The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-04-09 00:00:00

SUNDAY was an important day in the contem-
porary history of the United Kingdom. What
England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland wore
then, they will continue to be, for official pur-
poses, for ten years to come. A decade will
wane away, households will come and go, some
towns will increase and others will diminish, but
our rank in the population estimate of the world
will be fixed by the numbers found in these
islauds on that night. The relation in which
our cities and counties are shown to • stand to
each :other on that day was that in which we
shall speak and writeaof them for another de-
cenniul period. A sort of competitive examina-
tion between our towns for rank and position in
the State for the next ten years, was therefore
involved in the Census. The movements of tie
population, of which cognizance is thus taken,
raise or lower the position of towns in the popu-
lation scale as by an irresistible fiat. London
wilt probably be found to have gone still further
in advance, and all over the kingdom the halanee
will be more and more in favour of the towns
eed against the rural dh-tricts. The last ten
years bave been unusually chequered. From
1861 to 1871 there W,4Ei only one period of com-
mercial depression, end an almost unbroken
reign of agricultural prosperity. The Census
itself came just as the corner had been turned
in trade affairs, and a time of unbounded
prosperity had begun. For two or three year.
the country flourished as it had never flourished
before. The revenue increased by leaps and
hounds. The towns spread on all sides ; popu-
lation was attracted from abroad ; and the erni-
gration flood was turned for a year into a back-
ward ebb. Had that state of things continued,
the Census taken last Sunday would have toil
of an increase in our people without parallel in
history. But the years of tilenty have been fo-
iowed by years of figurative famine, aid the
decennial period ends in a fitful teade revival
and a serious agricuqural depression. The
rural districts may have a sad story of depopu
halm to tell when the figures now in the office
of the Registrar-General are made up and put
into cold print. There will be shown, no doubt,
on the whole, a large increase in the number of
inhabitants in Great Britain, but its distribution
13 likely to be more unequal than ever. The
towns will still be seen drawing on the rural
.lietricts, and the ninth decade of the nineteenth
e,,ntemy will prove itself to be more thi.in ever the
age of great cities.
'there is little doubt that a certain political
importance attaches to the present census. In
the discussions on the redistribution of political
power in 1867 and 1868, it was generally agreed
that it would be wise to postpone any resettle-
ment of the representation in Parliament until
the relative ranks of towns and counties had
been fixed by data which did not thou exist.
The Census of 1871 showed increased need for
some rearrangement of parlisinentary areas ;
but various causes have combined, within the
last ten y.ars, to prevent any reaijustment of
the legislative machinery. The Census teken
last Sunday will
,he the basis of now political
arrangements, and its social results are likely to
be still more important, We shall not only see
what changes the ten years have made in the
distribution of the people, but what re3ults they
Lev° had upon their occupations. Tha ea;
the agricultural depression will be ascertained
by the turning away of the people from agricul-
ture to trade ; and to the various indoetries
which distinguish this couetry, and have wade
etr great and preeperoua. '1 here is a toeie in-
fluence in this national stock•taking. It is quite
certain to sLow that even during the period of
depression our trade has continued sound ; that
most of our grt at industria s support new worker:-;
z,nd that new employments have been found by
the energy and ingenuity of the dwellers in a
great hive of busy limes. The picture of the
nation at woi k, which last Sunday' photograph
of living Ftigland gave us, will pr,bably convince
the world at large that our decadence is even
further from begint ing no than it ever was.
The va:uti of mime information which has been
coUeeted depends of course upon its accuracy,
Ind the accuracy depends npon those who make
die returns. With some persons there is some-
time's a great objection to filing in the column
;n the Censuspaper headed " Age last bit thday."
