The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-07-04 00:00:00

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foubon (Eorrtsponttnt.
I IV* deern it right to state that Ire do Dot at all times
Went* oureelves With our correspondent's opinions]

The interest in purely Parliamentary matters has
for some little time past been daily decreasing. For a
time the public, wearied with the apathetic, and often
remold's., debates in the House of Commons, has I
transferred its attention to the House of Lords, during I
the debate on the Suspensory Bill ; but as it was felt
from the commencement that this bill would be re.
jetted, and the only question was how great the
majority would be, the interest in their lordships'
proceedings was after all not very great The main
work of the session having now been accomplished,
and there being, so to speak, merely a few odds and ends
to finish up, the country, like the House of Commons
itself, is rather looking forward to the next House than
the present. Another four weeks at most, and the
fitful fever of Parliamentary life will be over ; and
meanwhile people are talking of the arrangements for
the general election. These arrangements may be re-
gard.' as virtually decided. The printed lists of the
new voters will be issued about the Ist of November,
ivnd it is calculated that the new House can meet
in Tuesday, December Bth. The swearing-in of
the members and the choice of a Speaker will occupy
Klima a week ; and it is reckoned that the Queen'.
speech (it is to be hoped that her Majesty will open
the new House in person) may be deliver.' on the 14th
or 15th of December. Immediately afterwards we
may have a terrible political battle on the Address in
reply to the speech from the Throne, and the question
" under which king' the House of CAmmons is to be
ruled may in a few days be decided. All this, as far
as present appearances go, is probable enough, but is
not yet absolutely decided ; but it is, at all events, clear
enough that nothing the House of Commons can now
do will excite the public interest anything comparable
to the interest the public feels in the approaching
general election. Hon. members themselves are just
now paying more attention to their constituents in
view of the next Parliament than in connection with
tin present; and this is natural enough. The recess
chic year will not lie a vacation; the holidays will be
pctiod of hard work. Parliamentary and election
Ate, political clubs, solicitors and committees —all
ill be busy, and Continental hotel-keepers will
find a sensible diminution in their profits.
The inquiry into the alleged necessity of legislation
on the sale of intoxicating liquors on Sunday has at
loot terminated, and the select committee has decided
that the subject does not demand immediate legislation.
Perhaps if the select committee had stated their real
view of the matter they would have said that the
subject is so difficult, the vested interests so powerful,
and the opposition to any interference with trade so
great, that legislation is too serious and laborious a
work for the present. There is one fact, however,
which shows that a check ought to be placed on the
further extension of public-houses, at all events. There
are no less than 10,000 public-houses and beer-shops in
Lon ion. This is certainly, to say the very least,
enough ; and yet there are scarcely ever half-a-dozen
dwelling-houses run up anywhere in London but you
will find a public-house at the corner, and the
Al itaining a license is, unhappily, a very easy matter.
The Marquis Townehend is apparently of opinion
that if de minimis non carat los, the law ought to
care for little things; and the bill which he has intro-
slimed into the House of Lords for the government of
the metropolis is remarkable in this respect Among
the numerous little things which he would forbid under
A penalty are throwing orange-peel on the foot-
path ; riding across a thoroughfare at a greater speed
than six miles an hour, or, when travelling at a less
rate, neglecting to keep near the kerb ; to stop, when
Ii iving, without raising, hand or whip; women
placing theinselvee outside windows for the purpose of
cleaning them; singing in the streets; exhibiting
thawimes, &c., to excite charity; and crossing-sweep-
ing without authority of the guardians of the parish.
There is a large number of prohibitions in the bill
some good, Some bad, and some indifferent. The
Marquis is known to be rather crotchetty, and has
aimed at too much. There is not, indeed, the re-
motest chance of the bill passing. For my own part, I
would readily submit to the whole bill bodily, for the
sake of one of its clauses, which enables the Commis-
sioners of Police to prohibit street organs on the re-
quisition of the inhabitants. The balance of good in
the measure is decided, but it is just one of those
measures which would arouse an immense deal of
opposition. Some would oppose it for this, sounsibr
that, and some for the other. I hope his lordship,
however, will persevere, and re-introduce the bill next
Session.
The heavy damaged which juries frequently give in
eases of damage by railway are commonly remarked
upon ; but here is a case specially worthy of note,
because the startling amount of £2.500 had been given,
not by the award of a jury, but by consent between
counsel for plaintiff and defendant. A collision took
place, nearly two years ago, on the Midland Railway,
and now, at this distance of time, the plaintiff
" Appeared to be in a very nervous and feeble state;
he trembled very Lunch, and he spoke with a great
impediment of speech." From the evidence adduced
t would appear that the injured man is almost wholly
in Aapacitated from attending to business; but it is a
curious question that I have never yet seen discussed,
how far a railway company is liable proportionately
to the position of the person injured. There may be
only the same amount of injury and the same negli-
gence in the case of a labourer, and of a barrister
earning four or five thousand a year ; an i yet in the
one case £l,OOO would be a fortune, ant in the other
would be a farce. Could not some principle of com-
pensation be agreed on in a conference between railway
.liractore and lawyers? If this could be done, and it
WOIS embodied in an Act of Parliament, it would, at
least, be a boon ti railway shareholders, who now
IV vise know how noon their dividends may be scattered
to the winds by a railway collision. At present, too,
railway shareholder-t are apt to grumble at heavy
damages being awarded, because it is a company that
pays it ; and they may find some warrant for this in a
case that was decided on the same day. Ahoy had
his right arm dragged into some machinery, and it was
.o• crushed that it was immediately amputated ; and
vet the jury only awarded i!200, though there wil.4 un-
doubted negligence on the part of the defendant,
seeing that the machinery was not fenced off.
A came will come on in one of the superior courts in
due time in which the commercial community is deeply
interested. By an Act, passed in the first year of her
Majesty's reign, the conveyance letters otherwise
than by poet, with certain exceptions, in prohibited,
under a penalty of 4:5 per letter, or flOO per week, as
long sit the law is broken. The Post-office authorities
have just instituted a prosecution against the Circular
Deli; cry Company, and nominal penalties have been
inflicted; but the case has yet to be fully tried. The
sooner the better, for nobody now seems to understand
the law. 'lle defence in the present came is this If
man can send out his two clerks w th circulars,
isnother man can send out six or eight; and if six r
eight people can conbine to serd out their circulars,
wily not any numker ? Free trade is in favour of the
defendants in the present case, and the public, there-
fore, may well watch the caste with some interest
Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, the eminent naturalist,
ale gse name is identified with that strange collection of
extinct animals that is to be found in the Crystal
Palace grounds, is about to go to New York "to build
a large group of American extinct animals in the
Central Park, New York." Very strange idea that,
going to build animals! It is to be hoped that they will be
more highly appreciated in New York than the plaster
monstrosities in the Crystal Palace are. No doubt it
ie very wrong, but, somehow or other, people will not
believe in them animals. Several thousands of pounds
were anent on these groups of monstrosities, under the
idea of teaching people geology and natural history,
St the time when the Palace was supposed to be a
groat educational teniple, but they now only serve to
excite some little wonder and a little more amusement
Our American cousins, perhape, may be more appre-
mative.