Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

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10 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. In the HOUSE OF LORDS, June 30, the Duke of Buccleuch and the Marquis of Normanby took the oath and their seats, the former m succession to his late father, and the latter for the first time m this Parlia- mThe report of amendments to the Secretary for Scot- land Bill was agreed to, a further amendment excluding endowed schools from the departments subject to the new secretary, being carried against the Government. Earl Granville, in reply to the Duke of Marlborougn, declined to give piecemeal information as to the pro- posals submitted to the Conference; and added that General Gordon's presence at Khartoum had un- -doubtedly acted as a considerable check on the advance of the Mahdi. The National Debt (Conversion of Stock) Bill was read a third time and passed, and several other bills having been advanced a stage, their lordships rose at five minutes past seven o'clock. THE GARRISONS IN THE SOUDAN. In the HOUSE OF COMMONS Lord E. Fitzmaurice in- formed Mr. Ashmead-Bartlett that a telegram received on the previous day from Consul Baker at Souakim, reported the arrival there of some pilgrims who had left Khartoum on May 23, and Berber on June 7. They stated that those places were safe on the dates men- tioned, that food was plentiful, and the garrisons numerous. SMALLPOX IN LONDON. In answer to Dr. Cameron, Mr. G. Russell said: The number of small-pox patients who have been treated in the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board since the 1st of January, 1884, is 2628. The number of deaths that have occurred among them is 282. The number of deaths from smallpox that have occurred in London since the same date outside these hospitals is 107. THE CONFERENCE. Replying to Mr. C. Lewis, Mr. Gladstone stated that, in accordance with his undertaking that the whole of the proceedings of the Government in relation to the preliminary agreement with France, and the action which might be taken in the Conference should become entirely subject to the judgment of Parliament, it was his intention to ask an affirmative vote of the House of Commons, which would have the effect of either sus- taining or overthrowing the arrangements of the Government. The Chancellor of the Exchequer added, in reply to Sir H. Wolff, that no date had been fixed for the next meeting of the Conference. THE CREW OB THE NISERO. In answer to Mr. Storey, Lord E. Fitzmaurice an- nounced, with an expression of deep regret, that three -of the crew of the Nisero had died in captivity and that others were ill. The whole question was the subject of -an active interchange of views between her Majesty's Government and the Netherlands Government. THE PROPOSED VOTE OF CENSURE. At the conclusion of question time, Mr. Gladstone, in pursuance of notice, moved that the Orders of the Day be postponed until the conclusion of the Vote of Censure debate. Mr. Forster appealed to Mr. Arnold to withdraw his amendment on the ground that the previous question would be the most fitting method of meeting a motion which he deemed most inopportune. Mr. Arnold declined, and Sir W. Lawson asked the Prime Minister to take some action of the kind. Mr. Gladstone, in reply, expressed the opinion that the debate would be most injurious and inoppor- tune, and that it would be impossible for the Govern- ment to enter into a general defence of their policy. 4fr. Goschen thereupon said that what had happened con firmed him in the opinion that the House would be doing its duty to the public if it refused to postpone the Orders of the Day. No doubt the Government was bound by custom aud usage to find a day when notice was given of a Vote of Censure; but the House was not bound by any such consideration, and by declining to allow the debate to come on, the House would preserve to itself the same liberty of action which had been slaimed by the French Chamber. Sir S. NORTHCOTE reminded the House that when they were told that a Conference was to be held they were assured that its object was purely financial. They now found that an agreement had been made between her Majesty's Government and the Government of France, which laid down principles of the greatest im- portance, and the question was whether that agree- ment ought to be accepted as a basis for any further proceedings, or whether the House ought not to express its disapproval of it at once. The Chancellor of the Exchequer denied that the House had been in any way misled, and pointed out that if no agreement were come te between the Powers in conference the Anglo-French agreement would be at an end; while, on the other hand, if the Powers • should agree together the House would have the fullest opportunity of discussing not only the proceedings of the Conference but the understanding with France. In his opinion, a debate on the present occasion would be most mischievous. Mr. Illingworth and Mr. Heneage supported the course suggested by Mr. Goschen. Baron H. de Worms spoke against it, and Mr. Raikes remarked that people out of doors would conclude that Mr. Goschen was acting in concert with the Government, and that the Liberal party was afraid to face the discussion, to which Sir W. Harcourt replied that Mr. Raikes was the only person in the House capable of making such a suggestion. The House then divided, and the motion to postpone the Orders was negatived by 190 to 148. Mi. Gladstone and all the members of the Treasury bench present voted with the minority; but the announcement of the members was received with loud cheers from the benches behind them. After the division Sir S. Northcote complained that the Prime Minister had now for the first time declared the motion to be mischievous, though he had not dropped a word to this effect when he gave a day for it. To this Mr. Gladstone replied that he had not felt Palled on to make this declaration until the responsi- bility was placed on