The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-03-08 00:00:00

•tit loan torsntnt.
'4e aethl It' Ight to state that we do not at all {Wee
Wally ouieelvee w th cur Correspondent's ,platons.3

It is high time that constituents insisted on a little
better attendance on the part of their representatives
in the House of Commons on important occasions, and
especially when money is being lavishly Noted away.
The other evening when the House went into Com-
mittee of Supply , n the Army Estimates there were
not as many as 4C inernhers in the House, so that had
anybody crept up to the Speaker, just before he left
the chair, and moved that the House be counted, it
might have been counted out. Vhen " the House,"
to give it the benefit of the term, went into Committee
of 'Supply there was not a single member on the front
opposition benih or the one immediately behind it;
there were only two Ministers present; and the benches
generally were merely dotted here and there with a
member ; and, it was in this state of things that the
Secretory of State for War moved a resolution which
certainly must be regarded as possessing some import•
Knee, that the land forces consist of 128,968 men. It is
strange that the people, whose money is voted away
on such occasions, apparently take such little intesest
in the attendance or non-attendance of their repre-
sentatives.

A meeting of some of the Liberal electors of the
borough which Mr. Gladstone represents having been
convened, the Premier as a matter of course was in-
vited. His reason for not accepting the invitation is
worth noting. Ile was too much occupied, stating
that he was saddled with engagements of every kind,
and had a greater weight of business on him every day
than he could sstisfactorily dispose of. We can most
,d us readily believe this. The probability is that,
during the session at ad event*, Mr. Gladstone is about
the most hardworking man in the country. It is dif-
ticult indeed to understand how ry.d why our prominent
public men should voluntarily work 8o hard as tLey do.
The only conclusion possible is that they must really
like work, and that being actively employed has be-
come a necessity of their nature. Perhaps the hardest-
working statesmen this country ever possessed was
Lord Palmerston, who must have taken on his shoulders
a great many last straws without breaking his back,
and who did any amount of wolk without grumbling,
and with easy good-humour; and perhaps the hardest-
working living statesman is Mr. Gladstone.

The rejection of the Chelsea Waterworks Bill by the
House of Lords, by a majority of 31, is a matter for
public congratulation. At first sight the subject seems
a mere local one, but independently of the destruction
of part of the most beautiful portion of the banks of
the Thames being a thing which people generally would
eitylore, it is • very important consideration that the
House of Lords should prevent the public good being
subcrdinated to private greed. The rejection of this
bill will be a salutary lesson to companies.
Here, as throughout the country generally, the most
pressing question of the day is the high price of living
and especially the enormous cost of coals. We have
bad a large public meeting to consider the latter pha.se
of the subject, and at this meeting an export duty on
coal was very ably advocated, but it found no favour
with the meeting at large, nor do I believe the country
would favour such a prop saL Such a one-sided return
to protection would be very inconsistent with the free.
trade policy which is now adopted by the overwhelm-
ing majority of the country. On the other hand iteis
very desirable that we should know what are the causes
of the dr axiiess and scarcity (if there really is any scar-
city) of coal, and it is at any rate gratifying to know
that a Commons committee is inquiring into the whole
subject. Three causes are already known to exist—
the enormous demand for coal for the manufacturing
industries of the country, especially the iron trade ; in-
crease i wages paid to coal-miners; and the refusal r f
the miners, speaking generally, to procure caal at the
same ratio of later= as, we will ray, a couple of years
ago. In some cases the decreased output has been perei-
tivtly proved. Another cause is suspeeted—a combi-
nation among coal-ovaners to keep up prices. Whether
the latter state of affairs really exists, and in what pro-
portion the other causes of high prices-affect the general
result the committee now appointed will no doubt in-
form us, and meanwhile econonsy should be our watch.
word. A new mode of economising coal is therefore
worthy of all the publicity that can be given to it. An
admixture of chalk with coal is found to answer well.
When your fire is well lighted, place a few lumps of
chalk on the t p, and then a few collie over the chalk.
The tire will thus burn for a much longer time than
under ordinary circumstances, and moreover give out
considerably in we heat than would the coal alone.
An important movement, or rather one which will
be important if it succeeds, has been inaugurated here
by a few friends of the working class, together with
some raembers of that clam. It is•proposed to estabe
fish a Trades Guild of Learning. This sounds well.
Trade Guilds were for centuries in the history of this
country very powerful. There are no more curion,
passages in our social and commercial annals than
those which relate the extraordinary restrictions, the
narrow exclusiveness. and the undisputed power
of these trade guilds, which in their operations
were the very quintessence of Conservatism. Most
.d these guilds have been neminady swept away, but
virtually the principles and the actual regulations of
some of them still remain—for example, in the "com-
panies "of the City of London. Our modern trade
guilds, however, have taken the form of trade unions,
and how powerful they are we all know. The move-
ment for establishing a Trades Guild of Learning has
nothing whatever to do with capital or labour, Trade
Unions or workmen's regulations, but is simply an en-
deavour to promote " the delivery of lectures, and
the formation of classes, to assist members of trade
societies and other skilled workmen in acquiring a
knowledge of history, political economy, and tech.
nical education, as well as literature, science,
and art generally." At present the scheme is
quite in embryo, but it has been taken up by many
influential gentlemen, one of the foremost being the
Rev. H. Solly, who bar already done so much for the
.-stablialunent of Working Hen's Clubs and Institutes.
Very much—l was about to say everything—will
depend on the co-operation of the working classes
themselves, but in one thing success is very improb-
able. It has been resolved that to bring within the
reach of members of this LeW guild the advantages of
I:nia ersity training it is important to obtain the co-
operation of the authorities of the Universities and
the governing bodies now administerir g endowments.
When we see the enormous difficulties that lie in the
lath of the Government in endeavouring to deal with
those endowments and adapt Universities to the age
the promoters cf this Trades) Guild of learning can
hardly hope to succeed ia this respect, but there in no
remote why they may not triumph over all other
obstach s.

