MR. HOPWOOD: I will now with- There remained, then, the children under draw my Amendment.

it was because the Select Committee had | into the hands of the magistrate and the struck out this portion of the clause that gaoler. Factory legislation was found he proposed to move an Amendment to to be necessary to guard children against reinstate the conditions in the Bill. The the frequent cupidity and cruelty of elimination of these words from the parents. He was himself connected clause would allow these young children, with a large manufacturing industry, who were often, as a matter of fact, as and he could speak from his own peryoung as seven or eight years, to continue sonal knowledge of the number of cases to follow this mischievous practice on pre- which continually came under his notice, cisely the same conditions as children of where the parents of the children repremore advanced age. He took this to be sented them of an older age than they aca very great hardship upon children of tually were, in order that they might pass tender age themselves. Perhaps it was the factory inspection, and be qualified to considered that it would serve as a work in the mills. If legislation were sufficient hindrance to the employment necessary and needful for the protection of the younger children if they were of children who worked in the mills, required to pass such an examination as where they were sheltered and cared for applied to the elder ones; but, if even by Government inspection, how much that were so, they were free to be so more was it needful in the case of employed until 7 o'clock in the winter, children who were exposed to the and 9 o'clock in the summer months, vicissitudes of the weather, and the under any circumstances. He rested degradation of street life and evil assohis case, however, in respect to these ciations? The experience which had younger children, not on the ground of been gained by the various benevolent their being able to pass an educational societies of the town during several test, which he found some were able to years had so guided and matured public do, but simply on the ground of their opinion, and the authorities had on being so very young. He held that it several occasions addressed the late and was only right that they should be sub- present Government, both by memorials ject to the same beneficent regulations and deputations, on the subject, urging as applied to employment in factories upon Her Majesty's Ministers that noand workshops. In reply to the argu- thing less than legislation in the matter ment that the earnings of the children would suffice. The representations made might be required for the maintenance were to the effect that the offence did of themselves, or of other members of not come within the province of any the family, he was able to state, on the existing law, and, therefore, could not authority of Dr. John Watts, the Chair- be prevented by any present means. In man of the Industrial Schools Com- March, 1880, a deputation waited upon mittee of the Manchester School Board, the then Secretary of State for the Home that, having investigated the circum- Department (Sir R. Assheton Cross), stances of a large number of children and reminded him of the memorials who were following this street employ- which had been previously presented, ment, it was found that only one-third asking for legislation. The deputation of them belonged to families who were consisted of members of the Corporations below the poverty scale of the School of Manchester and Salford, and was supBoard. That proved that two-thirds of ported by Magistrates, Guardians of the the parents of these children were com- Poor, officers of the School Board, and paratively independent, and were, there- persons connected with various benevofore, unnecessarily subjecting their chil- lent societies. It had also the support dren to this very great hardship. Rather and approval of the whole of the Memthan do this in instances where the family bers for Manchester and Salford, and no was exceedingly poor, he would prefer to hon. Member had taken up the question relieve them out of the public rates. It more warmly than the hon. Member who should be remembered that the children sat on the other side of the House (Mr. were not learning any suitable and pro- Birley), who introduced the deputation fitable employment that would be useful to the late Secretary of State for the to them in later years; but, surrounded Home Department. He (Mr. Armitage) as they were by evil associations, they only mentioned this circumstance to show were acquiring habits which would, in that there was no Party feeling in the all probability, bring them ultimately matter, but an absolute agreement of

opinion. Two years ago a town meeting was held to take into consideration the treatment of juvenile offenders, and there was an entire concurrence in the views expressed that the very mischievous practice of sending them. to prison should, as far as possible,

cease. A resolution to that effect was passed, because it was felt that Industrial Schools and Reformatories for the constantly growing crop of juvenile offenders were the only alternative. This, however, would not entirely stay the growth of the evil, which arose, in a great measure, from the prevalence of street hawking. It was shown that last year more than one-half of the young persons who were admitted into the Industrial Schools of the Manchester School Board had been so employed, and only 17 per cent had come from families of good repute. This proved clearly that the close connection between the employment now complained of and the increase of crime could not be ignored. It should be borne in mind that an Act of the same kind was at present in force in Glasgow, and they had a report from the police authorities of Glasgow of the beneficial results arising from its operation in that city. He would conclude by expressing his thanks for the attention and patience with which a large portion of the House had listened to his remarks, and by moving to reinstate the words in the clause as they originally stood in the Bill of the Manchester Corporation. He invited the approval and support of the House.

Amendment proposed,

In Clause 38, page 20, line 26, after the word "child," to insert the words "under the age of ten years shall be employed in any casual emabove the age of ten years but."—(Mr. Armitage.) ployment within the city and no child who is be there inserted." Question proposed, "That those words

MR. SCLATER-BOOTH said, he was quite aware, and the Select Committee was equally aware, of the great desire which prevailed in certain quarters of Manchester that this clause, in its full integrity, should have been incorporated in the Bill. But he could assure his hon. Friend (Mr. Armitage) and the House that the Committee felt so strongly on the subject that they would have preferred to strike out the whole clause rather than sanction it in the form in which it was originally proposed to be inserted in the Bill. No doubt, the clause was copied from a Scotch Act; but if the House was of opinion that a further restriction should be placed upon juvenile labour to this extent, then let it be made applicable to the whole of England, as well as to Scotland; but let the provision be a general one. There did not appear to be any desire that this particular restriction on the labour of children under 10 years of age-children employed in selling newspapers in the streets-should be applied to London, or to the large towns generally. It was only in Manchester that there was any feeling in the matter. The Select Committee had supported the clause in so far as it dealt with children who ought to be at school; but they thought it was not desirable to assent to any further restriction. It was quite sufficient to provide that when children were under

