The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-03-15 00:00:00

THE DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS AND AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE, TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1881

Acting•Serguant Outer stated that on bringing the
Drumm to the Polic3-station, Weymouth. on Friday
n,i_ght. he searched pris and oner found the tour handker-
onnall Produced. This (kk,cday) morignir he changed
pawner with stealMs the hen:kerchiefs. On Saturday
lii showed them to Sarah Yr. and Mrs. Readall end the barren%
Fox.
Strah Fox, t tam service of Yr. Ronda. stated that
the handkerchiefs were on the bed in the room, which
prim:l.r accepted on Thursday nisht. together with some
clean clothes. She missed them on Friday morning. (rbs
handkerchiefs were pr.-duped.) She could swear to one of
Ithem, but not to the other three.
He was committed tor trial et the next Quarter Stations.

(Laughter.)
Mr. EDDISON said he wen afraid it was rather •
questionable investment, ff, as Mr. Lock said, it wee
Co become compulsory in • very short time. He did
not think be should be inclined, looking at this fact, to
Invest in that way. Me thought it would be • benefit
to the working-man in on. way, 'venially where they
were employed in mines or in railway companies. lie
felt pretty sure, from what he had seen in the papers,
that compulsion would come, and he did not think
they need take much notice of it until it did come. So
long a• they could oontract themselves out of it, and
so long as the employer could say to the workman,
" We will contract ourselves out of the Act," it would
1 ot make much difference, and it would not do much
good to insure so long u the Act remained as it now
staid. When it became compulsory they would then
have to take notice of it. (Rear, hoar.)
Mr. ALLEN, referring to the instance mentioned by
Mr. Pope, of the bricklayer ordering the hodman to
bring bricks, asked if the formes was entitled to give
orders to the man under him. He did not think so.
If they had a foreman, were all the rest of the men
bound to give orders to the next man under him, and
was the employer liable for the accidents caused in the
execution of those orders?
Mr. A.Looi : A bricklayer ia generally supposed to
give orders to the "bricklayer's labourer."
Mr. ALLIJI : But if he saw anything dangerous he
might go to the foreman and 'complain.
Mr. Pope: In the same way, would the boy be
to take the hone to water? He expected, as the
'got= bad remarked to him, he would get • good
"clout" in the hood if he didn't. (Laughter.)
DP. AMAIDGII considered the Act to be • very useful
and • yery interesting one. It showed that the Legis-
bears was Wiring to the interest of the. people. It
was • very lust and temsne law, sad would, no doubt,
do • Dust deal 01 goat and would tend in a greet
niell•lit• to prevent a recurrence of those accidents and
those •vili canoed by imperfect and inelßcient 1
machinery, which had token place in POW PISIL Of
course he did not mean in this distriet—ne•••og
personal, of exam—nothing of this sort would apply
to Dorset—(langhter)—but it would do • great deal of
good in many instants's. They all knew how =say sad
accidents had been caused by imperfect =whiner'',
and illeemintent Wee= to menus that machinery,
and seeing that these evils existed, this Act had been
brought in to protect the working men, and the Public
May from injury on future occasions. (HUI,
,VlThe principle and intent of the law MA to
projad life end person, for if the employer of labour
was negkent he w•s amenable. (Hear, bear.) If
a man went up • Wier sod an accident happened
they would have to find at bow it happened. If the
nu* wee weak and the man teU down, the liability

'11;67.

have superintendence of work entrusted to them, it would rest with the employer, but if the man was taken I
enacted that he should be liable indirectly f the acts giddy, or if he went up in an inebriate state, then
of those persons in whom he placed his confidence. If the man would be alone responsible. They could
empleeers of labour Were fully aware of their responsi- drive a coach and four berme through every Act of
bility in this respect, they would exercise a great deal Parliament if they liked. but this Was • very import
more discretion than they had been doiog in the choice ant measure and one which, if carried out properly,
of their foremen, and the cause of all accidents will, would do much rood. No doubt there were a great
to some extent, be lessened. But although the Act many provisions yet to be made, ant he trusted it
went thus far, he still thought that it went further to would be of benefit to the community at large, and
protect the workman against the mineequences of for the_preeervation of life. (Applause.)
