THE TABLET.

A Weekly Newspaper and Review.

DOM VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS KTIAM ADDIMOS UT IN INCŒPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEAT1S.

From the B r ie f oj H is Holiness P iu s IX . to The Tablet, June 4, 1870.

V o l . 83. No. 2801. L ondon, January 13, 1894. p RICe Sd. bypost 5xd.

[R e g is tered a t t h e G e n e r a l P o s t O f f ic e a s a N ew s pa p e r .

C h ronicle o f t h e W eetc :

Imperial Parliament : Monday’s Sitting — Parish Councils Bill-— Wednesday’s Sitting— The Jubi­

Page lee of Maui us Jdkai— Pioposed Charing Cross Improvements— The Public Health —The Thames Conservancy Bill— The Final Census Report : The Population— Details of the Population— The Age of the Average—Marriages — The Money Market . . . . 41 The Holy Father and France . . 45 L e a d e r s :

Buckfastleigh School Board v. the

Monks of Buckfast Abbey . . 45 Manchester Super Mare . . . . 46 The Creed of Our Baptism . . 47

C O N T

Page

N o t e s ..................................................... 50 R e v iew s :

Sir Walter Scott “ Intime” . . 52 Dr. Sanday on Inspiration . . 53 Richard Escott .. . . ..54 The Handsome Humes . . . . 54 Children’s Story-Books .. . . 54 The Everlasting Life and Love of

Jesus ..................................... 55 Homes for Liverpool Boys . . . . 55 C orrespondence :

Rome :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . . . - - 5 7 News from Ireland.. . . . . 58

ENTS.

Page

L e t t e r s to thf. E d itor •

St. George’s Cathedral Choir . . 59 Affairs in Italy . . .. . . 59 “ A Relic of the Pena' Days ” . 60 Catholic Teachers and the School

Rate .. .. .. . . 60 “ The Rescued Nun ” . . . . 60 The Banner of Jerusalem . . 60 The Leakage from the Catholic

Church . . . . . . ..60 “ Mr. F. Thompson, a New Poet” 61 The Mansion House and the Un­

employed . . . . : ..62 O b it u a r y ........................................ 66 Social an d P o l it i c a l . . . . 67

Page

SU PPLEM ENT. D ec is ion s of R oman C ongrega­

t io n s .......................... . . •- 73 N ew s from t h e S chools :

Teaching in Elementary Schools 73 Pupil Teachers . . . . --73 London School Board and the

Religious Education Controversy . . . . .. ..74 Educational Prospects in 1894 . . 64 N ew s from t h e D ioceses :

Westminster ......................... 65 Portsmouth . . . . . . . . . 66 St. Andrews and Edinburgh . . 66

*** Rejected M S . cannot be re tu rn ed unless accom panied w ith address a n d postage.

C H R O N I C L E O F T H E W E E K .

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A SOMEWHAT formidable im perial parliament. f - \ array of questions con—Monday’s sitting. -*■ fronted Ministers on Monday, in the course of answering which Mr. Buxton contrived to snub Mr. Labouchere on the subject of Mr. Cecil Rhodes’ remarks at the Cape banquet ; and to judiciously avoid making any definite statement as to the collision with French troops in the Konno country. In Committee on the Parish Councils 'Bill, the consideration of a new clause relating to the hiring of land for allotments was proceeded with. It provided that the Parish [Councils should have power co hire land for allotments, and, if unable to obtain suitable land by agreement on reasonable terms, they should represent the case to the Local Government Board, which might, subject to certain specified restrictments, make an order authorizing the Council to hire compulsorily for allotments, for a period not less than fourteen years, such land in or near the parish as was specified in the order, the order having full effect without confirmation by Parliament. Notices were to be served, a local inquiry held, and a single arbitiator would determine any question as to the terms and conditions of ■ the hiring, the amount of compensation for severance, the compensation to a tenant for the determination of his tenancy, the apportionment of the rent between the land taken by the Council and the land retained by the tenant, or as to any other matter incidental to the taking of the land. The arbitrator, in fixing the rent, should not make any addition in respect of compulsory hiring. The Council might let to one person an allotment or allotments exceeding one acre, but, if the land was hired compulsorily, not exceeding, in the whole, four acres of pasture, or one acre of arable and three of pasture; they might permit a stable, ■ cow-house, or barn to be erected on the allotment, and should not break up, or permit to be broken up, any permanent pasture. On the determination of any tenancy created by compulsory hiring, the landlord should not be required to pay compensation for improvements. Nothing in the clause was to authorize the compulsory hiring of

New Series Vol. LI., No. 2,110.

any mines or minerals. During the debate which followed Mr. Fowler’s motion for its second reading Mr. Chaplin, referring to the “ compromise,” said that as far as he was concerned, he had never pretended for a moment that either the original Clause or the amended Clause was satisfactory to himself, and he held himself perfectly free to take whatever course he liked, subject to the agreement to which he had referred. When the Bill was first introduced they had to consider two novel proposals in English legislation— the compulsory acquisition of land by hire, as well as by purchase; and the scheme to make that acquisition effective by the order of a single Government Department alone, instead of a provisional order confirmed by an Act of Parliament. The Clause now before the Committee made most important additional changes. It entirely altered the Allotments Act of 1887, creating an entirely new class of holding held upon sub-hire from the middleman, who only held land on hire himself, and it also affected the Small Holdings Act of 1892. This alteration was made before they had arrived at a time when it was possible to have any experience of the working of the Act of 1892, and it aimed a blow at the principle of the cultivating ownership of land which was unanimously recommended to Parliament three years ago by a Select Committee. This principle of compulsory hire could not possibly stop at dealing with allotments, but might have to be applied to larger areas than were at present contemplated. It was a new and complete departure from all recognized principles of justice and fair dealing between man and man ; if introduced in the matter of allotments it was impossible that it could stop there ; it was possible that it might inflict very great injury and injustice on individuals ; and it was a very unfair responsibility to throw on a Government Department which in the no distant future might become subject to political and party pressure for the purpose of dealing with the question. They proposed to make a great alteration in the present Acts by extending allotments from one acre to four, and by allowing their holders to erect buildings upon them. He foresaw very considerable difficulties, because they w’ere trying by the same means and machinery to deal with allotments and small holdings, which were in their nature totally distinct. The machinery, which was extremely well adapted to the first, was wholly unsuited to the second. The parish was perfectly competent to deal with allotments as defined in the Act of 1887.— “ field gardens of one acre”— and if the right hon. gentleman had adhered to his original proposal, he would have carried a perfectly workable scheme. He admitted that compulsory hire would be very good for the