The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-10-05 00:00:00

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It is a healthy sign of national vitality when states-
men and members of Parliament—between whom there
e sometimes a wide difference—address public meetings
doing the long interval between session and session.
No country in the world can exhibit anything like

our political and social gatherings. The session is
not long enough for the discussion of public topic.,
and right hon. and hon. members freely indulge
In friendly intercourse with their constituents
during the recess. Foreigners must envy us in this
matter, and certainly it is one of these national cha-
racteristics on which we can reasonably congratulate
ourselves. We have lately had, amongst many other,
speeches from two members of the Cabinet, the Right
Hon R. Lowe and the Right Hon. W. E. Forster.
. .

Politicians of different schools may entertAin diverse
opinions of these speeches, but it will at all events be
freely admitted that the ("hencellor of the Exchequer
and the Vice-President of the Privy Council have
given xis much to talk and think about, and some of I
us something to write about Mr. Lowe's practical,
common-sense remarks on strikes and the labour
market must be generally agreed with, and working
men would do well to take them to heart; while hie
views on national funds and the demands for local
•IPeuditure appear to me to be thoroughly sound,
Why should money voted by the ratepayers of
the United Kingdom be devoted to the Irish
fisheries, or to a privately-conducted search alter
Dr. Livingstone, or the purchase of a part of
Epping Forest? Let each locality pay for its local
Improvements and the development of its pecular in-
duatriss, and let national funds be devoted to national
purposes. Mr. Forster 'nay well be excused for dwell-

thgs goon deal on the Ballot, as he took so active a
part in the bill, but I should not be excimed were I to
dilate upon it; nor should I be pardoned were I to
. _

dwell on that welbworn theme the Geneva arbitration,
which It la a treat to have done with. There is one

topic which no public speaker seems now able to avoid,
wed that in the labour question. Mr. Forster thinks
Unit there is now a better feeling between employers