MR. JACOB BRIGHT, in seconding the Amendment, said, he had no wish to detain the House further than to corroborate the statement of his hon. Friend (Mr. Armitage) as to the over-school age, they should not be allowed whelming strength of opinion in Manchester in favour of the Amendmentnamely, that young children under the age of 10 years should not be allowed to be employed in the streets. The hon. and learned Member for Stockport (Mr. Hopwood) said that was the general law already. If it were the general law, it would not do much harm to introduce it into this Bill. Men of every creed and Party in Manchester were anxious to have the Amendment made, and the hon. Members who represented Manchester in that House would be glad if the House could see its way to accept the Amendment.

Mr. Armitage

to engage in this casual employment after certain hours in the evening. As he had already stated, the clause, as originally proposed by the Corporation of Manchester, was taken from a Scotch Act; but he must say that the evidence adduced before the Committee as to the working of the provision in Scotland was of the most meagre description. The clause appeared to have been confined to Glasgow; and in regard to its working in Glasgow there was very little evidence indeed. He might remind the House that the whole of this matter could be reconsidered in "another place;" and he did not think the

present was a proper time for going into | disturbances at Alexandria was complete it. A very strong objection was enter- as regarded British subjects? tained against the clause, as it originally stood; and he believed the Bill, in its present form, contained all that could reasonably be demanded from Parliament. Indeed, as the clause now stood in the Bill, the Committee had felt a great deal of hesitation in passing it. What was now proposed would take away the means of livelihood from a large class. It would be better to strike out the whole clause than to accept the Amendment. He hoped, therefore, that the House would not assent to the Amendment.

violence and insubordination committed | Mr. Blake was summoned to the Petty by soldiers were committed by them Sessions at Stradbally therefor; whewhile under the influence of drink. As ther it was alleged that a revolver was to the second part of the Question of his presented at the caretaker; and that he hon. Friend, it was quite true that the was also assaulted; if a copy of the purchase of beer, tobacco, &c., from the evidence taken at the time can be laid regimental canteen at low rates, together before the House; and, whether Mr. with other privileges, such as the use of Blake will have any special powers a library, recreation room, and gym- under the Crime Bill? nasium, were offered as inducements to recruits to enlist by the Post Office Circular referred to in the Question; but he might say that the beer so supplied was of a very wholesome quality, and cases of drunkenness arising from its consumption were most rare; in fact, almost unknown. He would add that no spirits were sold in canteens at all, and he thought he might say that the real cause of drunkenness in the Army was certainly not the beer sold in the canteens, but the abominable stuff which soldiers obtained, under the name of spirits, in the low public-houses in the neighbourhood of their barracks, and for which the beer was intended, as far as possible, to be a substitute.

STATE OF IRELAND-POLICE PROTEC-
TION AT AMAGARRA (CO. CORK).
MR. HEALY asked the Chief Secre-
tary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland,
Whether it is the fact that there have
been six police stationed at a place
called Amagarra, Ballylanders, county
Cork, for a considerable time; and, whe-
ther there have been any outrages com-
mitted near the place; if not, what is
the reason that the police continue to be
stationed there, and upon whom their
maintenance is charged?

MR. TREVELYAN : Sir, a protection post was formed a short time ago at Amagarra, County Cork, on account of certain outrages that had been committed in the neighbourhood. There are five police stationed there, but there is no extra expense occasioned thereby, as they are charged for as other men of the county force.

THE MAGISTRACY (IRELAND)—MR.

H. A. BLAKE, R.M.

MR. HEALY asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether Mr. H. A. Blake, R.M. is the same person as the Mr. Blake, who was charged with taking forcible possession of a house at Carrigbarahane; whether

Mr. Osborne Morgan

MR. TREVELYAN: Sir, the matter to which the hon. Member refers related to a private and family affair, and is such as most certainly does not call for the cognizance of the House. I have frequently, in the course of the debates, stated the position which special Resident Magistrates will hold under the Prevention of Crime Bill. They will not have judicial authority.

MR. HEALY asked the right hon. Gentleman, If proceedings between landlord and tenant could be of a private character; and, whether a man who took forcible possession in the way indicated, and who presented a revolver at the head of the caretaker, was a proper person to occupy the position of Resident Magistrate under the Bill?

MR. TREVELYAN, in reply, said, he would not enter into the question as to whether Mr. Blake did or did not take possession in the manner stated, and would merely state to the House that the circumstances of the case were not of a nature, as he thought the House would acknowledge, of which they could take cognizance.

had received a letter from Mr. Blake, MR. MITCHELL HENRY said, he giving a total denial to the circumstance, as stated by the hon. Member, of the use of a revolver.

STATE OF IRELAND-POLICE SUR-
VEILLANCE.

MR. HEALY asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a statement in the "Belfast Morning News" of June 9th, to the effect that the police at Castleblayney have for some days past been perpetually watching a local contractor; that a constable remains at his side during his working hours, and afterwards hovers about his residence; and, if he can state the object of this surveillance, and by whom and for what object it has been directed?