Weekly News. — 1892-04-07 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

TEI LABOUR COMMISSION.  Arst report of the Royal Commissian en Labour,which was laid on the table of the House of Commons on Friday evening, sets forth the step' taken up to the end of December,lB9l,and proceeds: "The minutes of the evidence are the result of 50 sittings of the committees in June, July, August, October, November, and December, during which 1132 witnesses were examined. The evidence which has been taken is voluminous, and the Commission directed that certain digests should be made in order to make the materials accumulated easily accessible at any stage of the inquiry. These digests, which we now humbly desire to submit to your Majesty, with the evidence, merely embody the opinions expressed by the witness 43, and do not represent any conclusions of the Commissioners. They consist of (1) a precis which embodies ins convenient form the substance of the evidence of each witness, preserving as far as possible the actual words used by him; (2) the abstracts which contain all the evidence taken on certain points which appear to be of the greatest practical importance; (3) the weekly analysis which is intended to facilitate reference to the evidence already taken, and will eventually form part of the index; (4) the glossary of technical terms,which are in many cases unintelligible to persons not possessed of special knowledge of the various industries. The inquiries into the condition of the employment of women and of the agricultural labourers appeared to Us to present special difficulties, and we have, therefore, recommended the appointment of assistant commissioners to investigate these questions locally. We resumed our meetings in January last to take further evidence, but we think it well, with your Majesty's gracious permission,to submit at once the evidence taken during the above-mentioned period, with the digests thereof, leaving any recommendations which we may consider it our duty to make to be submitted to your Majesty in further report, at a future date."  South Queensland suffered badly Irons a cyclone which passed over there on Sunday. Two churches were destroyed and a large number of buildings damaged. The loss to the farmers, through the injury done to their crops, will be very'great ; and numerous shipping disasters are reported. Quartermaster Harris, of the Royal Artillery, SeAlorth Barracks, Liverpool, who has been staying at Eastbourne on sick leave, committed suicide on Saturday by cutting his throat with a penknife. He complained of headache and went to his bed. His friend found him with a knife sticking in his throat. Americans never do anything by halves. The cost of lighting the World's Fair at Chicago will be about ten times the cost for the lighting of the Exposition held at Paris. The figure is at present placed at 1,500,000d01., and it is estimated that the light and power plant will be one of at least 22,000 horse-power.  Mr. Alexander Allan, senior partner of the firm owning the Allan Line of steamers, died on Saturday morning at Blackwood House,near Leshmahagow. Lanarkshire. He was a native of Greenock, and was 67 years of age. His wife died in February last, leaving a fortune of over half a million. Mr. Allan has recently been in feeble health.  In an unoccupied labourer's cottage near Bandon the tody of a girl was discovered on Saturday. It was buried under the floor, and must have been lire for a considerable time, as it was much locomposed. An inquest was held, but the evidence ..4iven threw no light on the affair. The house had ').,eri unoccupied for some time. The police are inve,tigating the matter.