a very small part of the question
of patronage generally.

- -
What lam at aid Of Is the dependence into which every
town may be brought towards the Railway Board or act.
ministrative body with whom the decision of questions rests
with regard to the new lines that shall be constructed,with w hat
new stations, and what extension of railway communication
shall be effected. Every great town in the country in days
of commercial prosperity might ask for extended railway
accommodation, and it is perfectly clear that the requisitions
of all cold not be compiled with at the same time. It
would be necessary that a choice should be made, and I am
afraid that that choice might be governed by political pre-
ferences; at any rate, whether It was so governed or nil, I 11112
quite sure you would not get it out of the heads of the people
that that am the case. And recollect that that ts a control not
over inelivuluals, but over constituencies as a whole, and it
is a c.mtrol which no extension of the franchise or the mode
of taking votes will effect In the slightest degree. You all
know what that system of authority has done in continental
countries. We know that in France every public work,
every public road, every bridge, and every public building
is either constructed by the State or with its assistance
at any rate. We all know, whether truly or falsely, that
in the days of Louis Philippe, and from that time to this,
it has been continually said that the constituences which
sent members favour-tilde to the Government got their
public works executed, and those who sent members
who sat in Opposition got nothing. That was wholesale
corruption, and I am afraid you would not find it very easy
to keep clear of it here. (Cheers.) Of course you may con-
stitute a Railway Board not depend sit on the Minister of
the day; but I think you will find that rather a difficult
thing to do. A railway administration controlling a capital
of Sill or 7t)C milli ins and having several hundred thousand
employe% and making its Influence felt in every corner of the
country, will be in itself so powerful that even if oetached
altogether from the executive, It would be an imperious in
imperio, and if you keep it with the executive you w ill not
find it easy to elite minect it from political party. (('beers)
.• Then there Is the question touched upon by Mr. Bram-
well, as to its being the interest of the State under the
system proposed to discourage the making of new lines. Of
course, it tile same return can he obtained without giving
increased accommodation—that is to say, without an in-
creased outlay of capital—lt will be very much to the advan-
tage of the It llway Board not to make these new lilies. Now,
at present, clumsy and ininerfect as our system may be, there
Is to some extent a remedy egaiust that danger If &company
ohstinately refuses to provide the accommodation In Redis-
trict which is required, some fresh company is quite sure to
grasp at the chance, and whether that other company carries
its Bill or nor, at any rate the want of the district makes
itself let; and probably a good deal of accommodation is
givr n in that may, from the fear of c.rnipet Coo, which would
never he given at all if that competitiou were imp Asible. Of
• course, when the whole thing is in the ha ,els nine central
management there is an end of that, anti the public in
general, . xnecting Pi profit by the returns of thin railway
system will he direclly interested in not giving that accom-
mohstron to any particular district unless they think it is
clearly made out beforehand that the line will give a good
return. The same argument applies to the machinery and
engineering Improvements, and there would be a very stroug
tendency to settle down into one type /torn which it would
be very difficult to induce those who managed the matter to
deviate.

" the t. stion of canals, steamboats, and docks is aleo
rather a eerlous one. It neve: will de to hove the railways
worked by a central Board 10 ,0120 as the canals which bave
to compete with them are he private hands. If the State
buys the railways it must buy the canals also. Then, in the
case of competition with the steamboats, there will be just
the same complaint, and you will have pressure put upon
you to take these steamboat companies also under Govern-
ment control. Of c >urge the same rule would apply also to
docks. Whoever has the control of the railway system will
have an enormous power in carrying traffic to the docks in
one place or in diverting It from docks in another, and you
would very soon have it said that If the whole Internal com-
munication of the country lain the hands of the State It will
not do for the docks to be left in privateer local hand..
" The general conclusion at which I have arrived Is, that
although the °elections which I have endeavoured to
put before you may no doubt he capable of receiving al
answer, sail it Gee not seem to me Cal up to the present
tirn: they have been answered, and, that bring so. I am in-
clieed to fall back upon that very hackneyed sentiment,—
'Rather bear these Ws we have
Than fly to others that se know not of.'
(Laughter and cheers—l will re, t detain you longer. If the
pro,e.a of RM.' gamcion is to confirm°, and lithe whole rail-
way system of the country Into ett into the bards of sin or
Leven art at c mboddes, that will to a certain extent alter the
emeetion, to so for that It well probably no necessary to have
a greater amount ell control and supervision by the State
than has hitherto been thought net:emery or desirable, be-
cause in that cam all semblance of c unpetition will have dis-
appeared. Ido not at all attempt ti- predict what may come
..f that. I only say at present Ido not thruk such a ease has
been made out against our present system, and in favour of
that which lila proposed to substitute, as would justify or in
embarking on so enormous au undertaking as the doubling
of our National Cr, bt, and placket the whole railway system
lathe bands of the State." (Cheers)