aad employed than formerly. Many will not agree
with him, but his opinion in at all events valuable. and
I hope he is in the right. Speaking of the labour
question as affecting the land, Mr. Forster made a
statement which will naturally be regarded, rightly or
wrongly, an a straw which shows wide& way the minis-
terial wind blown. He thought it would be one of
their first duties in Parliament, he said, to take away
the obstacles which prevented some landlords from
doing their duty by an amendment of the land laws.
Signifioint this. Yes, I belieie that the land ]luestion
Is gradually coming to the fore.
As the election of Lord Mayor is a matter in which
Ine great metropolis itself, outside the precincts of the
City, takes but little interest, it is not likely that
people farther afield will care much about it; but
these were two matters referred to in the speech of
the gentleman who proposed Sir Sydney Waterlow
that are of general interest. The Lord Mayor elect
was asked whether he would endeavour to promote
technical education by means of the action of the
Livery companies, to which he replied that he
would do very little to promote technical educe.
am unless the Livery were prepared to follow
where he led. I venture to Bay that there will
be very little leading or following. Technical educa-
tion is • great want of the times, and our mechanics
and artisans are discovering, through the force of foreign
competition, that somehow or other such education
insult be promoted il trey would stand their ground.
But the lees they depend on the livery companies
of London the better. There is another im-
portant point. Mr. Campin, the proposer of
Sir Sydney Waterlow, speaking of the livery guilds
of the City, said that "if the action of these cor
porationn had been revived, the strikes which had been
so common of late, and which had been in many re-
spects attended with serious results, both to trade and
to masters and workmen, would have been speedily
brought to an end, or if there had been any re-
cognised public body to exercise • wholesome in-
fluence over them." Whether these livery guilds],
however, under any circumstances, could exercise
this influence may well be doubted. Their
constitution, and even existence, are opposed to
the spirit of the times. But what confidence,
let me ask, would our working men have in
the "wholesome influence" that came entirely from
one side, that of the maidens What we really
want, and what we ought to have, is a council of arbi-
tration, composed of *goal numbers of masters and
employed, on the pinciple of the conseila de peud'
&mete, that have worked so well in France. Such
boards of arbitration as these would have prevented
many a strike that has otherwise taken place.
A time-worn mlage tells us, solar populi supreena lex, '
or, in Plain English, that the health of the people is
the highest object of law; but then the people ought
to aid their lawgivers In carrying out good laws. It is
to be reared that we are rather apathetic in this duty.
For example, last seseion the law relative to the
adulteration of food, lrink, and drugs was amended,
imposing heavy penalties both for adulteration and for
selling adulterated articles. The city of London has
set a good example in making preparations for the
appointment of an analyst—which is something like
ordering the coals], to light the furnace, to set the
machinery going. The Act leaves it to town councils,
vestries, Ac., to appoint analysts, without whom
nothing can be done. How many analysts throughout
the kingdom have yet been appointed! I cannot say
that none have been appointed, but I have heard of
none, and certainly very little has been done on the
part of the people who suffer so much from adultera-
tion to put the Act in motion. This in much to be
regretted. lii, well to bear in mind that for twelve
years the Adulteration Act of 1860 remained a dead
letter, simply because local authorities would not put
It into operation. We ought not to have a second
failure in respect to a really good law.
There are some rather curious episodes in the any-
thing but "short and simple annals" of the contest
between Capital and Labour. From the Continent we
have heard of the priests in one town striking for an
increase of pay for saying masses. In one large parish
In London the rate-collectors, inspectors] of nuisances,
road sweepers, and other classes of parochial employ&s,
are demanding an increase of pay. The rate-collectors
want £340 a year instead of £245, The metro-
politan police also want an increase of wages, and
they are told that to grant this an application to Parlia-
ment will be necessary. This just shows tow all these
demands ultimately prems upon us poor taxpayers.
Sooner or later the public have to pay. But the most
curious fact of all is that a number of coalsminers at a
certain colliery have refused an advance of le. a day,
stating that duos the last advance the coal-musters have
raised the price of coals 7s. a ton—another instance, by.
the-way, of the public having ultimately to suffer for
these increased demands. The men, it seems, resolved,
" that the masters be asked to take the teat advance
off the price of coal, and take back the shilling." This
Is the most amusing thing that I have heard in refer-
ence to these labour movements, and it certainly does
honour to the men. And apropos of coal, lam glad to
observe that the prices of coal and iron are coming
down. This mast tend to the lowering of prices in
many other departments of industry.
Is it not rather a strange display of poser—or weak-
ness for 500 men to meet in Hyde Park on a Sunday to
promote the emigration of 45! This really appears to
have been the chief object of this monster demonstra-
tion. True, the resolution which was passed contained
• protest against the London and North Western Com-
pany for reining to submit a dispute to arbitration,
but still the aiding of these 43 men to emigrate was
the only practical object of the demonstrators. And
perhaps it would be well if other men on strike
or in dietede with their employers would also adopt
the system of mutual help towards emigration. The
agricultural labourers have to some extent done this,
and the position of this class, here and in the colonies,
has been, so far, improved by it. Ths building operative;
might do well to consider whether they should not do
likewise. Some little time since it was officially stated
en their behalf that one tenth of their number was per-
manently unemployed. Then why not aid them to go
where building operatives would be better appreciated
and more highly paid!

Any time during the past twelve months we have
bad complaints either itt or out of Parliament as to the
scarcity of silver. It cannot be disputed that these
complaints are well grounded. Especially short are
shilling. and sixpences, and many of the latter are so
worn that they have become mere dicc of silver with
no 'image or eupencription" visible, Where the fault
lies I am not clever enough to decide, but I feel cent-
dent that there are several private firms who could
and would coin very much faster than the Royal Mint.
There is no comparative scarcity of half-crowns and
florins, as any one may observe on making a small pun
chase and changing a sovereign. His change will fre-
quently consist almost wholly of these coins. But I
'appose it will all come right in time, and the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer assures us that the Mint work-
men are now doing all they can to remedy the evil
(that is to say all that • Government department can
be expected to do).
An appeal
to subscribe' or
limited

under

lees strange
Nucceeded in
to Italian s
111101IIIOUS SI
do *dor,

le made to the public, by advertisement,
ir the establishment of " a National Opera
liability." It certainly is strange, but no
than true, that national opera has never
I this ,xiuntry. We pay extravagant salaries
vocalists; we produce foreign operas at
:panes; and to vint the Italian Opera is
'1 while 1131111010.11 WS bare swo opsei

houses going at once, more or lees imccesstully. And
yet English opera never succeeds. Whether a limited
liability company will be able to accomplish what
private enterprise has tailed in remains to be seen; but I
take leave to doubt it.

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