The Express.
London, England, 1865-01-17 00:00:00

mix WAGES QUESTION IN THI MON TBADE.

Yesterday 700 ironworkers ameemohled is St.
Georg e,46•11, Wait Bromwich, codetermine what should be
dose with Wereses to the notice which has meetly been
ease by the leramesoten for tea redaction of the wows et
the wedmee to the utast of Is. per toe sod 10 per cast,
respeetively, whit* expired oe laturay eight last. Ti►itt
=ems composed cliieffy of toslinesee, to wheel tbe
at 10 pee wet. applies. Tes wetter was fully
segsek bet them seemed to have bees a brava Goo-
dman that, essidertag the Assume of us mike elosiend'
for ems Is South Stelordshire, tad the essepothiss it
akar aid" these was et pee so aka misses to le
followed than to wrap% the terms which the steam
offered. It Was denied that the Kele Asa Adele the mew
have remedy bees paid was ezemenlve, sad eoshbesse was
entertained that as imassesed power of maibinatioo, added
to a better sleared. would sae 'able the men to
ware that shah they °maiden& to he " wily a fair day's
wage for a fair day's work. Is the reseatima, it was di.
tersaised that the sake should les aseepted. Oa Saturday
a very protracted private meeting al the Brier's, Bill
Exordia, of the Natiosel Iromweriaref Amodaties
was held at Brierisphill. It was attesded by rpm
sentstase from North sad Swath Wales, llisatheeter,
Lirinroilt.Warris, fleabite, and other diarists,
all 76. ear. llaw=s, the preadult of the aweisiaties,
took the chair. The discussion was decidedly stormy, and
the caw& of sot • few of the speakers were warlike,
het the men of poses were In the majority, sad it was se.
Weed that, for the present, the drop should be weepted.
The amasses who were represented at Briefly-bill were
gladly those to whom the reduction of ls. a ten applies.
The Doha im Its entirety is therefore to be meespeed. Isti.
mations have, however, been gives b 1 some of the rasa
working shout Brialy-hill and in t4ll Staffar
that notwithstanding the derision of the majority they
not accept the reds:time. Is the Ilestmarced district the
men receive great encouragement from the fact that there
the last struggle for • dues of wages was sessomsfal. The
newlerehave entered tab a cowed% hisdagthemeselose to
• eueivereal lock-out is the event of there Wag say sae cp•
positioa as that Dow throatiest ; but it is presided that
the look-out shall set eassmemos oath after the rebesiew
workmen have hoes oat three weeks. By the expiratios of
that times it bethought that the meet who are mow disaffected
will retest to week.

Tai LIDZSAL CANDIDATIS POZ WINDOOZ.--Tos-
Imlay mininga plat meeting of the Sherd elosters ad
the beeough of New Wisdom. wee held at the "die noels.
Hicirstrod, for the purpose of iotrodociec Yr. Labonshure
(who, with sr. F.. F. Flower, of Straderd.uorin.Avea, in-
tends to "latest the borough with Colossi Yves sail Mr.
Feudist. the present sitting members at the neat oleo-
doe) to that portion of the constituency. Xr. H. Driver.
the chairman of the Sherd committee, pradded, while
anon 160810 prow" wire Hr. Flower, the other monde"
who had already yrwntd himself to the elookers of
Wiadeor. Yr. Sal Aye, Cereals Seymour, Mr. Derwin,
Kr. R. Eykys, ke. TIN mesa wan pen* womb& by the
liberals is the tows, who had assembled to law
17" LS! scores political views.
TIM Clinics fir Van litwricoromit.—Trulordny
the Lied Weep el Looks liesesed the failewies cowitimems
to appointments le his diocese :—Ths Rev. Richard Tenpin
Wort. LA., student of Christ Chin", Oxford. fonesrly
surds of All Odds Chuck, Rayne-Id/1. lisidushead. he tRw
inonsibseisy of the sew district of Si. Mary llegdolsse.
Adduct", en the rumination of trustees ; the Raw. If*
HorlbbßilleY. Y.A. of College. Oxford Bev._
host of Hove, weer limos*, to Use sang at ireaTridieriy
Ohara, is , Seepasy,the ausinatioe dthe Rev.
Simeon U. ; the Rao. Alfred John Mather. N.
of St. Jolia's 0d1e.% Chnibridge, late ands ed Si.
Sonisewet, Themeatrest, to the sary el IL POWS
March, Ressat-equan. an tan semlui,don et the Rev.
Thomas Nolen, FIX ; the Row. Now Waco, ait..
emu if St. Jos" do Omsk lidhasl
.peers, the song
el Si. Xeres, WliWsebrusi, on de oeseleation of thegg.
Jam" Cohen, M. A. ; rho Rev. Thomas A
A., late shaplein of itebsay Odes, to lb.
seinep
• Saints Omsk, illeisegsgain as the weerinstisa dbe
Rm. Ilionsit Rem Y.A. ; and the Rev. Stephen imam.
el It. John%OolMp. Canshoider, lato swabs elf Om.
heroin, to be side" pressirer in de parish dumb st et.
Jean the lowsspliaestreissier, de sminsiii"
tM Rev. Cases J
Roy.i. ?w HOSPITAL, Cisceworr-sonh—lhe
ember eg paillesis rellweed IS ibis hospital drift die
week "Mac Jen. 14 wee 3,500, id which 1,007 wore
SW
MOW