accidents, which might h appen rather than to prevent Mr. Dar quite agreed with what Dr. Aldridge had
the occurrence of accidents. lie did not altogether mid, lie believed that when people mine to deal with
agree with the Act in that respect. In order to carry the Act they would find it to be a very good one •' and
out the right principle., it should preserve the work- if they would only exercise the golden rule and put
m„ „mud tin occurrenceacchlente. It wasall themselves in the place of their servants, there would
very well for the Act to my to • man, " You have had not be so much litigation as they expected. (Hear.
your leg broken—you shall have your doctor's bill paid hear.) He only wished the Act emir( is extends 1 to
for you, sad you shall be afterwards saved from star- domestic servants, shipowners, and all. Of course
elation., ' But then the workman replies, " That does negligenoe must be proved in every ease. (Hear,
not make any difference to me, I would rather keep hear.)
Imy leg; I would much rather the masters were com- Mr. FOWLIR said when he WAS in London he called
pelted to use such discretion, and exercise such careful- on the Passenger's Insurance Company, and asked
ness to prevent the occurrence of the accident., and them if they would like to take all his servants under
the chance of • man losing his left would be lessened." their charge. They replied, "Not at prompt, we
Now he (dlr. Pope) did not think the Act did this. It must wait for further powers." With regard to
came into operation on January lit, 1880, and it con- machine-y, every care was taken as a rule, and very
tinned in force for seven years, that is up to December often it was the men themselves caused the accident.
interpretations and careless than those who had been just broken in.
Slit, 1887. He thought, during that time, they would Men who were used to machinery were oft,n more
find there would be • great many
a great many misinterpretations of the Act, and he They would be bound to call in doctors as well as
also thought they would find it would give rise to • lawyers to testify as to the state of the man at the
good deal of litigation. Now there Was a good deal of time of the accident. There seemed to him to be no end
ambiguity about sub-section three of section one, to loop-holes.
Take the aocideut of the hodman, who, in obeying the Mr. A. LoCK :If you employ a man in an unfit
orders of the bricklayer', whom be was bound to physical c indition you are liable.
supply with materials, and in obedience to the Mr. FOWLES :In the case of a fit you are not liable.
command and directions of his muter, he met with Mr. A. LOCK: Not in that cue, of course.
an accident. Also take the case of the plough boy or Mr. &miser( remarks i that so far AS he WAS
stable boy, who had to conform to the orders of the concerned the Act was a very g eel one, and he should
carter or the groom who was over him, and he met be very sorry to offer any oopositioo to it in any
with an accident in complying. lie thought the Act way.
hardly contemplated that the master should be liable The Cearanae, in concludin.; the discuasion, said he
in such cases as this. Now he considered it would be thought the Act was intended m .re for railway coin-
very hard lines if the plough boy or stable boy iu penis, and mining districts. Very little of it was
taking the horse to water in obedience to the carter or intended for them as agriculturi-t,. in fact they were
groom above him broke his leg, that the master hardly thought of. lie was hippy ti say from what
should be liable to pay him three years' waged. he had heard that evenin., that it had t aken a great
Mr. A. Loot : I don't think he would, deal of weight from his mind. With or Hoary care-
Mr. POPS replied the boy wood be bound to take fulness he believed they ...mid not get into any
the horse to water, and the hodman would be bound trouble. There were, no doubt, some people who used
to take the bricks up the ladder, vicious horses, and did not take pains to have thin;*
Mr. LOSII : But there must be negligence. If the boy as they ought to do, who would get into trouble; nut
tumbled off the hone there would be no negligence. if they took care that all their horses were sound omega,
Mr. Pops: We will sere there is some negligence on and not vicious, that their machinery was in good
the part of the bricklayer and the groom. There will order, and took ordinary precautions, they would have
be • good many ways of getting out of that. Continu- nothing to fear. He quite agreed that it was • very
lug, Mr. Pope said there was another point in the Act good Act, for there was every reason why employers
to which he might allude. There appeared to him to should compeamte the man whom he employed for
be nothing whatever in it to prevent the employer and any accident which might happen from his negligence.
the workman contracting themselves out of it. There No doubt there would be many loop-boles for getting
was nothing is it to prevent the employer ensuring out of the Act, and he thought all Acta were spoilt by
against reepowdbilities of this kind, and he thought it not being made compulsory, and especially an Act of
would militate very much against the good working this kind WAS spoilt by not being made compulsory.
