The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1873-04-01 00:00:00

Rural enuntti.Expeas.

TUESDAY, LYME 1, 1873.
NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Since the division on Mr. Osborne Morgan's
Burials Bill, which formed a rallying-point for
the somewhat disordered Libe!'fl ParlY, end
resulted in a deeded victory for Ministers, who
supported the measure, the Government have
recovered not • little of their lost prestige, in
the estimation of the public ; and they have also
no little credit from the statement which
gainedr.Cicheater Fortescue was able to make on
Friday evening In reply to Mr. Plimsoll's
question as to the form of the reference and the
names selected in the case of the Royal Coin-
mission on shipping. The form of the reference
I. full and complete, embracing every point of
the subject in which so much national interest is
just now felt, and the names are, on the whole,
unexceptional, embracing as they do men of the
highest character and greatest experience in
technical matters. With such a coommission and
so great a breadth of inquiry, effectual remedies
ought to be found for the abuses which Mr.
Plimsoll has boldly, and we may my heroically,
exposed. The Gladstone Ministry have been
spt in gaining kudos by adopting or supporting
the measures of private members; and the
two cases above mentioned afford freak exampies
of their discretion in this direction.

It is questionable, however, whether the
Ministry will give their official support to Mr.
Fawoett's Bill with • view of settling the Irish
University question. The little discussion on
the point of order raised, Mr. Callan in reference
, to this Bill, on Friday evening, brought out the
I fact that the hon. member for Brighton had, in
I deference to the objections of Mr. Gladstone and
I others so considerably modified his measure
since its introduction into the House of Com-
mons, that he had to put himself in order by
asking leave to withdraw the original Bill, awl
Introduce the amended one as a new measure.
But the objection winch the Premier made to
this course being adopted without notice--an
objection not sustained by the Speaker—showed
that he was not by any means anxious to hasten
Lb. discussion of the Bill on the second reading,
which Mr. Fawcett fixed for Wedneedey next,
Lb. same day as that fixed for the original
amour% although he loess his place on the
paper, and will have little chance of bringing
on his question for some' time. The apparent
desire of Mr, Gladstone to shunt this Bill, as
he did Mr. Fawcett's resolution on the same
subject last year, and the demonstrative cheers
from the Conservative bendier' when the hon.
member for Brighton was led forward by Mr.
Osborne Morgan to present his Bill to the clerk
at the table, are significant of a contest which
may well cause the Government some anxiety.
The principal topic of political speculation Is
the Budget—the surplus, and what Mr. Lowe
wit do with it. Of °ours. if he &arse to pay
the whole of the Washington indemnity out of
next year's surplus, there will be an end of the
discussion. There will be but little surplus to
deal with then; but it does not seem
thus to settle the matter. The Geneva
might very well be spread over three or four
yam, and in that came there will be • large slice
out of the five millions to the good. If ever
there is to be • time when the war tax can with-
out inconvenience be reduced to a minimum, it
is now. And no doubt it is desirable to make
things pleasant in this quarter, for the income-
tax abolitionists are gaining strength; and now
there is • good opportunity for constructing
• popularity Budget, as well as a necessity
for doing so. The eyes of the constituencies are
upon Ministers at the present moment; and if
the letter can win popular favour by a good
: financial scheme, they will do much towards
restoring the prestige so severely damaged
by the defeat of their Irish University Bill.
, Mr. Lowe may gain credit not only for himself
but for the whole Administration.
The University boat-race took place on Satur-
day, with the weather as bright and warm as
could be desired. Increased eagerness of interest
had been excited by the improved chances of
Oxford, as shown in the barometer of the "odds"
(6 to 4 having become 10 to 7, and eventually
10 to 9), and enormous throngs of people gathered
to witness the race, the prevalivit impression
being that it was no longer • foregone conclusion,
but that • spirited contest would be seen. Nor
was this impression erroneous, for Oxford made
• good fight for it. The fates, however, were
once more unpropitious to the Dark-Blues, and
:their opponents were the victors in • well-
contested struggle by three lengths,
The official inquiry at Greenwich police-court
into the loss of the ship Peru, afforded on Friday
a striking illustration of some of Mr. Plimsoll's
statements respecting the treatment of our sea-
men. Two of the crew who had refused to
proceed to sea in the vessel, and who had con-
sequently been sentenced to twelve weeks'
imprisonment in the county gaol at Dorchester,
were called to give testimony as to the alleged
unseaworthinese of the vessel. If the Court
should believe in their testimosy and gun judg-
ment accordingly, here will be • fact to bring
before the Royal Commission. But, without
prejudging this case, the need is urgent of pro-
visional legislation to prevent the porible and
intolerable grievance of imprisoning men for
refusing to trust their lives in unseaworthy
ships.
'The South Wales collie= have thrown down
another challenge to their mestere. This time
they are not resisting • reduction of 10 per cent.,
but demanding a rise of 16 per cent. At a
meeting of delegates held 'at Blackwood on
Saturday it wee resolved to send in an ultima-
tum for 3d. per ton in Apt], and • fiuiher 3d.
In May. Some ooalowners hare already
Intimated that they will not refuse • reasonable
advance.

It is-X.nnounoed that the new Turkish loan of
£50,000,000 is meant to cover all payments
for the construction of the new railways.
Aooording to a correspondent it is also intended
to cover the lugs deficit in the Budget of
this year, which is now expected to amount to
£8,000.000.