the danger from these when crossing over tramway routes" would be reduced by enclosing them in insulated cables."The result of the discussion was that the town clerk wasdirected to prepare a report showing the legal status of thecorporation as regards overhead wires. The sword of iDamocles was nothing compared to our modern improve-ments on that weapon, as witness the Liverpool tragedy.FEES OF POBLIC VACCINATORS.-At the meeting

of the Chippenham Board of Guardians held on March 18tha letter was received from Mr. J. P. Martin of Box, decliningthe appointment of public vaccinator for that parish atthe fee of 5s. per case. The guardians decided to askMr. Martin what remuneration he would consider to bereasonable.

WESTERN COUNTIES VETERINARY ASSOCIATION.-The annual meeting of this association was held at Exeteron March 28th under the presidency of Mr. T. G. Bond. Mr.John Dunstan read an interesting papar on Bacteriology inits relation to Veterinary Science and a discussion followed.Mr. R. Penhale was elected prefident for the ensuing year.SUPERANNUATION ALLOWANCE.-Mr. B. Simmons,

formerly medical officer of the Wotton-under-Edge (Glou-cestershire) district of the Darsley Union, has been granteda superannuation allowance of 66 per annum.VACCINATION FEES.-At the last meeting of

the Liskeard Board of Guardians it was reported that theTH.Mtiat.inti fpp"$ImrB1lnt,prl tn -Vd9. in 1899 and tn £183 in

Parliamentary Intelligence.NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS.

Nursing in Irish Poor-law Institutions.WHEN the House of Lords meetsafter the Easter Vacation, Lord

Monteagle of Brandon will raise the question of nursing in workhouseinfirmaries and fever hospitals in Ireland and will move for a returnon the subject.

Hours of Labour in Shops.The Committee of the House of Lords on the hours of labour in shops

are accumulating a large body of evidence in favour of earlier closing andLord Avebury’s Bill. Witness after witness has stated that no more isto be hoped for from voluntary effort and that legislation is absolutelyessential in existing circumstances. At a recent meeting of the Com-mittee a letter was read from Professor J. G. McKendrick of Glasgow inwhich he said that he has no doubt whatever that the present long hours.and confinement of shop assistants are injurious to health, and also onefrom Dr. D. Yellowlees of the same city saying that he was quite sure thatthe unreasonably long hours and close confinement of shop assistantsare a great evil and are often not only a great hardship but very in-jurious physically, mentally, and morally.

HOUSH OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, MARCH 28TH.The London Water Question.

Dr. MACNAMARA asked the President of the Local Government Boardwhether he would place the text of his proposals respecting Londonwater before the House before the close of the present session so thatthey might be duly considered by the people of London and the extramunicipal areas affected during the Parliamentary recess.-Mr. LoNG :No, sir; I am unable to assent to the suggestion.,

Factory and Workshop Legislation.At this sitting Mr. RITCHIE introduced two Bills, one to amend and

the other to consolidate the Factory and Workshops Acts. In explain-ing the former he said on the subject of regulations for dangeroustrades that under the present law there might be many arbitrationswith respect to the orders of the Secretary of State. That wasproposed to be abolished by the Bill of his predecessor (SirMatthew White Ridley) last session, who proposed that theregulations should be referred to a referee, who should give hisdecision, which would be binding upon the Secretary of Statein the sense that he must either comply with the decision or

abandon the regulations altogether and substitute new ones. For his(Mr. Ritchie’s) part he thought that there were strong objections to thisprinciple of arbitration. He did not think it was right that the respon-sibility should be taken off the shoulders of the Secretary of State andput upon those of an irresponsible outsider. He proposed, therefore,that the Secretary of State should be responsible for making the rulesrelating to dangerous trades, subject to two conditions-first, that heshould be bound to make the fullest inquiries and to receive evidence inpublic; and, secondly, that the rules should lie on the table of bothHouses of Parliament for six weeks before they took effect. There wasanother important modification. The present state of the law relatingto laundries was unsatisfactory and confused. He proposed to apply tolaundries the provisions of the Factory Acts, preserving the existingdistribution of hours. There was another important alteration with

regard to laundries. Last year’s Bill excepted the inmates of anyinstitution conducted in good faith for charitable purposes. This ex-ception, in his view, was indefensible. These laundries ought not tobe worked upon conditions other than those imposed upon ordinarylaundries, with which they, in many cases, cumpeted. If they werenot so worked they had nothing to fear from the application of theAct to them, and, accordingly, he proposed to bring them within theAct. He proposed to insert special provisions to meet the objectionswhich had been expressed to the inclusion of religious institutions.-Both Bills were read a first time.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29TH.

