The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-06 00:00:00

made which bears a promise of success. The un-
dertaking was first set on foot in Glasgow, and
from thence communications were made to all parts
of the kipgdom. Finally, a conference of trade
delegates met last week for the purpose of consider-
ing this important subject. There is no reason to
doubt that they will proceed in their
task with more promptitude, and eventually
achieve more than the dignified assembly
at the West-end, but here they will have put some
heart into their work, and be really anxious to
reach a speedy and satisfactory conclusion. The
delegates represented as many as 300,000 members
of trades' societies. The result of their deliberations
was that they drew up a series of resolutions, which
appear to set forth their difficulties in a concise
form, and to explain the urgent necessity that
exists for a change being introduced without delay
into the contracts of service between masters and
workmen, The chief bearing of these suggested
alterations is to the effect that all the provisions of
the law should be of a civil character, and that no
favour should be shown to either side, and "what-
ever remedies are open to masters against their
workmen should be equally to workmen against
their masters, so that both may be equally dealt
with as to all questions arising under their mutual
contract." This last passage contains the gist of
the affair, and it certainly represents a principle
which is characteristic of the old English love of
fair play, and must meet with approval from all
who have the welfare of the subject at heart, and
cherish an honest conviction of the rights of labour.
An interview took place between the delegates, and
some members of Parliament in a committee-room
of the House of Commons. The result was, that it
was agreed upon to introduce a bill into Parliament,
so that in a select committee the subject could be
duly investigated. It is also very satisfactory to
find that Mr. MILNER GIBSON has promised a
deputation of the London trades that he would give
the subject his earnest consideration. There is thus
every reason to hope that before long a better
arrangement will be come to regarding this ques-
tion, so important in itself and so intimately con-
nected with the interests of the community. The
inequality of the present system has been fruitful
in the production of strife and disagreements, and

is a social wrong to allow things to remain in their
present most unfair and unequal standing. All that
tends to create bitterness of feeling, or a sense of
injury between employers and employed is a
grievous evil, and no wise statesman or learned
political economist but would censure the
practice, End condemn the theory, that occasions
such direful consequences, and has framed such a
mistaken and mischievous code as this Statutory
Law.

The Admiralty has been seized with a fit of
economy. What will happen next ? What social
revolution of the most unlooked for nature may we
reasonably anticipate after such a beginning. Will
Lord RUSSELL grow pugnacious and Sir CHARLES
WOOD progressive since the House of Commons
has been roundly reproved for urging the Admi-
ralty to uncalled-for expenditure. Cynics might
hint that such urging was unnecessary, but wanders
will never cease; and in defiance of SOLOMON we
have something new at last, for, upon an appeal
on behalf of the masters in the Royal Navy, here
is Lord C. PAGET declaring that it is "due to the
public" to resist any demands for increased pay,
and Mr. GLADSTONE supporting him with a fiery
denunciation of the wicked extravagance of this
present House of Commons, chiefly with regard to
branches of the public service. Englishmen gene-
rally labour under a serious misapprehension.
They are in the.habit of thinking that pounds,
shillings, and pence are not looked at very clossly
in Admiralty dockyards. They have an impression
that sometimes a little more than need be is spent
in those quarters, and it appears to their deluded
minds to be somewhat singular that vessels built at
enormous cost and comparatively new are always
requiring docking for repairs and alterations. They
do not quite understand why, if the Admiralty
prefer a ship in a certain form, they do not have
her built originally to their liking instead of adding
a deck, apparently fcr the purpose of its being
taken off again. But all this misapprehension
is now clearly shown to be nothing more than vile
suspicion and absurd hypercriticism. Henceforward
the public will know that the sole object of the
Admiralty is the protection of the public interests,
and that Mr. GLADSTONE'S first considera-
tion in life is the pocket of the tax-payer.
But giving our naval authorities credit for all those
virtues, whose opposite vices they have been hitherto
supposed officially to possess, it is not quite clear
on what grounds the right of masters to promotion
in the service is objected to. Neither of the oppo.
nents of their claims found it convenient to dwell
much on this point. They found it more conve-
nient to turn off to those declamations about public
interests and official duty which come so glibly to
the cfficial tongue. It is probable, however, that
the House scarcely needed the information. They
could find the explanation of the mystery too readily
in the professional jealousy and the old routine pre-
judices which have barred the way of so many
promising officers. Sir L. PALK, who took up the
case on Friday evening, observed that a master
began with a sense of inferiority which clung to
him through life and marred his hopes of fame and
rank. Why this extraordinary odium is attached
to the post is not easy to see, for a master's duties
are oneroas and important, and he starts from a
rank held by the highest officers in the service. A
midshipman, when he has passed his examination
for a lieutenant's commission, can be appointed a
master's mate; and after passing a further exami.
nation he may become a master when his duties
include the navigation of the ship. The captain is
ex officio responsible for the course steered, as was
decided in the loss of the Conqueror in the West
Indies, when the Board of Admiralty reversed the

judgment of the Bermuda Court-martial, and held
the captain responsible for the loss of the ship. Yet

practically the master has the entire direction.

Thus, as Sir LAWRENCE PALK pointed out to the
House, the duties of a master in the Royal Navy
are only second to that of the captain or comman-
der of the vessel in which he acts. Bat notwith-

standing their responsible position, masters cannot

rise any higher in the service; even although of late

years masters have been entrusted with the com-
mand of sloops and other small craft, their rank in

the service is still the same. Men with any pro-
spent of advancement through influence, or other
means, decline to become masters, and this onerous
office is generally held by hardworking men, who
from lack of interest ha4e little hopes of promotion.
If a master held the same position as a lieutenant,
and had in consequence the chance of rising to the
higher grades of the service, the office would become
popular, and our naval officers would have a much
better idea of navigation, and consequently keep
their vessels out of some of the difficulties they oc-
casionally get into. The bottoms of her MAJESTY'S
make acquaintance with
quite s so niany no h
would
eyre this reform carried into
st poraolbsa were
effect. But, in truth, this may be one of the ob-
stacles to the scheme. Young lieutenants might
not like to be put into awkward comparison with
able and experienced men, who have a thorough
practical knowledge of their business. If talent