and the good principles of the Act, it having been (Hear, hear.) From what they had hosed it would
drawn up in the first place, and the principal effect of become so, and it would then be of much more service
which having been intended to prevent the occurrence than at present. (Hear, hoar.) He would like to ask
of accidents. (Hear.) He thought they would find one question—lf a farmer's horse—not an ordinarily
that employers could insure for • small sum, and shirk vicious one—were to kick a man, who was liable?
the responsibilities which this Act placed upon them, Mr. Pops: That is for the doctors and Lawyers.
and would become quite as negligent as they were (Laughter.)
now, and quite as indifferent in preventing the This concluded the discussion.
recurrence of accidents. (Hew, hear.) The man who
has had his leg off would be provided for, not at the
expense of the employer, who has indirectly caused
the accident, but at the expense of such Association SI
the Employers' Liability Insurance Association (the
prospectus of which he now held in his hand), the
principal object of which I. as stated in the prospectus,
to enable employers to protect themselves by means
of insurance against the liability imposed upont them
by the Employers' Liability Act, 18M. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. ARTHUR Lam said he, like Mr. Pope, had not
very carefully looked into the Act. He did not, how.
ever, quits agree with him in all the points which he
had mentioned. It is simply and only in cases where
there is negligence, where the employer assumed the
liability. He thought what they ought to look beck to
was this —what was the reason of the paining of the Act
The law was found to be in the most absurdstate. If,f or
instance, • gentleman's groom was driving recklessly
down the street, and ran over two people, one being
the same gentleman's nursemaid and the other person
a stranger, the lair at that time enacted that the nurse
In his employ could not recover, whereas the stranger.
not being in his employ, was able to recover. That
was, in Wm opinioa, a most absurd state of the law.
No doubt owing to that, • commission was appointed by
Parliament to enquire into the facts, and this present
Act was the result of that commission. They knew no
Act" were perfect, and although this one was very
carefully worded, still, unfortunately,
_there was the
power of contracting out of it. Workmen and
employers in the mining and manufacturing counties
have and are oontracting out of; the question had been
referred to in Parliament and Sir Hoary James had
promiaed to bring in • Bill to render it impossible to
contract out of it. Of course the Act did not render
the employer liable for unavoidable accidents. If they
looked carefully through the clauses they would find
that in each one there must have been something in
which the employer by using the proper means could
have avoided the accident. Mr. Pope had said it
would make people more carelese—(Mr. POPS "Lees
careful less careful, because • society had been
got up by which employers could insure themselves,
as it were, against liability. Now, as for as he knew,
there we. already societies to insure themselves from
accident, but still he did cot think they were less caret ul.
Then there was another thing settled in the present
Act which had never been dealt with before, via, the
extent of liability on the girt of the employer was
fixed. That WAS • great advantage fur the employer.
(Ifear. hear.) In no case, whatever accident could
have happened, whether death be the result, and it
might have been caused by gross negligence, he could
only be called upon to pay three years wages. It was
• pity, as the Act at present stood, that liability did
not extend to the employers of all labour. Domestic
servants were not in and would not come under
any of the definitions mentioned. (Mr. POPS: Howse-
keepers will.) Mr. Lock did not think they would,
or even clerks. Still no doubt the Act was a step in
the right direction, and he thought if they could only
get the Act so improved that persons could not con-
tract themselves out of it, it would tend to make
people much more careful, and employers would be
more inclined to employ skilled and competent men in
places of trust. Of counts it did not affect them in
this district as much as it did those ip the manufactur-
ing and mining district,. With regard to the instances
which Mr. Pope had mentioned, there must be some
negligence proved in every case. It therefore behoved
employers to be more careful whom they employed,
sad if they did that, it was his honest belief that the
Act wouM do • vast amount of good, and he could not
help thinking that when it was made compulsory, it
would do still more good to ths country at large.
(Hear, hear.) There was no doubt (and Sir Henry
James had given his opinion to this effect) that persons
could contract out of the Act as it stood at present,
and make themselves not 'bible.
Mr. Pops: The mere fact of what Mr. Lock has
said only bears me out in what I said, that there will
be a great deal of litigation in this Act. (Laughter.)
Mr. T. CHAPMAN SatINDZIa also made a few
remarks. Some time ago he was led to be somewhat
alarmed at the Act, which many of them had Dot read.
