The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-03-09 00:00:00

Imperial Parliament.

In the House of Commons. on Monday, Mr. Chaplin
gave notice that be would, oa an early aiy. mill attention
to the hilarious effects OD the agriCUIPITP Of Great Britain
by the malt tax, and move • resolution.—Odoed stanley
introduced the Army Estimate* He stated that the
number of officers who had joined the service during the
past year had been 4ES, and the number wbo had left the
Lait year, but for the Zulu war, the total number of the
forces would have been reduced by about 4,000, and it
was now intended to carry this reduction into effect.
The number of men who joined during 1879 was 25.9 r. as
mainst 29,395 in 1878, and 18.729 in 17. The petsentage
of desertions in inn was 15, viand 19 in 1978 and 17 in
1877. The strength of the militia on the Ist of February
w 120.033, as compared with 114,003 on the same doe in
la As regarded the volunteers, the number of efficieuts
was 197,495. In conclusion, the speaker moved the first
vote of 131.859 men.-80nse debate ensued, after which
the vote was agreed to, and the remainder of the votes
were subsequently missed with hardly any discussion.
In the [louse of Commons. on Tuesday, replyingm lot Mr.
Otway, the Chancellor of the Exchequer the
telegram in the WADeitlette setting forth • programme for
the settlement of fghanistan was Mind, i=aflthirt
—Some debate ensued on &resolution moved by A.
Taylor in favour of the abolition of the gums laws, the
like of which, he said, was not to be f in any other
, civilised country. —Sir W. Barttelot moved an
ment declaring the inexpediency of dealing wiarstte
question of the game laws at present—Mr. C. S. Read
expressed an opinion that the tenant should have the
right to kill the hares and rabbits which preyed on his
crope—Sir W Harcourt characterised the amendment as
one of no surrender, and asked what the farmers would
think of it The amendment was ultimately negatived.
The House of Commons met on Wednesday at half-past
twelve o'clock.
Mr. Grimell was then brought to the box of the House,
and, in reply to the Speaker, who inquired what he had to
say in explanation of havie3 evaded punishment for the
offence he committed last session against the privileges of
the House, he expressed his regret and tendered his
submission.
On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
seconded by Mr. W. E. Forster,
_Mr. Grissell was oered
to be committed to Newts**. ILr. Macartaey moved the
second reeding of the Ulster Tenant-right Bill, explaining
that it proposed to throw upon the landlord the onus of
proving that insmoventents were made by him and not by
the tenant After some discussion, every speaker in
which supported the Bill, the Attorney-General for
Ireland. on the part of the Government, consented to allow
the measure to be read • sioxid time, and it was reed
accordingly.
In the Nouse of Lords, on Thursday, the Settled Land
Bill came on for second reading. Lord Bath said it would
be hotter to abolish the law of settlement altogether than
to pass a Bill which would tend to create a pauper
proprietary. Lord Cmington held that the measure &d
not go far enough. Lord Ripon agreed that the Bills were
improvements, but said they could not be regarded as •
settlement of the various questions in connexion with
the land laws. The Bill was read • second time, as was
also the Conveyandng Bill.
The Irish Relief Bill paned through committee.
In the House of Commons, Mr. Monk called attention
to the increasing cost of certain classes of the Civil
Service. He also condemned the inconvenient prestige
which had grown up of bringing in three different sets of
estimates. Sir H. Ibbetion admitted that there had bees
of late years an increase in the Civil Service Estimates.
but panted out that it was due to the action ofa
keen. Sir G. Balfour smarted that in the last thirteen
years the cost of the Civil Service had gone up thirties
or fourteen millions. A number of votes were agreed to.
In the House et Lords on Friday night, in discussing Lb.
Irish Distress Bill. Lord Roily complained strongly of the
unjustifiable Legume used by Mr. 'Lowther in speaking of
Ireland at • Tory gathering at Kendal. Lord Craubstiok
asked that the matter might be allowed to drop.
In the House of Commons Mr. Cross, answering Mr.
Hopwood, said he had declined to interfere with the
privilege of High Sheriffs to admit or shut out reporters
from executions, as they thought fit It was desirable,
however, that some independent parson should be present,
and he would see whether an arrangement could be made.
Mr. Bright observed that a system of secret executions,
like those in Lancashire this week, would soon become
intolerable to the country. Other members having con-
demned the exclusion of reporter,, Yr. Crow
against a debate being raised In this irregular way, where-
upon Lord Hartington protested against the warmth
shown by the Home Secretary, and a sharp diacuadon was
continued by Sir S. Northcote and Mr. Gladstone Sir
Wilfrid Lawson then brought forward his motion for
" local °Wm" in reference to licenses to deal in Intoxicat-
ing dnn. He admitted in the course of his remarks
that his resolution had been framed to catch votes, which
he contended he had a right to do, since there was an
almost universal opinion that legislation on the subject
was needed. Kr:Gladstone pointed out that Sir W.
Lawson would clearly never be satisfied with lees than the
ye Bill, and under those circumstances he (Mr.
Gladstone) could not vote for the resolution, although he
personally did not object to a well considered scheme of
local option. As regarded compensation, the House could
not equitably deviate from the principle on which it had
always hitherto acted in dealing with vested intonate, and
the resolution ought to have fairly recognised that
principle Mr. Gladstone concluded by pointing out that
the restrictions placed on licenses in many towns had
produced no apparent good result, for in places where
there were the largest number of publichouses there were
the fewest cases of drunkenness; but he trusted the
Government would fraukly state whether they intended
to legislate on the subject An amendment having been
moved by Mr. Wheelhouse, the champion of the licensed
vevictuallenenlng. tlaltidiacniautrlS:)nSirejl;7iledfri, occupieddwhichLawson's thewhole
resolutionwse
rejected by MI votes against at Sir Wilfrid had 161
supporters last year.