Plague at Cape Town.Sir WALTER FOSTER asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in

view of the increase of plague at Cape Town and the danger of im-porting the disease into this country, he would direct that all militaryinvalids and soldiers arriving at English ports n ships on which anycase of plague had occurred should be isolated and kept under obser-vation for a sufficient period before being allowed to go to their homesor to military camps.-Mr. BRODRICK repiied that instructions to thiseffect were issued on March 22nd to all concerned.

MONDAY, APRIL 1ST.

Army Medical Officers and the Age of Recruits.Mr. PIRIE asked the Secretary of State for War, with reference to

ascertaining the correct ages of recruits and the evils of the existingsystem, if he would state in what respect the oath of allegiance takenby the recruit on attestation was an oath as to correctness of his age,and if he would consider the advisability of altering the oath so as tomake it refer more directly to this point and at the same time to includeamong punishable offences any false statement ot age on his part; if hecould state why more care was not exercised by the army medical officersin their duty in this respect, and whether in future neglect as to thison their p irt would be dealt with more severely; and who was themedical officer responsible for the enlisting as a full-grown privatesoldier of George H. Over, who was only 14 years old, and whether theofficer had been reprimanded.-Lord STANLEY replied: The oathof allegiance has nothing whatever to do with the matter. Onattestation the soldier signs his name to a declaration that hisanswers to various questions are true, amongst which is a questionas to age. I am advised that a conviction for making a false statementas to age cannot be obtained. There is no reason to suppose thatmedical officers are careless on the point of age and in this particularcase the officer does not appear to have been to blame as the recruitwas well grown.

Standards for Miik and Cream.Mr. STRACHEY asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether he coul

say what opportunity there would be for the House to consider thereport and recommendations of the Departmental Committee of theBoard of Agriculture in reference to fixing standards for milk, cream,and separated milk before they were adopted.-Mr. BALFOUR replied: Iunderstand that the departmental committee to which the hon. memberrefers reported about a fortnight ago and that my right hon. friend atthe head of the Board of Agriculture (Mr. Hanbury) intends to give areasonable time for representations to be made by those interested asto the mode in which the report should be dealt with. I do not thinkthat a specific opportunity could or should be given to the House fordealing with a matter within the discretion of the department andvested in it by statute.

Isolation HospitalssBill.This Bill to improve the position of county councils with regard to

the provision of isolation hospitals was read a second time and referredto the Standing Committee on Law. Mr. C. HOBHOUSE took exceptionto some of the clauses and Mr. WALTER LONG, President of the LocalGovernment Board, explained to him that the Bill had been framed bythe County Councils Association and all that had been done by hisdepartment was to make certain slight alterations which had receivedthe approval of the association. The sole object of the Bill, Mr. Longadded, was to enable county councils to do work in the direction ofproviding isolation hospitals which they could not do in the existingstate of the law.-Sir WALTER FOSTER expressed his approval of themeasure.

Cremation Bill.Sir WALTER FOSTER moved the second reading of the Cremation Bill,

a measure which has already passed through all its stages in the Houseof Lords. He explained that it was permissive in its character andgave power to local authorities to erect crematoria for the use of thelocality, subject to the approval of the Local Government Board, andunder regulations which had been sanctioned by the Home Office.-Mr. RITCHIE said that the Home Office raised no objection to thegeneral principle of the Bill. No doubt at one time cremation wasregarded with some suspicion, but public opinion on the subject hadconsiderably advanced of late years. When the Bill reached the Com-mittee stage it would be their business to see that proper safeguardswere introduced, and with that reservation he offered no opposition tothe measure.The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Standing Com-

mittee on Law.

ROYAL COMMISSION ON ARSENPOISONING.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26TH.THE Commission held another meeting to-day in the Town Hall of

Manchester, the members present being Sir WILLIAM S. CHURCH (whopresided), Professor THORPE, and Dr. B. A. WHITELEGGE.

Dr. J. DIXON MANN. Professor of Forensic Medicine in Owens College,gave evidence as to cases of arsenical poisoning that had come underhis observation in hospital and private practice. He explained that hehad examined the hair of patients, especially women, and foundin it arsenic in amounts varying from half a gramme to two

grammes. In one or two cases he found arsenic in the hair and