THE TABLET

A W e ek ly N ew sp a p er a n d R e v iew .

DUM VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

F ro m the B r i e j of H is H o lin e ss P iu s I X . to T he T ablet J u n e 4, 1870

V o l . 79. No. 2703. L o n d o n , F e b r u a r y 27, 1892.

P r ic e s d ., by P o st s% d.

[ R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a i . P ost O f f i c e a s a N ew s p a p e r .

C h ro n ic le of t h e W e e k :

Page

Imperial Parliament : Irish Local Government--The Small Holdings Bill — Welsh Disestablishment— Shop Hours B ill—Defeat of the French Government—Sir Richard Webster at Blandford — The Egyptian Budget—The Metropolitan Cab Radius—Mr. Ashmead-Bartlett at Sheffield—The Finances of London County Council—Death of Lord Justice Cotton—The Disappearance of a Bank Manager—A Test for Death —The Defence o f London

317

L e a d e r s :

The Disestablishment Debate . . 321 The Pope and the French Minis­

try . . . . ...........................322 Mental Stocktaking . . . . 323 A Monastic Manor.. . . . . 324 The Encyclical to the French

Bishops . . -.........................325

C O N T

N o t e s ..............................................326 R e v iew s :

Page

Battles Long A g o ...................... 328 Chaucer . . . . . . . . 329 A New Litany . . . . . . 330 A Provincial Sketch . . . . 330 Catholicism in Mississippi V a lle y .. 330 C o rr e s po n d en c e :

Rome :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) ..........................................333 Dublin :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . . . . . 334 L e t t e r s to t h e E d it o r :

The Stroud Green Catechism . . 335 The “ Baculus Pastoralis ” and

Episcopal Coats of Arms . . 336 Canterbury and York . . . . 337 The New Catholic Club . . . . 337 The Catholic Association and the

Education Question . . . . 337

E N T S . 1 „

L e t t e r s to t h e E d it o r (Con­

Page tinued) : Cruelty to Animals in Ita ly . . 338 The Converts' Memorial Church and the Leakage.......................338 Cardinal Manning’s Family . . 338 A Difficulty Explained . . . . 338 Missions in Mashonaland . . 338 An Enquiry . . . . . . . . 338 The Denominational School Ques­

tion in America . . .. . . 339 The Effect of the Cumulative Vote 340 The Irish Sisters of Charity . . 340 Washington Catholic University . . 340 The Catholic Union . . . . . . 341 Catholics Abroad . . . . . . 342 The French Government and the

Associations’ B i l l ............................. 342 Some Publications o f the Week O b it u a r y 342 343

Page

F rom E v e r y w h e r e ............................ 343 A p p e a l s to t h e C h a r it a b l e . . 343 S o c ia l a n d P o l it ic a l . . . . 344

S U P P L EM E N T . N ew s from t h e S chools :

The Irish Education B i l l . . «. 349 Hammersmith Training College.. 35 1 Wandsworth Training College . . 35 1 Liverpool Training College . . 3 5 1 The Schools of Nottingham Dio­

cese.. . . .. . . . . 352 The Rating of Elementary Schools 352 N ew s from t h e D io c e se s :

Westminster . . . . . . 353 Southwark . . . . .. . . 353 Birmingham . . . . . . . . 353 Portsmouth . . .. .. . . 354 Newport and Menevia . . . . 354 Shrewsbury . . . . . . . . 354

Rejected M S . cannot be retu rned unless accompanied w ith address and postage.

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

—IRISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT. I

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

N the House of Commons, at the end of last week, Mr. A. J . Balfour moved for leave to introduce a Bill to amend the law relating to local government in Ireland. It was the intention of the Government, he said, to engraft a new system of local administrative government upon that which now existed in Ireland, and which had worked successfully for more than a generation The grand juries had administered the affairs entrusted to them with economy and purity. The county presentment sessions and the baronial presentment sessions sent their financial proposals to the grand jury, who had the power merely of accepting or rejecting. In Ireland the parish did not exist for administrative purposes, the smallest area being the barony, and the baronial sessions consisted of magistrates of the county and cesspayers, selected by a cumbrous and absurd method. It was proposed to retain the baronial unit; thus the proposed measure might be described only not as a County Councils Bill, but also as a District Councils Bill. They would follow the English precedent in transferring to the county and baronial councils only administrative duties, and would leave untouched the judicial duties now entrusted to the grand juries, which include all matters relating to compensation for malicious injury. The members of the county and baronial councils would be elected for three years, and would all leave office together. Their chief financial duties would have reference to the maintenance of roads. It was further proposed to hand over to the county councils (if they were willing to accept it) the responsibility of discharging, by means of local committees, the duties now performed by the rural sanitary authorities. These councils would also appoint members of the board of government in the district lunatic asylums in addition to those appointed by the Lord Lieutenant, subject to the provision that the latter should in no case exceed the number appointed by the council. In addition to this, the, county councils would be empowered to appoint eoronors and to acquire woods and plantations. With regard to the boroughs and their relation to the counties, Mr. Balfour pointed out that in Ireland there were n j municipal boroughs and two counties of towns; it was | intended to make all of them separate counties for adminisj trative purposes. In regard to the other urban districts, j they would be merged in the counties, retaining at the same j time all the powers and authority given to them by law. In order that minorities might have some representation on the councils, the cumulative vote would be introduced, and in this connection counties would be divided into electoral divisions of such a size that each would return about 15 members, but every barony would be an electoral district I in itself. It was also provided that on the petition of 20 of the cesspayers, a council charged with malversation or oppression might be tried by two election judges, and if . found guilty the councillors -were to be removed and their places filled by persons to be appointed by the Lord | Leiutenant. This announcement was received with derisive j laughter on the Opposition side, and Mr. Balfour proceeded to remark that an important safeguard would be added to prevent reckless expenditure. In this the analogy would be followed of the Scotch Local Government Act, which provided that there should be seven nominees of the heritors, seven nominees of the Commissioners of Supply, seven nominees of the County Council, and the sheriff of the county. After running through some minor details, Mr. Balfour concluded by saying that, while he did not pretend that this or any other Local Government Bill was likely to to regenerate Ireland, he believed it would tend to diminish animosities and to bring various classes of the people more closely together. The Bill was much criticised as an inadequate measure and was read a first time.

On Monday, in the House of Commons,

—the small Mr. Chaplin moved for leave to introduce a holdings b il l . Bill to facilitate the acquisition of small agricultural holdings in Great Britain. From the lengthy reports of his speech it is difficult to obtain a brief and intelligible summary, but he explained that one of the chief aims which the Government had in prospect was to bring back on the land the class formerly described as yeomen, which had been diminishing for many years past, and was rapidly becoming extinct. The Public Works Loan Commissioners, he said in explanation of the scheme, would be empowered to lend money at a rate of interest not exceeding 3 1-8 per cent., and the local authorities would be empowered to borrow money, either from the Commissioners or elsewhere, in order to purchase land for the purpose of providing small holdings for persons who resided in the country in which the land was situated, and who would themselves cultivate the holdings. A rate of a penny in

New S er ie s , V ol. X L V 1 I ., No. 2,012.