him by Mr. Forster's appeal. MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS BILL. The House then proceeded to the Orders of the Day, the first of which was the consideration of the Municipal Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Practices) Bill as amended by the Standing Committee. Much objection was raised to taking the bill in the absence of many members interested who had not expected it to 'Come on, and the Irish members especially opposed the extension of the bill to Ireland. Successive motions Were made to adjourn the debate and the House, and, ultimately, after a formal stage had been taken, the discussion of amendments which are to be proposed "Was adjourned. In the course of the discussion it was -stated by the Home Secretary that the London Govern- ment Bill would be taken on Thursday. THE POLICE BILL. Mr. Hibbert next moved the second reading of the Police Bill, the main object of which he explained to be the pensioning of policemen after 25 years' service, but at the minimum age of 55. Mr. Sclater-Booth objected to the proposed interfer- ence with the discretion of local authorities, and the burden to be imposed upon the rates. Lord Folkestone moved the adjournment of the debate on the ground that members had been taken by ■ surprise, and after an unsuccessful attempt at a count out and some strong observations from Sir William Harcourt on the obstruction with which the bill was met, the motion was negatived by 56 to 18. The debate on the bill was continued by Sir W. Barttelott, who objected to the interference with the ,local authorities. Sir M. Hicks-Beach and Sir M. Lopes also dwelt on the expenses which the bill would throw on the local Sir W. Harcourt denied this, and after some remarks from Sir H. Selwin-Ibbetson and General Alexander, Who supported the bill, it was read a second time. After some other orders had been disposed of, the House was counted ont at half-past one o' clock. In the HOUSE OF LORDS, July 1, there was a very ^rge attendance of peers, especially on the Opposition Slde, the peeresses' galleries were well filled, and the spaces at the foot of the throne and outside the bar were thronged by Privy Councillors, the sons of peers, and members of the House of Commons. THE FRANCHISE BILL. Earl Cairns gave notice that he should move, as an ■^nendment to the motion for the second reading of the Representation of the People Bill, that, while prepared *o concur in a well-considered and complete system for jhe extension of the franchise, the House did not think right to assent to the second reading of a Bill having *°r its object a fundamental change in the constitution the electoral body of the kingdom which was not ^pcompanied by a provision for so apportioning the nght to return members as would insure a full and fair representation of the people, or by any adequate security that the present bill should not come into operation ex- cept as part of an entire scheme. THE VOTE OF CENSURE. The Earl of Carnarvon, referring to the motion of Which he had given notice condemning the Anglo- French Agreement on Egyptian affairs, said he failed to«ee how any mischief could result from a discussion the subject prudently conducted. But the Prime Minister in the other House had taken a course which was absolutely unprecedented in the annals and tradi- tions of Parliament, by granting a day and subse- quently declaring that the discussion would be inoppor- sio tune and injurious to the public interest. If the Foreign Secretary adopted that statement of the JMme Minister the noble earl intimated that he be- lieved he should best consult the feelings of the House by refraining from pressing his motion. Earl Granville denied that what had taken place in the other House on the previous day was in the nature of a party manoeuvre, and read a letter from Mr. Goschen asserting in unqualified terms that no one directly or indirectly connected with the Government had any knowledge of the course which he was about to take. The noble lord added that he entirely agreed with the Prime Minister as to the inexpediency and dis- advantage of a discussion. The Marquis of Salisbury described the circumstances as curious and unprecedented, and remarked that it was strange that Mr. Gladstone's personal influence should not have succeeded in drawing any of his fol- lowers into the same lobby with him, and that the numbers were sufficient to decide against the right hon. gentleman's vote and at the same time give effect to his expressed opinion. Some people said a rebuff had been received at the Conference, but he was rather disposed to think that the Government had ascertained that their prospect of obtaining a majority was proble- matical. After some remarks from the Earl of Kimberley the subject dropped; and the Cruelty to Animals Acts Amendment Bill and the Customs and Inland Revenue Bill were read a third time and passed. Their lordships rose at twenty. minutes past five o'clock. CRUELTIES IN EGYPTIAN PRISONS. Mr. W. E. Forster having asked what steps her Majesty's Government would take to prevent cruel in- justice in Egypt, and especially cruelty in Egyptian prisons and the imprisonment of innocent people, Mr. Gladstone admitted that the effect of the military occu- pation was to impose upon her Majesty's Government a very heavy responsibility, and stated that they would continue to do what they had been doing, and that they had no reason to be dissatisfied up to the present time with its results, especially with regard to the state of Egyptian prisons, though, of course, Egypt was still much behind the condition of Western nations. The abuse of imprisonment had been made a legal offence, entailing liability to prosecution before the Courts. Mr. Chaplin inquired whether the right hon. gentle- man could hold out any hope that the Government would take more effective steps than they had taken for the prevention of the cruelties described by Mr. Clifford Lloyd, the accuracy of whose statements was not disputed by her