'.J j . ...

give Orortos•

TO COLIIIIPONDISNTS.
Advertisements !Mended lee •• TM Krems" Louden Wells(
Payee, mud be at tba Mee. le, Bouverleatreot, by Two
o'clock on the dal of WO:Alm

HKR MAJESTY'S.
THIS itnuma, FAUST. Manua Swift, Forbes, H. Cool. aad
Marches& , Mesdames Louisa Pyne, Barrington, and CotterslL
Cooductor, signor Arditi.—And THE LION AND Till
UNICORN.—Yoshi Factotums.' this day al l dale*.

EATM ARM ET.
Tars 2111111r10, DAVID GARRICC—WILD WIND/NARY
MAIM= AND DONI TOL Mows Salaam Braid. Buck-
Mom, Gordon Mins Stbowdoei.—PßlNCES SPRINGTIME.
Mr. Com:Ms.—And A DAY ASTIR TOR WIDDING.

raarrs.
nu aroma. THE NAIADn N teOME AND TUNIC' IiAIDBN
PILINC/XL—Aa4 THEE:MEIN OF LONDON. Hamm Vlaam
J. W. Roc O. D. Manny. J. Niguia. H. Forreder, sad
H. Kenos; Kra IL Ilmslas. Moo Harsol4 sad Gwynoi.

LTCIUII.

TEI InsOM MY iii2lsooT. Mr. Wiedlcanb...
RUT 11.1. U. Mom& Itiretaw. Ryder. Chszion, Itag-
12= Mast" =Ord : MISS C. 1401:111:41.
UOI.S. Mr. Widdionab.

?ma Wrioaira, LITT= star 1111; or. tag Oil Lad y of
Tluradasedir-stroil If sidearm $ Lam W. Cranford, aml
Jacobs Mr. (L Bliwood. Iffraarati Pantodadata —AM Tat
W01X.011113 OF LONDON.—Commace at 0.

BIM WATRB AT LONDON-BRIM&
TIM BAT Ranks. Si ISa.....Monisoo. 61 Sla
10-mosSoW MoonWs, 11 6ft.....M0M00, GIL Om.

LONDON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 17.

THZ Christmas and New-year holidays have
been this year disastrously signalised in Scotland.
The horror of the Dundee accident, in which
twenty persons perished by the crash in entering
a doorway of a place of amusement—buried in a
living tomb of their fellow creatures—has not faded
from remembrance before we have to record the
lamentable loss of life caused by the burning of
the Theatre Royal at Edinburgh. It is most for-
tunate, indeed, that the event occurred before the
performances had commenced. For the most
notable peculiarity in the story of this fire is the
extreme rapidity with which it spread and became
overpowering. It was not a case in which a spark
smoulders secretly and slowly gathers head; it was
a conflagration commencing in the very sight
of the workmen who caused it, and leaping up
all at once into a roaring vault of flame, from
which they scarcely escaped with their lives. Had
such an accident occurred when the theatre was
filled, it is horrible to think of the scene which
must have followed, when a real danger so intense
and devouring was added to the panic which even the
suspicion of tire always in such situations creates.
From this terrible catastrophe Edinburgh has been
spared. Those whom she mourns were lost in a
nobler way, they were crushed by the falling of
a wall while they were striving to rescue a fellow-
creature. Among them was the Dean of Guild,
the officer under whose care the regulation of all
building operations in the city is placed. He was
working with the rest, not then in execution of his
duty, save in so far as to seek to save life is the
duty of every man. In this work he and his
comrades were volunteers, and the forlorn hope
which he led, and with which he thus bravely
perished, may claim from us all a reverent honour
which is due to heroes wherever they may fall.