The accounts that are now given from time to time
.4 the progress of the preparations foilthe International
Exhibition at Vienna must naturally excite in the
minds of most who read them a desire to visit the
Austrian capital this summer, but the Vienna
tradesmen, hotel-keepers, lodginghousekeepers,
appear to be trying to do all in the.r power to
keep away persons of moderate means who would
otherwise pay a visit to Vienna. The prices
that appear likely to rule in this splendid city dur-
ing the exhibition FeW3Oll Will ho actually higher
than in Paris during the time of the Exhibition of
1867, and as the cost of a return ticket to Vienna will
he on the average about double that to Paris, the in-
creased expense will, on tho whole be nearly prohibi-
tory. It is a great pity that the Viennese caanot
agree among themselves to be a little reasonable in this
matter. The railway companies and the tourist agents
will do what in them lies to meet the views of the
Britah holiday-maker, but it seem.; likely that the
Viennese, in their greed of gain, will really do all they
can to keep the aforesaid holidaymaker away.

Increasing interest in the forthcoming University
boat race ia manifested here, and if the day of the con-
teat be but moderately fine "all the world and his wife"
will go to see it. The manly and honourable struggle
for the blue riband of the Thames is an anneal fete day
which is looked forward to with pleasure by thousands,
and looked back upon without regret. Its grand
feature is that the race is rowed for honour, and honour
only. It is just this one great and pleasant fact that
has always kept up the high reputation of Oxford and
Cambridge oarsmen. May nothing ever occur to
degrade the contest t, the level of too many others.
The contra between Labour aid Capital has now be-
come so tierce that I am not surprised to hear that it is
proposed to establish what ho to be called a National
Arbitration Board, which, it is said, is promo teil by a
few distinguished gentlemen, and to which soffie capi
tidbits have given a qualified adhesion. The object is
as far as possible to prevent future strikes, and to
nettle existing and coming disputes. In connection
with this Board there is to be an "equitable support
fund," and employers are to be asked to invest
money in this fund, in the names of trustees, so that,
on an appeal being made to the Board the arbitrators
may support their decision by awarding to employers
compensation for loss of capital or market, or compen-
sation to men for lose of wages, as the came may be.
The scheme is as yet in mere embryo, and as tar as I
am able to judge of its merits, I can have little confi-
dence in it. Nothing of this kind can answer unless
employers and employed agree to it, and enter on
joint action, just as the trade councils in France do,
and I am only surprised that efforts are not made in
our own country to establish eomewhat similar boards
of arbitration in cases of disputes between masters and
Met.

I notice that the other evening eight members of the
Ancient Society of College Youths rang, at one of the

London churches, " a true peal of 5,040 grandsire
triples in two hours and 53 minutes." Ido not blush
when I avow my entire ignorance of what a grandsire
triple is, and what is the difference between a peel and
a tine peal. If there is a grandsire triple there may.
for aught I know, be a grandam triple, bet I am not
particularly anxious to know. For many years, how.
ever, I have heard of these College Youths, Are they
always the same, having the fairy gift of perpetual
youth? One thing I should like to know—by what
right College youths or any other youths set churo.h
hells a ringing for their own private and peculiar
amusement ? The clangour of bells in London is one
s' its many nuisances. I can quite appreciate Cowper's
esa, " How soft the music of those village belle!" or
Moore's lines, "Those evening bells ! those evening
bells! How many a tale their music hut such
poery does not apply to the bard, dry fact of London
bells making a horrid din, especially on a day sacred to
peace and quiet. When clocks were unknown or little
used, bells bad their sweet over, but there is no excuse
now ler their confused clatter in crowded town,.