The item is, however, one cf the most iniportent
for scientific purposes in the whole table. Tile
average duration of life, on a correct reckoniug
of which all life assurances and annuity tables
depend, and by which alone our sanitary progress
can be measured, can be ascertained only by the
actual counting of the number of persons living
in each year of every generation Every incor-
rect statement of age puts a figure out of place,
nod vitiates the reckoning. Lt is. on the house-
loilders that the nation has relied on the greet.
self-counting which has just Leen effected, and
there is every reason to believe that the fignre.
are as trustworthy as those which have attendsd
previous numberings of the people.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING AT STOURBRIDGE.—.At the
Worcester &mining on Wednesday, William
Frederick Law, on bail. was charg. d with mal-
ciously woundi,g John Gibbons, on the 26th
January, Gresham Wells proscWed, and Mr.
Godson &fended. —On the day named prosecutor
went to the Vauxhall Inn, which is kept by the
pr;soner. Prioner said the pmsecutor was drunk
and ordered him out of the house. Pro,ecutor
declined to go at once, but a short titile atterward,,
as he Wad leaving the house, he received a blow on
the back of the h, ad. Prisoner was slandin4 at
th door at the time with a knife in his hand, and
in the act of strdring. Prosecut-r put up his hand
to protect hims4f, and received a wound on the
hand, and also others about the heal and face.
He denied striking prisoner's wife or quar•elli-g
with the pri,.ontr previous to prisoner's throwing
his ginger beer away and attemptimt to put him
out of the house.—After hearing the evidence, a
consultation took place between the learned
coun,el and the chairman, the result b,ing that at
the reeommendati,n of the pris mer's advocate, the
prisoner pleaded guilty to a eommon assault, and
he was let off on paying prosecut sr .£lO, and
promising to come up for judgement when called
upon.
ACQUITTED —Mary Ann Bryant (38), labourer,
was found not guilty on a carge of rebb:ng £5
15s of David Dawes, at Stourbridge, on the 20th
January.
The King of Greece has appointed Mr. J. W.
Henson of Ludstve Hill and Old Bond Street,
Goleismith and Jeweller to the Royal C Ur. Mr
J. W. Benson Las ji,st tow leted a Medal of
Honour, bearing a most striking head of his
Majesty.
Trreilsrrns.—At the Pace Court, yesterday,
before C01.m..1 Fletcher, the following tra ~fers
k place:—New
[4: e, tom Benjamin All-
(t.ohourehlatoNillide Inn,
mw
Stevens, adjourned for 14 day-;
New Inn Envillo street, St ourbr dge, from
Richard Kelly, deceaFed, to Jane Kelly; Th.- Crown,
Envide Street, from William Broomfield to Jtms
Payton; Market Tavern, from M;ry Smith to
Samuel Dakin.

_
DRUNK AND REFUSING TO QUlT.—Charles Yirrest
%ere; eliar;e:i with b. ing drunk and refusing to qu,t
to \Vitae Horse, on tee sth in-t , when rep, sted.
\Valium Smith, landlor•i, sa d he found t e dcfeni.
:int in his noose fast asleep, lard h id et him by the
nose, and asked him to leave Defendant bee tine
irritated and struck him. The Ben,-11 remarked
that he had taken the law into his own hands by
pulling his nose, und ciismissed the stnnmons.
No, -reirmENT OF GAS ACCOUNTS.— Thomas
Hewitt pnd John Merrick were chir..ed with non
payment cif the ,tE3 aco,unts. Mr. T. Little,woo,l,
collector, proved the case, end an order was made
for p ,yreent, in default a iii.-dress.
IMPROVEMENT AND HIGHWAY RATEI3.—A. number
of persons were summoned by James Liipkisa or
non-rayment of tie above rates Orders were
made in each case tf; be paid in 14 d
CHARGE OF STFALING A PIGEON.—GCOT.,C Ta3lOT
was charged with staling a pigeon on the 20th ull.
the propt.rty of Ailed Yardley Jane Yaidley
proved the case. I fondant pleaded guilty. Fined
6d to include cots; in default 14 ckys.
