The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1904-01-06 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

PEOPLE ARE SAYING.  That the public debate on the fiscal qua& tion between Mr. W. H. Lever and Mr. F. E. Smith proved a great attraction, ther.accommodest-ion of the Nemsbon Liberal Club being pat to a severe test by the large number who desired to be in attendance. Me. E. G. Hemsnerde, Liberal candidate for Shrewsbury, and himself a speaker of great toe,. made a most impartial chairman, and both debaters addressed themselves to their particular side of the great national question in their own masterly style, the barrister with the shrewdness and quickness of grasp which is so strong a trait in the oharacter of gentlemen in his profession, and- the head of Port Sunlight with the sound knowledge and practical experience with which his business and extensive travel have ;needed him. And Mr. Lever's view of the rase naturally made the stronger impressim upon those who are not carried away by the force of emotion. The vote, of course, 'erre- 1 seats nothing on an occasion of' this kind— when it is possible for either side Zo whip up its supporters, and the chairman did well: to describe that portion of the proceedings as a draw.  That the Birkenhead Guardians appropriately held the first meeting of the new year in the handsome offices which have been erected in Argyle-street for the purpose of facilitating the local administration of the poor-law. The interior arrangements of the new building amply fulfil the promise held out by its rhandeome and imposing exterior, and in one respect at least it will provide a much-needed improvement—that is in regard to the offices and the various departments under the immediate control of the clerk to the Guardians, who had hitherto to conduct his business in offices which compared unfavourabay in point ofrise and convenience with those of many an unimportant commercial concern.  That the principal business of the Guar. diens' meeting arose out of an unfortunate incident which occurred at the workhouse on Christmas Eve, when one of the inmates of the lamb* ward committed suicide by jumping from a window. An inspector of the Local Goverronent Board was in attendance, and the matter gave rise to considerable discussion, various slight improvements and modifications of the present system being suggested with the view of increasing the supervision in the lunatic ward and of obviating the recurrence of any case of a ' similar character in the future. The suggestion most prominently brought forward was that the staff in this ward should be iriereased, a re3ommendation to this effect being read from the jury that attended the inquest on the deceased inmate, whilst the , Local Government Board inspector also urged this point upon the consideration of the Guardians. The inspector, however, expressed the opinion that if the staff had been double the size this particular accident could not have been prevented. The discussion was not altogether devoid of an element of diesatisfaction, Mr. Mersey Jones taking exception to some of the statements made at the inquest, while a letter was read from Dr. Btanefield, the medical officer of the workhouse, mentioning a matter which he believed would have impressed the jury and materially modified their verdict if he had been allowed to give evidence at the inquest.  That au item of interest, although it was only brought forward when the Guardians were rising to leave the meeting, was furnished by a letter from Mr. J. Venables, who wrote tendering his resignation as a member of the Board, and naively adding that it was unnecessary to explain the reasons that had led him to take this step as they wore well known. Mr. Ven.ables was the chairman of the Furnishing Committee which recommended the purchase of the notorious Turkey carpet; and one of the Guardians, in alluding to the past serrioes of Mr. Venables, referred to the useful help the latter had given them in the furnishing of the new offices. Resignations of this kind are becoming somewhat numerous. Are the Birkenhead chairmen of committees becoming more sensitive than they were?  That Mr. Henry G. Grantham, a local ' commercial traveller, has discovered that larks are sometimes rather expensive. TA3 magistrates of Conway on Monday assessed the price of one of this gentleman's little jokes at Mk. and costs, in addition to the advocate's fee. Mr. Grantham had travelled on the London and -North Western Railway without a ticket, and with intent '1 to avoid payment of the fare. His plea, I conveyed to the magistrates in a letter, was that he had done it for a "lark."- Despite the precautions of examination and collection adopted by the railway companies, they are annually defrauded of large SUMS Of money, and only the infliction of -smart penalties upon the individuals who ere detected is calculated to make an impression on a certain clew of railway, travellers.  That there was "much ado about ntithing" at the Lairages on Sunday night. The watchman on duty observed that the second storey of one of the sheds was filled with smoke. lie promptly gave the alarm, and the Flie Brigade were speedily on the spot. Toe firemen were just in the act of turning the bows on to what was supposed to be the burning building, when the happy discovery was made that the "smoke" was the 6:eam from the backs of the cattle placed in the lairage only that evening. The firemen consequently did not have the opportunity on this occasion of demonstrating their efficiency.  That the local theatre proprietors and ' managers are to be congratulated u.pon i/ATlug speedily profited from the lesson taught by the disastrous fire in Chicago. In the , theatres popular with local playgoers— the Argyle, Metropole, end Royal (at.Birkee head). and the Shakespeare, Prince ' Wales, and Royal Court (on the other side) excellent precaution/I have been taken with a view to minimising to an infinitesimal , free any danger to their patrons from hrs. In the case of the Royal asd the Metropole a fireman is on dritrhy the lameedl thetime performances are io poinee, sod