The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-21 00:00:00

ECONOMIC SCIENCE AND STATISTICS.

The opening address in this section was delivered by
Mr. SAMUEL BROWN, F.S.S., F.It.G.S., president of the
Institute of Actuaries. The first topic touched upon was
"‘ Technical Education." Many persons, said the speaker,
had expressed a fear lest other nations should leave
England behind in the application of knowledge by intro-
ducing and maintaining a higher standard of general
education amongst the people. The lecturer suggested
that the action of the Government in connection with the
educational question would be most beneficially exerted,
in the first instance, by extending the system of
grants in aid of local exertions, by adding to
the emoluments of teachers who produced evidence of the
higher class of instruction having been properly imparted,
and by aiding in the cost of building new schools of a
special scientific character. Above all, the stimulus of
endowments, or exhibitions of adequate value, or the offer of
Covernment appointments in such departments as science,
would probably produce he most profitable results. The
aldrem then proceeded to deal with the vexed question
of labour and capital. The opinion that the two
must be in antagonism was happily dying out.
Still, the work to be accomplished was of the most labo-
rious character. Much prejudice had to be overcome on
both sides. It yet remained to be seen how the interfe-
rence of a third party would be received. It was to be
hoped, at any rate, that the clumsy and barbarous system
of strikes and lock-outs would be abolished. Trades unions
were contended for by some as useful and effective. But
without coercion and oppression how could the unions
fulfil their objects? The limitation of times of
labour, the depression of the sober, industrious, and most
skilful workmen to an average level with the more idle
and unskilled man, the exclusion of apprentices, and the
dire effects in other branches of the trade or manufacture
in which, without wishing tO-strike themselves, the work-
men here dependent 2R the continued A 24 d

who would not work, naturally drove capital away into
other countries or other trades, and thus left the unfor-
tunate workmen with worse prospects of success than
when they began the strike. The president having
alluded to the working of the co-operative system
as exhibited at the Whitwood Collieries, suggested
that with certain modifications the same system should be
adopted elsewhere. On the subject of electric telegraphs,
the president remarked that the annual extension of the
postal and telegraphic system was a striking proof of the
mental activity and of the growth of the internal trade
of the country. The success of the Post Office.gave en-
couragement to hope that the proposed purchase of the
telegraphs would prove eminently useful for the public
benefit. In a short time the advantages of a
uniform rate of Gd. per message would probably be
obtained. It was estimated that the number of telegraphic
messages was increasing at the rate of 10 per cent. per
annum, and on the Ist July, 1869, the Government would
start with the estimated number of 71 millions. The
remainder of the address was occupied with a reference to
the importance of monetary conferences, and conferences
for the purpose of securing uniformity in weights and
measures.

In the other departments several papers have been read
to-day on the respective subjects within the range of
the different societies. An it.t2resting discussion took
place in the .Economic Section, on "-Admiralty Moneys
and Accounts." The address by Mr. T. Brown, president,
took up the matters of technical education and trades
unions. The former was advocated as necessary to our
position as a nation, and the latter were condemned as
societies inaugurating tyranny.