CA, T lON T., DR! rvE Es•—ltichar 1 Boxley Iva.;
charged with di lying a pig from Sturbridg to
the Lye on the 4ih inst., without first obtaining a
license. Mr. S. Brooks, maser of the defend,mt,
said that he sold a pig awl sent the defendant with
it, and did not thinic of obtaining a license. and it
w,is no fault of the defendant's. Under the circum-
stances the case was %%Mid/awn on payment of 5s
6,1 IIE costs.

ASSAULT CASE.— George 17.'ilham Prescott,
lvs charged with in-saultirg Joseph
Whart-n Woolley on the Ist inst. Mr. Perry
appeared to prosecute After hearing, the evidence
of complainant, Mr Platt, and I;lice-constail,
Wiiliams, the Bench considered the case proved,
and fined defendant avid costs; in d, fault or:it.
month. Defenoant gave notice of app,al.
BOARD OF GUARDIANB.—Th, vt,elity meeting
of this Board was held yesterday, Mr. Raybould
in the chair. There were also present Messrs.
Wood, Giies, Lavender, Taylor, H
Forr:;st, 11. B. Guest, Mills-, Homer, Hingley,
and Newnan'. Ad Atted into tile house
duritn4 the week 20 ; diecharged 14; born 1 ;
d• ad 2 ; remaining in the house 589 ; corres-
ponding period lest year 497. Out-door relief,
•Kingswinford diAtrict, £3B 16s Od ; S7onr-
hridge district £3O fis 7.i ; liaesowen district,
1:18 153 fid ; non-resident 6s 4d ; thtal £BB
4s 5d against £74 7s a sanitary meet
ing held afterwards the death-rate of Stafford.
shire wss reported to be '25 per thousand per
innumn, auct that of Worcestershite 28 per
thousand per annum'.

THE IRON TRADE.
WOLVERHAMPTON, Wednesday.
The market to-day was somewhat unsettled by
reason of the reductions announced by marked
bar makers, who have put down thfir quotations
10a. per ton. Lord Dudle3's price will now he
1:7 129.10 d., and that of the other makers £7
tr Lo. The wisdom of making the alteration
vet y touch questioned, many persons being of
oliinnm that it will luing no more orders, while
the tr,lits will be reduced. Buyers who havo
been in the habit of taking the commoner class
of iron will not, it is said, be induced to purchase
marked iron, even at the new prices, as they are
stiil too high, and the quality they have bruit
rectntly nurchasing is butEch-nt for their pur-
poses. The leading houses are pretty well sup-
plied with orders, though not to the same extent I
tis the makers of second-class iron. The pro. BLACKHEATU.
ducers of bars are tolerably supplied with work.
Hoops are in betterdeand, and stamping sheets Oak Inn, on Tu,sday, be.for. Mr. E. Ho per. touch-
and tin-plates are being ordered in larger quan- ImatrzeT.—Nn inquest was held at the Royal
H rn
ing the death of a child mused Hadley; aged five
titles by consumers for their spring season moths, wiio died suddk.nly- on Sunday night, 'the
trade. Boiler-plates are in exceptionally small Jury returned a verdict of "Died from natural
request, but girder plates are slightly more asked causes."
for. The pig makers have great difficulty in _
obtaining orders, as buyers now desire some
THE
hBeTcßhaTiKnmKakers on
concession in the face of a reduced value on "; On WTednEesdealYlAniNmMeeltiKn
manufactured iron. Most of them refused to sirike was held at the Five Ways' Cradley
quote less money, and intimatt d that they would when the President of thoChainmakers' Association
blow out their furnacui before they would make oported that two other firms had consented to pay
a reduction in their quotations, but it is believed their at the advanced rate they were demn,noirg.
that by quarter-day the leading makers will re- It. wasp solved hat the men employed by one of
consider their decision. Common cinder and the firms in question should be allowed to return
part-wine metals were more inquired after than to theirs work; but in the other case the di el--ion of
the better chase' aof pigs. Both ironstone tatA the si-viation was defer.ed. It was fur her
- coal go off very slowly, and prices are difficult to resolved that, the man body of the men should re-
Inaba out until the advance was generally conceded