Their club had had some of the copies down, and they
had been circulated among the members. So far as
the Act affected them as agriculturists he did not see
anything very unreasonable in it. Of course if •
master was very negligent to a certain extent be
should be responsible, and this Act was intended for
that purpose. He expressed his pleasure at the legal
opinion which had been expreesed, and at the interest-
ing discussion which they had had.
Mr. ZDDISON could hardly say with his legal friends
that he had not looked into the Act before, dill he
did not think it interfered very much with him so far
as he was personally concerned. It had always been
his endeavour to have everything sent out as properly
as it could be, and evoring in as good order and
have am good men as he could-, and he thought 'that,
ander the old Act, they were just as liable as they
wen now. There might be something in it, as thek
legal friends might tell them some day when they got
• down right good squabble (leughter) —for he
thought there was more to be got out of it for the legal
Interest than anybody else. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
They had only two there that evening, and even they
weld not agree. (Laughter.) They all knew what
legal quibbles were, end it might be only • question of
legal quibbling. (Laughter.) Re did not think there
was anything in the Act that would tend to make any-
body more careful than they have been before becaese
he did not see there was much more punishment than
there was before. He had heard that they might con.
tract themselves out of It; but he did not know the
Insurance agency at all. He should like to know how
they could do it.
me Caualux : You had better take some shares.

insect's face, Pointing out the two lam circle, at the top
sn.ra not °yea. hi • the bases of the maleness. How many
uve. the insect had twill not knew,hut, • very bag" number,
ASSASSINATION OF THE;
as inertt hove compound dies, the ant, which has About
•he snisaitit nuuther, lumina fifty, while som b Muffle'
have several thousands. On land cockroaches am very EMPEROR OF RIISSIA.
•,,n1 no ship they ore siill more so—he suppooel
it wa i the aIN atr. (Laughter.) He quoted from a medic al
gentleman who wrote about these inset) ts and their devour-
ing powers on lyeril ship. They at.i very partial ti all
s iris of good eatables; but abro partake largely of books,
c'othes, boat,. soap. eorks, lucifer matches, and conaider
the edges of r. air, fit to lie tried: they may prefer wine
nr merits. hut can Arink beer, and «etre either pure or
lei x-d with coop. C iekr. eh's partiality for medicine is
'a r 'me, none remise amiss to them, timy sip tinctures
ir I.ly, and am two ounces of the strongest blister pl.tater
lit as teeny weelck ant he looped it warmed their Mettle,.
(Laiighter.) Our night lie left SOWS blue pills open, elle
by the light of a lamp saw it attacked hy cockroaches, who
carried off • pill each. fie informed there that a pill was
more than adobe for an adult cockroach; but they paid no
attention, and next morning the floor was etre .11 with the
dead and dying, exhibiting all the synaptons of mercurial
salivation, yet some of them ware still swallowing minute
pirtions of blue pill, whence ho argued that cockroaches
are homes mathista. (Laughter.) Ths lecturer proceeded
to tell of the internal structure of the insect A vemarable
friend of his had told him be used to think inserts were el
skin and squash; bat Sir. Wood now sketched the gullet
of the insert, enlarging into the crop, of which le. had
never found one that was not filial. not with a specimen
nf everything good to cat in the linese. Tao giziard,
Ito., of the creotare were also explained at length, showing
there is some hing very w inderful in the " black hole"
inside. Its MJIIGO is flttsd with two horny jaws, and 16
fans on each sile, each having &isnot 200 teeth Aaron
something like those of • saw, so there are ale nit 6,000
teeth betides two j iw., awl the whole instrument is not
bigger than the heal of an or hairy pie.
Now what is the use of tbe cockroace f Its toe le to
eat. It seems tibe an insect that aezomeeniee man when
civilised. Yoe woad not find a noekroach moue savages.