But if we endeavour to turn this sad event to
the use, which is the melancholy satisfaction such
cases afford, of trying to find out what cause, re-
mediable for the future, brought it to pass, it is
impossible not to be impressed with the
idea, so far as the accounts yet bring
us information, that a carelessness almost incre-
dible was the real origin of the catastrophe. It
is not ten years since the former theatre on the
same site was burned to the ground. The fire in
this instance broke out, we are informed, "in the
" top shifts of the scenery, which were so badly
" protected that on several occasions they had
" taken fire, although in the previous instances
" the men had been able to extinguish the fire
" promptly by cutting away the drapery." In
point of fact, the men, who were at the time ac-
tually engaged in lighting the gas, endeavoured on
this occasion to put in practice the same method of
stopping the conflagration, but though they were
all ou the spot, the fire was too fast for them, and
even the fireman was rendered insensible by the
smoke when in the very act of adjusting his hose.
But certainly persistence in a method of illu-
mination which had already been proved so danger-
ous, and persistence, as the fact proves, without any
effectual attempt to obviate the peril in future,
argues fatuity, or fatalism, on the part of the
authorities of the theatre. If it is a fact that the
scenery had before caught fire, the manager and
his chief subordinates must surely have known of
it ; if even the fact was otherwise, they surely
ought to have made a sufficient examination in a
quarter so dangerous to satisfy themselves that fire
could not be ccw nunicated by the gas which they
knew must be used. These are points which we
must leave to be elucidated by the official inves-
tigation which we presume will take place. But

we must take this opportunity of
regret that the forms of the law of Scotland dO not
provide any method for making the nature
of that investigation public. We do not
wish to recommend to our sensitive neigh-
bours the adoption of • method of inquiry so
cumbrous and often so unsatisfactory as our
coroners' inquests. But we may certainly take
the liberty of suggesting to them that the institu-
tion of a public prosecutor ought not to exclude
the public from knowledge of matters in wbioh
it is so nearly concerned ; and we may express our
hope that on this question at least the usual
secrecy will be waived, and the information elicited
will be allowed to pass beyond the circle of officials
to which it is ordinarily confined.
Whether, indeed, some more efficient method of
inspecting the fitness of buildings intended for pub-
lic use ought not to be established, as well in Eng-
land as in Scotland, is a question which this and
other like disastrous accidents inevitably raise. At
present we have the theory of such inspection with-
out the reality. The Lonothuicsam.sur in London
and in the precincts of the Court, the Joshes. of
the Peace in all other parts of the kingdom, have
the power of withholding a Bosses unless they are
satisfied. Spasmodically, every now and then they
do make inquiry as to the strength of the build-
ing, the sloe of its exits, the arrangement of its
lights. lint this fitful severity serves only to re-
here -*wagers of responsibility without sub-
stitutl da impel security. Now, unfortunately, it is
es
„bew
' that we cannot trust to the mere sense
of responsibility of a lessee, were it ever so culti-
vated, to adopt these siteaeures which the public
safety requires. Eliot of judgment, false economy,
ignorance of science, all at times operate to cause
neglect of due precaution. On the other band,
the public is quite unable to look into these quail-
tons for itself ; it can do no more than
enter the door of a place of amusement
ignorant of all its perils. But the superinten-
dence whifh is really required for safety is not
that which either the LORD CHAMBEILAIN or the
Justices of the Peace can ever properly exercise.
It ought to be that of an architect educated in his
profession, and whose attention is specially de-
voted to the subject. His powers ought to be
sufficient to enforce the measures he deems essen-
tial, leaving some method of appeal from whatever
is merely arbitrary or useless. If such an officer
were empowered to examine the buildings or the
arrangements devoted to our amusements surely
we should not be so often struck by the sharp cry
of human beings perishing in the trade
of ministering to our recreation. Surely
such trained and apt knowledge would
devise means for enabling us to spend our
hours of relaxation without the fear of being
overtaken by an irresistible and appalling doom.
Surely our theatres might, under such intelligent
scientific) direction, be made • little more fire-proof
than they are now,and at least one of their worst
, dangers might be bviated by the assurance that if
some loose drapery should take tire the cootlagra-
-1 tion would not sweep on us like the simoom, and
that the broad and straight passages would enable
the audience to leave the building without the
11 crush which so Often turns an alarum into a knell.