The Warwickshire Herald. — 1886-08-26 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

TOPICS OF THE HOUR.  SCIENTIFIC suicide is again contemplated., and this time on the other side of the globe. Europe has been content with sacrificing the lives of some of its bravest sailors in a fruitless quest after the North Pole, Melbourne intends to survey the Antarctic circle with, in all probability, the same result. The world may perhaps be the better for the noble idealism dildayed by men N'ho sail to a cruel fate, conscious of the risk they are running, and hardly expecting to return to the loving hearts and hands and homes they leave behind them. But certainly the age is the loser by the loss of such self-sacrificing heroes, and Australia will be well advised to deal with the Antarctic circle as proverbially we are admonished to treat " well " leave" it "alone."  EVEItY interest in turn raises its voice for consideration at the hands of the taxpayer. This time the cry of anxiety comes from the cultivators of hovs, who see their industry imperilled by the persistent favour shown to the foreigner by the railway companies. Hop land is gnulually going out of cultivation, partly owing to foreign competition, but mainly through the heavy tariffs maintained by the directors of the iron roads: The first thought of the hop•grower is naturally the imposition of a rens 'noble import duty on foreign hops, certain restrictions as to the locality of production, and registration regulating the charge of transport within the kingdom. Hop-planters may as well at once give up the idea of a return to Protection, which would be advocated by iso Party in Parliament. On the other hand, an equalisation of rates for different classes of commodities, and the abolition of the invidious distinction between the home and the foreign producer, would be for the benefit of the taxPayen and any proposal to that effect should meet with nnanimoirs support. When the tactics of railway companies run counter to public policy, it is surely time for the Legislature to intervene, to question, and even to revise tariffs.  IT is all in favour of the future of the Government, that Lord Randolph Churchill has already more than justified his selection for the responsible position as Leader of the House of Commons. Those who began by jeering, ended by giving him their whole attention, his impressive manner and masterful arrangement winning the respect even of the ,Gladstouites. To the older school of Tories his success was not an unmixed pleasure, but as his power and eloquence were not to be gainsaid, they affected the congratulations their jealous spirits hardly felt. In taste and temper alike his Lordship was irreproachable, he held the attention of the whole house, and his bearing gave undoubted satisfaction to all, except the Irish Party, who recognised hi the new Leader a dangerous foe, with whom any reckoning would be short, sharp, and decisive. We congratulate the country on the discrimination it displayed long since in singling him out as a Popular Leader.  THE subject of telegraphic or telephonic communication between lightships and the mainland is of deep interest to our seafaring classes and to all who have any connection with our mercantile. marine. The promise of the President of the Board of Trade to carefully inquire into the matter, and his evident sympathy with the question, has given great satisfaction. It has !Ong been felt that sonic such arrangement was absolutely necessary, especially in such dangemas localities as the Yarmouth and Goodwin Sands. In fact, all round the mouth of the Thames. stretching from Orfordness on the East , Coast to the Downs on the South, there is a complete network of treacherous sands, extending in Some cases for miles into-the sea. Of course they are fnirly well guarded by means of lightships and buoys, but it frequently occurs, during some (4 those severe storms of wind accompanied by sleet and drizzling mist to which that coast is subject, that a vessel strands on these sands and is not seen from the shore. She may be seen by the crew of the lightship. anti her position fairly gauged, but they are unable through lack of facilities to -give definite instructions to the lifeboatmen ere .the latter start from the shore. The lifeboat has therefore to proceed to the lightship whence the signal for assistance was given ; thus much valuable time is wasted. Similar illustrations might be quoted from any part of the British coasts. By the introduction of the facilities proposed such waste of time would be avoided, and in many instances salvage crews could be sent out and valuable property saved, in addition to the rescue of the crews.  A r