Majesty's Government. Mr. Gladstone recommended hon. members to with- hold their judgment until they were in possession of fuller information, and that the Government would persevere in the course they had already pursued, the result of which had been, in the opinion of competent authorities, even more favourable than under all the circumstances could have been expected. Mr. Chaplin gave notice that he would take the earliest opportunity of calling attention to the subject, and move a resolution. THE SMALL-POX EPIDEMIC. Dr. Cameron called attention to the smallpox epidemic in London, and dwelt on its alarming increase. I He moved a resolution, which was seconded by Dr. Farquharson, that the Government should at once apply to the metropolis those rational principles of prompt and direct preventive administration, the efficacy of which in circumscribing smallpox epidemics had been demonstrated by the experience of Glasgow and other large towns. Sir C. Dilke said he was not disposed to deny the necessity for more prompt and direct preventive ad- ministration, but he dissented altogether from the applicability of the house-to house visitation system. He believed that the station system was as effective and much cheaper, and he thought the best mode of meeting the resolution was by moving the previous question. Mr. Anderson supported the resolution, and Mr. Hopwood was deprecating alarming statements as likely to create panic, when the House was counted out at five minutes past seven o'clock. THE HOUSE OF LORDS. In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 2, Mr. Labouchere gave notice that on Monday he would ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the facts that the House of Lords is composed almost exclusively of large landowners, and that there is, and has been for many years, a permanent Conseivative (in the party sense of the word) majority of peers, and in view of the declared intention of a leading member of that party majority to appeal to it, in order to render nugatory the time which has been devoted by this House during the present session to give legislative effect to the pledges given by them to their constituents, and to which they owe it that they were returned as members of this House, by passing a bill bringing within the pale of the franchise about two million taxpayers who are now without votes; this House and the country may indulge in the hope that he will advise her Majesty to create such a number of peers of approved Liberal and Radical opinions (loud laughter), and selected from all classes of the com- munity, as will redress the balance of parties in the House of Lords; render it more difficult than it is at present for that House to throw out or to emasculate measures introduced into this House by Liberal Ministries and passed in this House by large majorities; and to secure to the Liberals and Radicals of the United Kingdom a voice in the deliberations and decisions of the Upper House of the Legislature proportionate to their num- bers and whether this House and the country may also indulge in the hope that he will submit to the appre- ciation of the House and the country a measure which will insure that in future important bills which have received the assent of the representatives of the people, will become law without unnecessary delay. POOR LAW GUARDIANS IN IRELAND. Mr. Gray moved the second reading of the Poor-law Guardians (Ireland) Bill, which proposed to apply the ballot to Poor-law elections, to reduce the proportion of ex-officio members of boards of guardians to one third, to fix six as the maximum number of votes which any elector might give, and to abolish the property qualifi- cation for membership of a board of guardians, and the right of voting by proxy. Mr. M'Coan, in supporting the bill, accused the Na- tionalist members of having prevented it passing last year ior their own purposes, and Mr. Healy and Mr. J. H. M'Carthy also spoke in its favour. Colonel King-Harman and Mr. Macartney, though disapproving of some of the details, did not object to the second reading, and Mr. Trevelyan, after going through the clauses, said that on the whole the Govern- ment would support it as an interim measure, which would be very useful until a General Local Government Bill could be passed for Ireland. After this the bill was read a second time. HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE (PROVINCIAL SITTINGS) BILL. Mr. Whitley moved the second reading of the High Court of Justice (Provincial Sittings) Bill, which pro- vides that the judges shall hold continuous sittings at Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham. Mr. M. Lloyd moved the rejection of the bill, and Mr. West maintained that the recent re-arrangements of the circuits were utterly inadequate for the require- ments of Lancashire. Mr. C. Russell was of the same opinion, but thought the bill failed, inasmuch as it did not require an in- crease in the number of Judges. Mr. Gregory, Mr. Tomlinson, and Mr. Muntz spoke, and Sir R. Cross cordially supported the bill, which he hoped would be pressed to a division. The Solicitor-General took exception to the bill on various grounds—that it did not provide for the require- ments of Yorkshire, that it would increase the cost of litigation, and that there would not be sufficient work for continuous sittings; but he promised that the Government would carefully watch the new system and would be anxious to supply any deficiencies which experience might reveal. Lord C. Hamilton and Mr. Davey recommended the withdrawal of the measure, but Mr. Whitley insisted on going to a division. The second reading was carried by 87 to 64. The House adjourned at ten minutes to six o'clock.

MONDAY NIGHT'S DIVISION.

[No title]

NORTH WARWICKSHIRE ELECTION.

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ON THE…

THE DISASTROUS FLOODS IN POLAND.

POISONED IN A SEWER.

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS.

ACCIDENT AT THE HEALTH EXHIBITION.

EPITOME OF NEWS.