THE TRADES' GUILD OF LEARNING.
A conference took place in the hall of the Society of
Arta, in London, on Saturday, in promotion of a pro-
ject, NO:oth is now assuming something like shape, for
extending the advantages of a university educaion to
the working and middle classes of this country. It is
proposed that local organizations shall be formed in
various towns, and put in communication with a central
guild, for the purpose of defraying the cost of the at-
tendance of duly authorised lecturers Bent from the
Universites of Oxford and Cambridge, to conduct
classes and deliver lectures on subjects such, for ex-
ample, as Political Economy, English Literature, Force
and Motion, Astronomy, Physical Geography, &c.
Technical Education is to form is leading department of
the scheme. Saturday's conferen e was very fairly at-
tended by representative working men in the capacity of
delegates from societies more odors numerous and power.
ful, and the whole day from eleven in the morning
until seven in the evening was occupied in the discussion
of the project. Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., presided
for the first few hours and was succeeded in the chair
by Mr. Nlundella, M.P. With them were the Rev.
H. Solly, who is taking a leading part in the promotion
of the movement ; Mr. James Stuart, M.A., hon. sec.
to the Syndicate, who is actively engsged in furthering
the scheme in connection with the Universities ; Mr.
Webster, Q.C., several reverend gentlemen, and a few
ladies. _ _

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Representatives were in attendance from the follow-
ing bodies :—Working Me 11.15 Club Union. Lord
Lyttelton, Meter. Vaimittart Neale, Joseph Newton,
Thomas Paterson, Hodgson Pratt. G. N. Savage Allen;
from St. John's Club, Holb rn, Mr. W. Mansfield ;
Trades Union Association, Nottingham, Mr. Albert
Richards • Alliance Cabinet-makers. Messm. J. It.
Smith, IL D. Rawlinga ; Working Meds Club mud
Maidstone Trades' Council, Mr. John Potter; Uni-
versity Coll. ge, Working Men's College—Professor
Clifford, M.A., C. Moseley-, and Agricultural La-
bourers' Union, Mr. Joseph Arch. There were also
present Mr. G. J. Holyoake' who was sent to repre-
sent the Co-operative News Company of Manchester
and Newcastle ; Mr. George Odger, Mr. Lucraft, and
several other generally rep_res. en_tativr me!..
•

s
Letters were read from Mr. Twining, Twickenham;
Dr. Baxter Langley, and others, and it appe we from
the public circular of the Guild that favourable re-
cognition of the scheme has been given, among others,
by Lord Edmont Fitzmanrice, M.P., Sir Antoni
Brady, Mr. A Brogden, M.P., Mr. J. Dodds, M.P.,
Mr. T. Hughes. M.P., Mr. WArthar. M.P., Mr.
Whitwell, M.P., the Lord Mayor, Lord George
Hamilton, Ky., mt. cowper Temple, M.P., Sir John
Bennett, It-v. Canon Robinson, M.A., Mr. James
Hole, Mr. Joseph Newton, CE
In the course of di,cussion, which necessarily ex-
tended over a very wide range, Mr. Morley, while be-
lieving that the advantages of university education
should be extended to the middle as well aa tho
working classes, expressed himself not Traci:age:ions of
the danger there is in the pslitical future, unless those
who will then be the stronger power in the State duly
qualify themselves for the high duties that rest upon
them. Therefore, he was glad to see that so large a
number of working men had given attention to a move-
ment which, not merely from a personal but also f corn
' a patriotic point of view, would be of incalculahle
I value. He felt sure the scheme would be successful.
Mr. Solly, Mr. Holyonke, and Mr. by, one of the
working-men representatives, followed. 111 r. Hay
rpoke strongly iegaiu,t the preetice of engagements to
" p:ece work," a system which he believed tended
to det,iorate the productions of English artisans.
Mr. All-u trusted the effect of this echerne world not
be, through instruction of technical education, to
make known the secrets of British._ manufactures
to all mankind. Mr. Ric'iards said they had com-
menced at Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, and
were determined to go on with this movement. Mr.
Franklin feared the want of sympathy between the
middle and working classes would render it difficult
for them ts meet together. Mrs. Lewis, possessing some
knowledge of foreign workmen, and especially of Ger-
mans, gave credit to English artisans for more know-
ledge and political power, and attlibuted any superi-
ority the foreigner might possess in technical education
and mental culture to the euperior advantages they en-
joy fr cultivation in these respects. Mr. Potter, of
Maidstone, complimented the lady on having hit the
right nail on the head. Mr. Watkinson, secretary of
the Iron Ship-builders' Society, approved of the
scheme. Mr. Stifort explained the objects to be, to
give both technical and higher education; and al-
though there was a thetinction betweeo the two, each
to a great extent involved the other; for while tech-
nical education must be made the means of getting
mosey and Of bettering iilll material condition of
the working classes, higher education was the
means of putting them Into snob a position that