The warriors or hunters take their westrink go out, bring
in their prey. and put it on the fire to cook. Accordinx
to their fashion the in n sit round the fire, the ladies
mune them—ieeout (oar wire to • [ll4ll—the men pick
the bones of ell they like, an I then toss them to their
wives, these fight fee them, and the piroogeet get them
fir.t. By the tone the weakest gets it the, is not much
kit on thlt lots, then the dogs g-t it, and there i.
nothing lel t for the poor cockroach. (L theater.) One of
the unfortunate posted/ of civtliestion is the shameful
waste of food, mai the oockrea ei is doing a wonderful
amount of good by consuming tho waste food. Then
there are those insecta which wo do not like to call by
their common news, bat whiM, i( we aro historically
inclined, ere call " Noriolk llowarrls," or if music illy
Inclined—" B fists." (L aught-e) Therm is nothing the
cockcroach likes to much sea Norfelk Howard. A inedieal
student was one night reading in bed, when he saw the
pattern of the paper changing, an 1 that part of It composed
spots advanced t 'wards him, then they got on him, and
he—dot up. (Laughter.) Whee be complained to the
landlady, never was such • thing known in her house
—(laughter)—or if there were he meet have brought them
himeelf. (Laughter.) Another tone he saw a 1)4.4 of
cockroaches come when the B fists had already arrived,
and thought ,he Wllll in for two inflictions; but no, the
cockroaches were alter the B d iti, sweet them up with
their long legs and devoured them. Some sailors will
never kill a cockroach, and he told of an English Ship
tieing signalled by a French one, of which the mate Pot
off in the boat, and aske I, "Would the English captain
spare him • few cockroaches/ The Elgliseman, better( of
a generous disposition—(laughter)—ssed he might have as
many bushels as he liked, slat the tailors went down and
fetched up a (ow bucketfuls. when tit, Frenchman took
them up by handful., tucked them under his Jimmy—
(laughter—till there was no room for more, and went off
satisfied. He looped he had shown there was something
worth attending to in the cockroach. (Hoar, hear, and
applause).
Next the lecturer spike of the esterrig, which he
sketched, and said it ought to be called the imrwing.
because its wings are somewhat like the human ear. He
eras once standing at his garden &see when he saw some-
thing flying towards him, held out his arm to it, and it
alighted thereon, when he saw that br an unmitigated
piece of gold fortune it was an earwig &bolt to fold up Pe
wimp. Having sketched the biautiful wing, Mr. Wood
in west how very large it is in comparison with the small
winsvease, and how the insect folded it up with the
forceps at the end of its tail, first longitudinally, and then
bending two or three times lengthwise, till it was packed
small enough to be covered by the wing-case.
Next he dealt with the gnat, millions of which live and
die and never sea a human beiog or taste blood, and of
which those that seek human beings, tho males never
bite. No male creature in zoology dove any harm what-
ever, the male ant does not bite, the male bee dues not
sting; it is the ladies thet do all the mischief. (Lsughter.)
The mat which, when perfect is a denizen of the air, in its
earlier stages lives in the water, yet breathes atmospheric
air. The winged insect ley. its eggs on the top of the
water, cementing town together in • boat.like form, about
as large as c areaway wads. This ege-bost, if upset,
immediately rights itself. Why! The sailor says—
" Because it is built on the lines of the lifeboat" But MI
the gnat built her boat first, why not say —rhe lifeboat is
built on the lines of the anat.b rat/ The whole of the boat
is permeated by tubes of air, another instaace of the fact
that there is no in fchonicsl invention of man but has its
prototypi in nit ire. (Hear. hear.) Sketching the ages
and the Inry a, Hr. Wood showed how the larva bream's*
air by moans Of an apparatus at the surface of the water,
its body being msinly immersed; when it became* a papa,
it turns over and float, at the surface, and when the gnat
Is ready to come forth, it splits at the thorax, the creature
is aide by some force yet unknown to Project itself nearly
out of the pupa-c 110, breathes rapidly with a shiverinl
mogyamen.. rapidly (Lukens in colour and the front I gs
are placed ion th, water or on some fliatinz 'pack. Mr.
Wcsei sc:oropaniel this descrittoon with a most effective
drawing, brineing the movements forcibly before the eye,
awl eh 'ging now, in • wiener of a minute, the gnat,
whom chief life bad been spent in tho water. Bharat.'
tt.ele and be cotn-s a deceiver% of the air (as be exhibited
flying. *Ala tilt applause.) Its Use is like all other insects,
in ear, ant tee large feeds on decayed particles of animal
veeetahle matter suspended in tee water, end too
siusll for larger creatures, thus it prevents 1111115121111, and
so tooa typhoid fevers and other ailments, from which we
are at least part ally free, through the work of the common
end. to oincluaine the lecturer returned thaeke fa: the
•ielionc lineation, and pointed out that the evidences
af loaf tlnes, are nutuorous that we in ay conclude that
every living thing is useful, even though we may not have
discovered the net.